Lorde and Taylor Swift perform onstage during The 1989 World Tour Live at Nationals Park on July 13, 2015 in Washington DC. Photo / Getty Images
Lorde and Taylor Swift perform onstage during The 1989 World Tour Live at Nationals Park on July 13, 2015 in Washington DC. Photo / Getty Images
Why was Matt LeBlanc on stage at a Taylor Swift concert?
It's an excellent question and one of the many that have surfaced since Swift started touring the world in support of her quintuple-platinum "1989" album. The pop mega-star has always made a habit of inviting an eclectic group of celebrity guests on stage at her concerts, but this year, she has raised the bar with a barrage of singers, supermodels, athletes, A-list actresses and famed '90s sitcom stars. Some perform, some just stand on stage and wave. Not only is it a treat for the audience, but it serves the guests very well. After all, history shows that being associated with Swift can greatly impact your celebrity status.
It's a lot to process, so here's a complete guide to the guests on Swift's tour - and why these stars were the chosen ones.
Las Vegas, May 15
Musical guest: Ed Sheeran Song:Tenerife Sea Why was Sheeran there? Swift and Sheeran go way back, from that time they wrote her single Everything Has Changed on a trampoline. Plus, he was an opener on her Red tour.
Musical guest: Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons Celebrity guests: Martha Hunt, Gigi Hadid Song:Radioactive Why was Reynolds there? Imagine Dragons is one of her favorite bands, as she told the crowd. Why were Hadid and Hunt there? Both model squad members and co-stars in the Bad Blood video, Hadid is also dating Swift's ex-boyfriend, Joe Jonas.
Musical guest: Echosmith Celebrity guests: Cara Delevingne, Mariska Hargitay Song:Cool Kids Why was Echosmith there? Swift and lead vocalist Sydney Sierota became pals at the 2014 VMAs. Why were Delevigne and Hargitay there? Delevingne is a longtime member of the #squad; Swift is a huge Law & Order: SVU fan, and one of her cats is named after Hargitay's character, Olivia Benson.
Musical guest: Rachel Platten Celebrity guest: Mariska Hargitay Song:Fight Song Why was Platten there? Swift bonded with Platten backstage a few nights earlier in Pittsburgh singing this inspirational tune. Why was Hargitay there? See above.
Celebrity guests: Cara Delevingne, Gigi Hadad, Martha Hunt, Kendell Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Serena Williams Why were they there? All squad members, except for Serena Williams, who was in town for Wimbledon.
Musical guest: The Weekend Celebrity guests: Lily Aldridge, Lena Dunham, Gigi Hadid, Heidi Klum, Hailee Steinfeld, U.S. women's soccer team Song:Can't Feel My FaceWhy was The Weeknd there? Well, they do share a producer in Max Martin. Why were all those other people there? It's a good number of Bad Blood video stars and friends, plus Klum, who likely felt right at home among fellow supermodels Aldridge and Hadid. Oh, and the women's soccer team had just won the World Cup.
Musical guest: Nick Jonas Celebrity guests: Uzo Aduba, Lily Aldridge, Gigi Hadid, Martha Hunt, Karlie Kloss, Behati Prinsloo, Candice Swanepoel Song:Jealous Why was Jonas there? Swift and the JoBros have known each other for years; he also dated her BFF Selena Gomez. Why was everyone else there? Some repeats from the night before, with the addition of some more supermodel friends and Uzo Aduba from Orange is the New Black. (Maybe Swift is a Netflix binge-watcher?)
Musical guests: Andy Grammer, Serayah Song:Honey, I'm Good Why was Grammer there? This is his second appearance on a Swift tour - he showed up a couple years ago to play Keep Your Head Up, Swift's favorite song when she's having a bad day. Why was Serayah there? A fairly new edition to the squad, the 20-year-old Empire star helped Swift out on vocals during Style.
Musical guest: Sam Hunt Celebrity guests: Lily Donaldson, Andreja Pejic Song:Take Your Time Why was Hunt there? Swift likes to keep tabs on the Nashville scene. Before their flirty duet, she called him "the coolest new thing that country music has going on." Why were Donaldson and Pejic there? Because Swift really, really likes having supermodel friends?
