Taylor Swift asks fans to be nice to John Mayer before surprise performance of 'Dear John'

Lester Fabian Brathwaite
·2 min read
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It's hard out there for a Taylor Swift ex.

After Taylor Lautner sent up prayers for "John," Swift addressed the guitar-strumming elephant in the room ahead of a surprise performance of "Dear John" and the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version).

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 17: Editorial use only and no commercial use at any time. No use on publication covers is permitted after August 9, 2023. Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Swift City, ERAzona (Glendale, Arizona). The city of Glendale, Arizona was ceremonially renamed to Swift City for March 17-18 in honor of The Eras Tour. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

John Shearer/Getty for TAS Rights Management Taylor Swift opening night of The Eras Tour

At Minneapolis' U.S. Bank Stadium during a stop on her blockbuster Eras Tour, Swift introduced "Dear John," her 2010 hit widely assumed to be a kiss-off of former boyfriend John Mayer, during the surprise songs set.

Swift hasn't performed "Dear John" live in concert since 2012.

In the introduction, the singer-songwriter made a request for her fans not to go all Ticketmaster on the man who once crooned about someone's body being a wonderland — without naming names, of course.

"I get to stand on this stage every single night of this tour and watch some of the most beautiful things happen," Swift told her adoring crowd. "I see so many beautiful interactions happen, and I hear so many stories about friends that were made at these shows. I watch it happen, and it's the most unbelievable thing to watch."

The pop superstar then asked Swifties near and far to show "that kindness and gentleness extend into our internet activities" when she drops the re-release of the 2010 album Speak Now, as part of her ongoing effort to own the masters to her first six albums.

"I'm 33 years old. I don't care about anything that happened to me when I was 19," Swift continued. "I'm not putting this album out so that you can go and should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about 14 billion years ago."

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