Toward the end of Taylor Swift’s appearance on Wednesday’s “Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” the host retrieved a photo from behind his desk and held it up for his studio and TV audiences to see.
The image showed a 12-year-old Swift standing on the basketball court at what was then the First Union Center, holding a microphone and singing the national anthem before the 76ers game on April 5, 2002. She’s wearing a duster cardigan over a sparkly American flag top with a red headband holding back her blonde hair.
MORE:Â PSPCA found a puppy in a taped box outside its shelter. Now, she’s up for adoption
Swift, who turns 36 on Saturday, studied the photo for a couple seconds.
“You know when you’re like 11 and you’ve got that one outfit that you just know … goes so hard?” Swift said. “… Where you just know that when you put this on you’re like, I’m sorry, I’m unstoppable today.”
She compared the outfit to one she wore in the Eras Tour – a sparkly Versace bodysuit that she also felt gave her superpowers.
“Anytime I put it on, I could be, like, coughing from a horrible virus … I could be aching. I was constantly in a lot of physical pain (during the Eras Tour), but when I put that on, I was like, No, this is popping. I’m doing it. We’re going.”
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/YouTube
Late Show host Stephen Colbert referenced a photo of Taylor Swift singing the National Anthem at a Philadelphia 76ers game in 2002 during their interview Wednesday night.
Swift made her first guest appearance on “The Late Show” to promote the release of her six-part docuseries, “The End of an Era,” and the accompanying concert film “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show.”Â
The first two episodes of the docuseries will be released on Friday on Disney+ along with the concert film. After that, two more episodes will be released each week through Friday, Dec. 26. Additionally, ABC will broadcast the first episode of the series and a one-hour preview of the concert film Friday at 8 p.m.
The concert film is a recording of Swift’s last show of the Eras Tour in Vancouver, Canada. The docuseries promises a look at the singer’s life on tour and behind-the-scenes access.
“The entire tour there were these out-of-control, out-of-body experiences we would have on stage,” the Berks County native told Colbert. “It was the most phenomenal feeling every single night being on that tour and I’m really glad we get to relive it (with) this concert film and docu-series coming out.”
Swift was Colbert’s lone guest on Wednesday’s episode. The interview touched on a range of topics, including some recent major events in Swift’s life: her reacquiring the master recordings of her music, her engagement to Travis Kelce and the release her 12th studio album “The Life of a Showgirl.”
The interview wrapped with Colbert asking Swift to list her five favorite songs from her own discography. She named two: “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” at No. 1 and “somewhere in the list” is “mirrorball,” from her 2020 album “Folklore.”
“I need a little time to get back to you on all five,” she said.
Below is the clip of Swift discussing the singing the anthem and her top 5 songs. The rest of appearance is posted on “The Late Show” YouTube page.