Three weeks to the Eras Tour, beware of Taylor Swift scams

Fifteen shows remain on the Eras Tour , which is set to resume in three weeks. Scams can happen to anyone; read these tips so you don't fall prey trying to get last-minute tickets. Taylor Swift didn't attend the Kansas City game in Atlanta; is she heading to Los Angeles on Sunday? Pundits and skeptics are already saying Travis Kelce is distracted, but his coach Andy Reid is snapping back. Kelce's new show "Grotesquerie" airs; here's what to know about the football player's role. The community goes wild asking whether Swift made a necklace snafu — or is she hinting at a new album?

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I'm Bryan West, the Taylor Swift reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Let's connect on Instagram , TikTok , Threads , Facebook or X : @BryanWestTV .

Ms. Swift, can I ask you a question...? (or questions...?)

Other than football games and a Saturday night appearance in New York City with Gigi Hadid, all has been quiet on the Swift front. Not a lot is going on at the moment. Which usually means in addition to taking a well needed rest, Swift may be creating or planning the rest of the year and 2025. In addition to two rerecords, a Searchlight Pictures movie, a documentary, Taylor-con, "Female Rage: The Musical" and TS12, what other plans might be in store? Especially as it relates to the Eras Tour?

This October, Swifties can beat the heat in "Florida!!!" Brightline and iHeartRadio created a high-speed Swiftie train from Orlando to Miami. The Swiftie cruise that went viral last year will take off the day after Swift's Miami concerts and visit Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay, and Nassau. While Swiftmania descends on the panhandle state, what changes are in store for the three-plus-hour show? Will Swift keep the Florence Welch duet "Florida!!!" in the set list, bringing the total to 47 songs? The dancers learned a new routine. The animation and lighting departments created a new backdrop. It would makes sense for Swift to keep it. Will Welch join her onstage or will it go to, say, opener Gracie Abrams? Or will Swift take both verses?

Are there going to be new outfits? And who is the other opening act? Every American show had two openers during the first leg of the tour. Will Swift announce more acts for the five remaining cities?

And when will "Reputation (Taylor's Version)" be announced? If we get a third single from "Tortured Poets," I imagine the snake-skinned can will be kicked down the road. But if "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" is the last single from the 31-track album, Karyn the 60-foot inflatable snake may need to come out of hiding.

We will know the answers soon enough. Stay tuned Swifties.

The football critics are out in full force

Cue the Brads, Chads and dads. Swift didn't appear at the Chiefs ' game against the Atlanta Falcons and after writing an article about it , I got a response from David: "Please stop promoting this bulls*** and leave football alone. Please."

The Chiefs are 3-0 this season, 2-0 with Swift in attendance, but some are still upset about Swift's presence and Kelce only having eight catches, his slowest start to a season.

Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes came to Kelce's defense on Wednesday.

"I know people are saying that he's old, or whatever, has distractions and all this," Reid said. "The defenses don't think that. We have another receiver that plays opposite him that has a lot of yards and catches, and that's how this thing goes. Travis is fine."

Mahomes said Kelce is heavily guarded.

"I feel like I want to get him the ball more," the quarterback said. "Whereas [Kelce's] just like, 'I just want to win, man. I don't care. I'll run these routes and take guys with me so that other guys can get open.'"

You can see more analysis on the game from USA TODAY sports reporter Tyler Dragon here .

The conversation has entered the mainstream. Whoopi Goldberg on "The View" had a few things to say about the criticism of Swift and Kelce.

"They apparently forgot that they won a Super Bowl last year with [Kelce], and [Kelce and Swift] were just as tight then as they are now," she said. "Grow up, y’all. Stop putting this on her. Your team is fine. Your team is doing well. Shut up."

The first episode of 'Grotesquerie' airs

Dark. Mature. Haunting. Evil. Those were a few words that came to mind after the first episode of Ryan Murphy's "Grotesquerie" aired on FX. Spoiler alert: Travis Kelce is not in Episode 1 or 2.

On Monday night, Kelce's mom Donna walked the red carpet premiere in lieu of Travis. She complimented her son.

"He's one of those types of individuals who's kind of like a chameleon," she said. "He can be with people of varying different walks of life and fit in. He's always been able to do that, and I think he has a lot to draw from with all of the individuals that he's been around."

Show creator Murphy told ET he wrote the role for Kelce after a meeting with the tight end.

"I didn’t know Travis and I thought we were having a general meeting, but he was so passionate about wanting to try it, and I always have a theory that a star is a star is a star," Murphy said. "He’s a big star in every arena. I was just moved by it and his ambition, and he’s guy who wants to try new things. I said, 'Well, I don’t know if I have anything now.' Then, I thought about it and I did and I called him back and I pitched him, and expanded it and wrote it for him."

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Bookmark these Eras Tour pages

• ❤️ What did Kam say in "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"? Every "like ever" phrase here.
• 🎩 How do you get the "22" hat? Every fedora recipient here.
• 🎵 What songs has Swift not played? Every acoustic song here.

A Swift update

1… 2… 3… let’s go b****! If you didn’t see the news ('cause you were somewhere else) here are some headlines from the week:

1. Coldplay to beat Swift's record. The "Clocks" and "Fix You" band is gunning for Swift's Wembley record and should surpass her eight-night run with 10 nights next summer. Coldplay originally announced a six-night stint in August. Then they added four extra shows in September, citing "phenomenal demand" by fans.
2. Thanksgiving with Taylor? On the recent "New Heights" episode, Jason and Travis Kelce explained their Nov. 28th plans. "We're all going to K.C. for Thanksgiving because you guys play Friday night for Amazon," Jason said. (The Chiefs have a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 29th.) Although the brothers didn't say whether Swift would be joining, all eyes will be on the football game at Arrowhead Stadium.
3. Losing followers on Instagram? On Sept. 16, an Instagram post alleged Swift lost 17 million followers following her endorsement of Kamala Harris for president. The USA TODAY fact check team found this is untrue. You can see the claim and evidence here .

Off to Clownelia Street

On Saturday night, Taylor Swift painted New York City plaid with her close friend Gigi Hadid. But it wasn't her nearly $2,000 Vivienne Westwood trench coat or black cropped V-neck sweater or Ramy Brook miniskirt or Vivienne Westwood snake print boots that caught Swifties' eyes. It was her gold "TS" necklace flipped upside down to appear like a "12."

Although I do think there are a lot of Easter eggs in Swift's fashion, this doesn't seem like a clue for a new album. You can see her look here .

From the West End

For the final section of the newsletter, I like to highlight a Swiftie.

This influencer is well-known in the community especially for fans who have watched a livestream. Tess Bohne , a Salt Lake City mother of three is known as "The Livestream Queen."

"I found that I like being in front of a camera," she said, "but I love the stress behind ‘oh no this live went down, I have to hurry and switch before something happens.’ I’ve enjoyed that and at the same time, I am fully enthralled and immersed in this Taylor world."

Her peppy, kind attitude is refreshing to watch on her TikTok account @tessdear. She's already in the midst of livestreaming other concerts including Meghan Trainor, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan.

Recently, Bohne shared a video informing fans to beware of scams, watch that video here.

I've talked with experts as well. You can read that article here.

Let's connect on Instagram , TikTok and X . I'm at @BryanWestTV .

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Three weeks to the Eras Tour, beware of Taylor Swift scams