Taylor Swift Reflects on Early Career in Detroit: “I Was So Insanely Nervous”

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has made one thing very clear: she is arguably the biggest star in the world right now. Few artists are as in demand as the “Anti-Hero” singer.

During a show in Detroit, Swift reflected on a time when she was a little-known singer taking on the national anthem in the same stadium she is now selling out.

“Ahhhhh Detroit that was so much fun,” Swift wrote on Instagram along with a round-up of photos from the concert. “First time I performed at Ford Field was singing the anthem there in 2006 and I remember thinking it felt impossible for a place to be that big, I was sooo insanely nervous.”

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“Thanks to those crowds this weekend for your endless energy and extremely loud scream-singing, you made us feel right at home,” she continued.

Video footage from her national anthem performance at Ford Field is still available online. Swift was still deeply entrenched in her country era at the time, so she brought out an acoustic guitar to accompany her on the song.

Check out the moment below.

While playing in Detroit over the weekend, Swift made a generous donation to Gleaners Community Food Bank, a nonprofit located in Southeast Michigan. The money will serve five counties in the area.

“No matter what happens in life, be good to people,” Swift told the organization.

“It’s not every day that you get a call from someone who works for Taylor Swift. So, we were dubious at first, but happily, it turned out to be absolutely real,” said vice president of external relations Terri Shoemaker (per AZ Central).

Swift’s Eras Tour will pick back up next weekend in Pittsburgh. The U.S. leg of the tour is nearing a close. After wrapping the tour dates stateside with HAIM in Los Angeles, Swift will head overseas for a Central and South American leg.

(Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)