Taylor Swift’s Red Tour continues to roll across stages with the same high energy that has defined the era. The schedule is grueling, the venues are packed, and the nights run long, yet the atmosphere stays electric. In any large tour, moments of pure spectacle mingle with the occasional misstep, and this one is no exception. The experience brings together a team of dedicated performers, crew members, and fans who ride the wave from city to city, sharing victories on stage and stories behind the scenes. The Red Tour demonstrates how a major music trek becomes a moving event, almost a traveling festival, where spontaneous moments can turn into memorable anecdotes, both for the audience and those on the tour.
On this journey, Ed Sheeran has been a close touring partner, contributing to the show’s breadth with his warmth and humor. Among the many backstage exchanges and borrowed pieces of theater that pop up along the road was a talking point from a time when a prop sword connected to The Hobbit appeared on a flight. The sword, a gift associated with Peter Jacksons fantasy works, made its way into Ed’s travel gear and ended up resting on a tabletop in the cabin during takeoff. The moment unfolded as the aircraft gathered speed, and the blade began to drift with the planes movement, turning an ordinary lift into a tense moment for those nearby. The scene was more startling than dangerous, and it served as a reminder that even in the most glamorous life on tour, everyday travel safety still matters. The incident quickly became a talking point among the crew and fans, a human moment amid the adrenaline of a world tour.
Ed later described the near miss in blunt, memorable terms. As the plane started to rise, the sword lay on the table and shifted with the tilt of the aircraft. It began sliding toward Swift, and the instinct to react kicked in. He recalls shouting a firm warning and watching the prop weapon come perilously close to Swift before it was checked and secured. The tension was brief, and the mood shifted to relief rather than alarm, with everyone breathing a little easier once the item was safely stowed away. The retelling of the moment became part of tour lore, a cautionary tale about treating props and weapon replicas with care when moving through crowded travel spaces.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the episode later sparked laughter rather than lasting concern. It also produced a practical lesson that many tours already live by: props and weapons require careful handling, storage, and clearance, especially on aircraft where space is limited and everyone relies on the same security protocols. The image of a sword resting on a plane table is now a reminder for tour teams to review safety checks, secure gear, and keep personal items tucked away during takeoff and landing. In the end, the incident is a light-hearted anecdote about a high-pressure travel moment, balanced by the sense of relief and the shared resolve to avoid similar near misses on future legs of the Red Tour.