Musical guest: Fetty Wap Celebrity guests: Ciara, Russell Wilson Song:Trap Queen Why was Fetty Wap there? Another song of the summer contender. Why were Wilson and Ciara there? Swift likes to bring out hometown stars (Wilson is a favorite of the Seahawks) and he and Ciara are one of this year's most-talked about couples.
Musical guest: Fifth Harmony Song:Worth It Why was Fifth Harmony there? Swift has been good friends with group member Camila Cabello for awhile, which she proved by borrowing one of Fifth Harmony's outfits for the performance.
Musical guest: Little Mix Celebrity guests: Joan Baez, Julia Roberts Song:Black Magic Why was Little Mix there? They were already nearby for the Teen Choice Awards in Los Angeles. Oh, and group member Perrie Edwards used to be engaged to Zayn Malik, the ex-One Direction star, and Swift also used to date Harry Styles. Why were Roberts and Baez there? Your guess is as good as ours - though Swift did call the women two of her heroes.
Musical guest: Ryan Tedder Celebrity guest: Kobe Bryant Song:Counting Stars Why was Tedder there? He co-wrote two tracks on 1989 (Welcome to New York and I Know Places) so it was only fair. Why was Bryant there? In a twist, the Lakers star was there to surprise Swift: He presented a new Staples Center banner that congratulated her on being the artist with the most sold-out concerts ever at the venue.
Musical guests: Mary J. Blige, Uzo Aduba Celebrity guests: Matt LeBlanc, Sean O'Pry, Chris Rock Blige's songs:Doubt, Family Affair Why was she there? Swift says she was very inspired when she heard Blige sing Doubt at a pre-Grammy party last year, and also wants no more drama in her life. Aduba's song:White Horse Why was she there? Aduba (a guest earlier in the summer in East Rutherford) told Vulture she got a message from Swift inviting her to sing on stage. Who would turn that down? Why were LeBlanc, O'Pry and Rock there? Swift is a big fan of Friends. We know Rock is a big fan of Swift. And Sean O'Pry was the star of Swift's Blank Space video.
Musical guest: Alanis Morissette, Natalie Maines Celebrity guest: Ellen DeGeneres Maines' song:Goodbye Earl Why was she there? Swift used to perform Dixie Chicks songs at all her school talent shows, so may as well bring it to a bigger stage. Morissette's song:You Oughta Know Why was she there? It's one of the most famous songs about an ex-boyfriend, a theme Swift knows very well. Why was DeGeneres there? The two have been buddies for years, with Swift a frequent guest on her talk show - even though Ellen often tries to freak her out.
Musical guests: Beck, St. Vincent, John Legend Beck's song:Dreams, with St. Vincent on guitar Why were they there? St. Vincent is dating Swift's squad member Cara Delevigne; Beck has a new single. Legend's song:All of Me Why was he there? According to Swift, she heard Legend and his wife, Chrissy Teigen, were on their way to the show - so she called and asked about an impromptu performance.
Musical guests: Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez Celebrity guest: Lisa Kudrow Timberlake's song:Mirrors Why was he there? The former 'N Sync frontman was one of Swift's first celebrity crushes before she became a superstar - now he joins her on stage and shows up at her 25th birthday party. Gomez's song:Good For You Why was she there? The two have been best friends for a long time, even though Swift is rightly repulsed by Gomez's on-again off-again romance with Justin Bieber. Why was Kudrow there? To sing Smelly Cat from Friends - that's right, Swift's powerful enough to get an Emmy-nominated actress to reprise a decades-old sitcom role.
Musical guets: Avril Lavigne, OMI OMI's Song:Cheerleader Why was he there? It's another song of the summer contender. Lavigne's song:Complicated Why was she there? To quell the notion that the two are in a feud. People tried to stoke the fire when Swift "liked" a Tumblr post that implied Lavigne wasn't friendly to her fans - but Swift is way too savvy for that story to blow up.
