Fans attending Taylor Swift's 1989 tour know what to expect by now. They know that Swift will put on a show in glittery outfits, and that she'll probably bring out a squad member or two during "Style." Swift threw concert-goers in Glendale, Arizona, a bit of a curveball on Monday, August 17. She performed a song that she's only sung live once in 2012 at Stand Up to Cancer. Swift sang "Ronan" for the second time ever in Glendale last night because Maya Thompson, the mother of the real Ronan, was at the show.
In an emotional speech before the song, Swift talked about how she crafted the song out of entries from Thompson's blog called "Rockstar Ronan," where she talked about her son, who passed away in 2011. Swift mentioned that cancer has hit her close to home recently, a reference to her mother Andrea's diagnosis, which Swift shared on her Tumblr this past April. She then gave a heartfelt performance of "Ronan."
Maya Thompson posted an Instagram video of Swift talking about Ronan. She expressed her gratitude to the singer remembering her son in the caption. "I still can't believe tonight. I still can't believe you did this. This will forever be one of the most special moments of my life. Thank you@taylorswift for your beautiful heart and for never forgetting my Ro. I love you to the moon and back. #ronan #fucancer#secretsong #1989 #allhailqueentaylor#myhero #swiftieforlife #rockstarronan@ronanfoundation"
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Swift met up with the Thompson family backstage, and they posed for this sweet photo. "Glendale, AZ = magical crowd," the singer tweeted.