June 26, 2024
New Heights/Youtube
On 'New Heights,' Jason Kelce reminisced on his first Eras Tour concert Friday in London. He compared the atmosphere to a Bruce Springsteen concert, discussed meeting Prince William backstage and got emotional recalling Swift's interaction with a young fan.
The Kelce brothers were in their "London Era" during the latest episode of their "New Heights" podcast.
Retired Eagles center Jason and Chiefs tight end Travis reported live from London's Philly-themed Passyunk Avenue Bar in the new episode, which dropped Wednesday. They sampled quintessential British snacks and drinks — including tea service and a full English breakfast — as they discussed their trip.
MORE: Jason and Travis Kelce team up to invest in Ohio-based light beer company
The conversation, of course, turned to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, which took over Wembley Stadium for three nights over the weekend. While Swift's boyfriend, Travis, has been present for several concerts on the tour since last July — when he showed up to her Kansas City concert with a friendship bracelet and a dream, eventually leading to the start of their relationship — Jason had never attended a show before.
That all changed when Jason and his wife, Kylie, went to the Eras Tour in London, and "watched Tay absolutely shred it," as Travis put it on the podcast. Jason said the concert was "insanely impressive" and expressed awe at Swift's ability to be a gifted singer, songwriter and performer for her three-plus hour show.
"If I did what she did for one song, I would have to change my clothes," Jason said.
"I'm in the tent like, gosh I need a break," Travis joked.
"Man, I'm tired of drinking these beers and Taylor's still singing," Jason replied. "Can't feel my hand anymore because all these friendship bracelets are cutting off my circulation."
Jason got emotional just talking about his first Eras Tour experience
— New Heights (@newheightshow) June 26, 2024
THE LONDON EPISODE OUT NOW: https://t.co/jcOTOll6zO pic.twitter.com/Sjk01rnQNI
Jason said the "memorable" concert atmosphere created by the Swifties matched only one other concert he'd been to, the first time he saw Bruce Springsteen live.
"It was equal kind of level of just these insane fandoms that love these artists so much that they know all of the songs," Jason said of the Springsteen and Swift concerts.
Famous girl-dad Jason — who said he recorded a video of Swift singing "The Man" to send to his daughter, Wyatt, since it's her favorite song — also got a bit emotional as he recalled the moment when Swift gave a hat to a young fan during her performance of "22," which she does at each show.
"I've never cried at a f***ing concert and I was literally tearing up watching this little girl's entire — I'm about to tear up right now — it was f***ing so special," Jason said.
Jason said his favorite part of the show, though, was Swift's acoustic set, a part of the concert that includes mashups of surprise songs not otherwise on the setlist. Travis informed him that the acoustic set is beloved by many fans, who wait with bated breath to find out what Swift will sing stripped-down versions of as she plays guitar or piano.
"(It's) 90,000 people, but for some reason it feels like you're in a bar just listening to somebody play on a piano," Jason said of the experience.
Of the concert, Travis said, "It's just cool to come over to London, support her and have a few beers while she absolutely killed it on stage."
Speaking of beer, eagle-eyed fans called out Jason's unique way of carrying his beer ... with his teeth. Travis said it was a "Kelce move for sure," while Jason noted that he was "reverting back to my pre-opposable thumbs" era.
my favorite part about these videos of jason kelce is that it never looks like he needs his hands free for anything, he simply just wants to hold his beer with his mouth instead just to say he did…
— eryn 🪩🫶🏻 (@erynmichelle13) June 23, 2024
peak dad behavior. we have to stan. https://t.co/fmMqmIGv91
Along with hanging with their family and friends, bopping along to Swift's music, interacting with fans, collecting friendship bracelets and sipping brewskis, the Kelce bros also said they enjoyed meeting a few guests of honor at the concert: Prince William and his kids, Charlotte and George. They met the trio of royals backstage, and Travis and Jason said they weren't exactly sure how to pay their respects.
Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start 🇬🇧🇺🇸🤝 @KensingtonRoyal pic.twitter.com/VlD6V0PiEL
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) June 22, 2024
"I wasn't sure if I was supposed to bow to them, curtsey, or just be an American idiot and shake their hand," Travis said.
They were told they didn't have to bow, since it wasn't an official royal event, but Jason said he did refer to the prince as "Your Royal Highness."
"(I've) never seen you give someone that much respect; you put your beer 10 feet away from you," Travis joked.
"I didn't have it in my teeth when I met him," Jason replied.
Jason said Prince William was "awesome" (although the experience left him feeling a bit "emasculated") and Charlotte was a "highlight." They also looked back on the time Swift sang karaoke with Prince William and Jon Bon Jovi at an event in 2013.
"Tay got him out of his shell," Travis said of the impromptu performance over a decade ago.
The latest "New Heights" was recorded June 22, but it was the June 23 show when Travis shocked Swifties by taking his Eras Tour attendance to the next level. He went on stage in a top hat and tuxedo to join the segment preceding Swift's "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" performance.
📲| Taylor Swift posted on Instagram
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) June 24, 2024
"...And I'm still cracking up/swooning over @killatrav's Eras Tour debut 🥰" pic.twitter.com/kR3qaN3BuF
Hopefully, Travis will give the behind-the-scenes scoop on his onstage debut in the next podcast. Until then, watch this week's full "New Heights" episode below:
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