Taylor Swift has been blowing fans away with her jaw-dropping performances on her sold-out Eras Tour, traveling around the globe on a 152-stop trip that has seen a host of her A-list pals in attendance.
But while the 34-year-old popstar – who is in a headline-making romance with Travis Kelce – has plenty of celebrity friends to bolster the audience numbers each night, as well as an NFL player partner willing to join her on-stage for the odd cameo, there is another oft-overlooked group of people making up Taylor’s inner circle: her bandmates and backup dancers.
Taylor is undoubtedly the star of the show when she takes to the stage at every concert, but behind her is a closely-knit crew of performers, many of whom have been by her side for decades, having started working with her long before she became the chart-topping superstar she is today.
So close are these musicians and dancers that they even have their own group names: while Taylor’s band is called The Agency, her backup dancers refer to themselves as the Starlights.
Over the years, these performers have become like family to Taylor – making up an important part of her inner circle, and standing by her side as she has weathered furious criticism over her album launch and, most recently, accusations by Foo Fighters legend Dave Grohl that she doesn’t sing live on-stage.
They have followed the songstress through the majority of her career and traveled worldwide with her to every stadium, stage, and studio.
In fact, the group were also given exclusive insight into Taylor’s relationship with Travis when he joined them on-stage for a surprise cameo in London.
Travis has seemingly been welcomed into the fold with ease – even exchanging gushing public messages of appreciation on Instagram with Taylor’s dancer Kameron Saunders, who gushed about the ‘full circle moment’ of performing with the NFL star on-stage after years of Chiefs fandom.
And the singer has made sure to show her appreciation for her dedicated team, by spending time with them and their children even when the stage lights turn off.
Because of their unwavering loyalty, Taylor has continued to reward her team – with her even splashing out a whopping $55 million in bonuses during her Eras Tour.
As Taylor’s tour continues to blow music lovers away, FEMAIL lifts the lid on all there is to know about her onstage squad that has been integral to her music career.
The oldest member of her crew: Amos Heller
The Agency refers to the singing sensation’s musical band, who help her bring her songs to life every night.
The band is made up of Amos Heller, Paul Sidoti, Michael Meadows, David Cook, Matt Billingslea, Max Bernstein, and Karina DePiano.
Amos – who is Taylor’s bass player and keyboardist – has been by the icon’s side since before her band even had a name and way before she was selling out stadiums.
On his Instagram account, Amos has even shouted out Taylor on her birthday.
Alongside a slew of throwback photos of the pair, he wrote: ‘The first gig I did with you had wooden planks perched precariously on top of cinderblocks on a dirt race track.
‘You were tireless, then as now.
‘I hope you have a moment to bask in the luxury not only of the amazing and measurable things you have achieved, but also the quality of human beings who have come flocking to your light, ready to join with you in achieving the nearly unimaginable.’
Amos branded Taylor ‘an irreplaceable friend to my family and those I love most’ as he praised her for helping her make his dreams come true.
Fans have even taken a big liking to Amos and have shared fan edits of him performing on social media.
Been there since the beginning: Paul Sidoti has been with Taylor since her very first tour
Paul is another member of The Agency who is Taylor’s lead guitarist and vocalist.
He has been working with the Our Song hitmaker since 2007 – meaning he has been with Taylor since before she even headlined her very own tour, the Fearless tour.
He frequently boasts about his close-knit friendship with the songstress on Instagram and previously shared a tribute to her on her birthday.
Paul most recently welcomed his second child – who is sure to meet his pal Taylor – with his wife Ashley in March.
He shared the news on Instagram. He captioned the heartfelt snap, ‘This morning, we welcomed our little miracle Sammy Sidoti into the world.
‘Our prayers were answered and mommy and baby are doing great.. Big sister Scarlett is over the moon having a baby brother.. All my love to Ashley.’
Micheal Meadows and David Cook are her ultra-private band members who consider the singer a close pal
