Security guard who went viral at Taylor Swift show “was later fired”
The security guard who went viral at one of Taylor Swift’s recent ‘Eras’ shows was reportedly fired after the event.
The popular clip emerged online back in June, and saw security guard Calvin Denker enjoying himself as Swift performed in Minneapolis earlier this year.
In the footage, Denker – who worked for the security company BEST – was filmed singing along to her hit song ‘Cruel Summer’, which arrived back in 2019 as part of her ‘Lover’ album.
After it was shared online, the clip went on to amass millions of views across social media. However, the fan has now come forward and stated that he lost his job after the show.
As per an update on TikTok, Denker claimed to have applied for the security job in hopes that he’d be able to work at one of Swift’s live performances. While the company seemingly had no problem with him singing along with her tracks, the issue arose when he passed out notes to crowd members during her Minnesota show, asking for them to take a photo of him when the singer was standing in the background.
This went against the rules outlined by BEST, which allegedly does not allow its employees to take photos or videos while they’re on shift.
@anmaloney Security guard carried section A2!
@Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation #taylorswift #erastour #tstheerastour #minneapoliststheerastour
He also explained that he was fired from Ed Sheeran’s Bank Stadium concert on August 12 and doesn’t agree with the accusations of wrongdoing. “The HR woman who called me wasn’t able to articulate what exactly I did wrong because I didn’t do anything beyond asking for photos,” he said in the video.
“I never took my own phone out and above all else I made sure that Taylor Swift was safe, and all the fans had a good time.”
He also said that he offered to delete his TikTok account if that would help him get his job back, but claims he never heard a response from the company. He ended the update by confirming that he has “no grudges” against the company and urging fans not to send any “hate” to BEST because of his termination.
@calvindenker My security job for Taylor Swift #theerastour #taylorswift #minneapoliserastour #greenscreen
@calvindenker Unexpected story time! #theerastour #taylorswift #minneapoliserastour @Taylor Nation @Taylor Swift
NME has reached out to BEST for comment.
Strangely enough, this isn’t the first time that a member of security has made headlines while at a Taylor Swift concert as part of her ongoing ‘Eras’ tour. Back in May, a fan named Davis Perrigo revealed he became a security guard to get into one of her concerts in Nashville.
Footage of him singing to her track ‘Style’ also went viral and, although he did not lose his job, he did say he was “reprimanded by Taylor’s security” who told him he “was going too hard and I needed to take it down a notch”.
Additionally, back in May the pop star appeared to defend a fan from a security guard during her show in Philadelphia. While performing ‘Bad Blood’, she paused to apparently stop a member of staff at the Lincoln Financial Field stadium from scolding a fan.
The pop star recently wrapped up the first US leg of the ‘Eras’ tour, which earned her an eight-minute standing ovation at the penultimate night at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
She also confirmed this month that ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ will arrive on October 27, 2023, which is the ninth anniversary of the original 2014 LP. You can pre-order/pre-save it here. After the announcement, ‘1989’ saw a huge spike in streams.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
