Taylor Swift spent Tuesday night performing for an unusually small crowd in Los Angeles while Travis Kelce remained busy with the Kansas City Chiefs as the team entered the final days of training camp.
Swift, 36, took part in “The Icon Sessions with Taylor Swift: A 20-Year Retrospective” at the Grammy Museum on August 18. The invite-only event was held exclusively for the Recording Academy Songwriters & Composers Wing and featured a Q&A followed by an intimate performance.
Meanwhile, Kelce, 36, was still working through his 14th Chiefs training camp in Kansas City. The Chiefs wrapped camp on Thursday, August 20, two days after Swift’s Los Angeles appearance.
Despite being the oldest player on one of the NFL’s youngest rosters, Kelce wasn’t taking it easy. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that coaches sometimes had to make the veteran tight end take a break.
“You have examples like Kelce, he’s the oldest guy on the team and came out every day and worked to where you had to yank him out of there to give him a breather,” Reid said.
Taylor Swift Secretly Performed for About 100 People in Los Angeles
While Kelce was putting in the work at Chiefs camp, Swift traded massive stadium crowds for an audience of only about 100 people.
Music producer and songwriter Larry Dvoskin, who attended the Grammy Museum event, revealed details about the gathering on Facebook. According to Dvoskin, there were even empty seats in the theater.
“Taylor came onstage and shared her beautiful stories of how she writes songs and where she gets her endless inspiration from,” Dvoskin wrote on Facebook. “Then she played a few tunes for the 100 or so people there. It wasn’t even sold out, there were empty seats.”
Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr. interviewed Swift during the event, giving her an opportunity to discuss her songwriting process and 20-year career.
“Enthusiasm can protect you from anything,” Swift told the audience.
Swift also discussed the “yes and” approach she uses while writing and recording, which helps her remain open to exploring new creative ideas.
She also explained that she doesn’t simply wait for inspiration before getting to work. Swift said she makes a point of showing up even when she isn’t feeling inspired and trusts that her “Idea Fairy” will eventually arrive.
After the discussion, Swift performed several songs for the intimate crowd.
Travis Kelce Was Still Putting in the Work at Chiefs Training Camp
Back in Kansas City, Kelce was earning praise from both Reid and linebacker Nick Bolton for his approach to training camp.
“There’s no excuses when you have the old guy out there running routes and stuff like that,” Bolton said of Kelce. “It’s been fun to watch him work.”
Kelce is preparing for his 14th NFL season after Kansas City selected him in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. His latest training camp also reunited him with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who returned to the Chiefs this offseason.
Reid said Kelce hasn’t wasted any time returning to his familiar dynamic with Bieniemy.
“He likes to give EB the business and that’s always entertaining too,” Reid said. “So, it keeps everybody on their toes.”
Kelce has also made it clear that he is happy to have Bieniemy back.
“One, you’ve got intensity. Intensity is the first thing and that intensity is infectious,” Kelce told reporters on August 12. “And I love that (expletive). It’s one of my favorite things about him. I don’t think there’s enough of that in the world, let alone in this building.”
Taylor Swift Took Time to Personally Meet Guests After Secret Show
Swift’s appearance didn’t end when the performance was over.
Dvoskin said the singer stayed afterward and personally met with guests. He noted that Swift didn’t appear to rush their conversation despite dozens of other attendees waiting to speak with her.
“She was in no hurry to move me along,” Dvoskin wrote. “There were several dozen songwriters behind us waiting to chat so I said goodbye first.”
He added, “That is how good Taylor Swift is in her quality of presence. A true star shines light upon us, we leave feeling brighter.”
Taylor Swift Performs Intimate Secret Show in LA While Travis Kelce Is Stuck at Chiefs Camp