By Kate Dennett and Pranav Harish For Daily Mail Australia
07:34 17 Feb 2024, updated 08:41 17 Feb 2024
Taylor Swift was seen being driven into the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the second night of the Australian leg of her Eras tour on Saturday night.
The global megastar, 34, arrived in chauffeured FBI-style as she made her way to the stadium just hours before the show for sound-check.
A cavalcade of blacked out Land Rovers were seen driving down Brunton Ave and into the underground carpark of the venue, with one carrying the Shake It Off star.
Huge crowds were also seen descending on the MCG hours ahead of the show as they tried to beat the queues after the record-breaking first concert on Friday night.
A massive 96,000 fans descended on the MCG for Taylor’s first show, marking the biggest concert of her entire career, while hundreds more ticketless fans gathered outside the stadium to listen in.
Despite already having performed at huge sporting stadiums across the US, the opening night of her Australian tour broke records, as she has never performed to a crowd larger than 74,000.
Reacting to performing at her biggest show to date, Taylor told the 96,000-strong crowd on Friday: ‘This is the biggest show we’ve done on this tour or any tour I have ever done!
‘That’s the version you get of me tonight, the version that is completely star-struck by the fact that so many of you wanted to hang out with us on Saturday night in Melbourne!’
As well as the massive crowds inside the venue, huge numbers also stood outside the grounds, despite not having secured tickets, in a bid to hear the setlist.
However, Taylor’s Australian Eras tour has been hit by tragedy after it emerged on Saturday that a teenager was killed in a horrific highway crash while on a family road trip to see the pop star.
Mieka Pokarier, 16, died when the SUV she was travelling in with her mother and sister from the Gold Coast in Queensland to Melbourne collided with a semi-trailer near Dubbo.
The crash on Dunedoo Road at Ballimore on Thursday about 6pm also left her younger sister Freya Pokarier, 10, in a critical condition and she was airlifted to Westmead Hospital.
Mieka was understood to have been sitting in the front passenger seat when the crash occurred.
Emergency services rushed to the scene but the teenager could not be saved.
On Saturday Mieka and Freya’s father, Peter Pokarier, shared his grief on Facebook.
‘That’s my baby that died,’ he said.
The 10-year-old girl is fighting for her life and is understood to be in a coma with brain injuries. She also suffered a broken pelvis and a broken leg.
The driver of the semi-trailer had minor injuries and was taken to Dubbo Hospital in a stable condition.
The mother of the two girls who was driving the SUV sustained several injuries following the crash and was also taken to Dubbo Hospital.
Images from the scene in the aftermath of the crash show plumes of thick, black smoke rising into the sky.
The Gold Coast-based family were heading down to Melbourne ahead of Taylor’s first sold-out concert at the MCG.
Taylor had kicked off the Australian leg of her Eras tour in Melbourne on Friday night with around 96,000 fans in attendance – the biggest concert of her career.
The godmother of the two girls Karleigh Fox said the two girls were very much looking forward to attending the 14-time Grammy Award winner’s concert.
‘This was supposed to be a road-trip of a lifetime with them going to concerts in both Melbourne and Sydney,’ she told the Courier Mail.
A GoFundMe page was set up on Friday to arrange funds for the family, with almost $12,000 raised so far with a target of $20,000.
‘The family have all had to cease work to fly down and I’m trying to get a flight to support the mum as she’s alone in Dubbo until we can get her to Sydney,’ Ms Fox said.
‘Funds will be used to function in this challenging time.’
NSW Police said in a statement that a crime scene was set up as officers continue to investigate the incident.
A report will be prepared for the coroner.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network for comment.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
