Don’t blame alien invaders for the glowing orbs that danced across the night sky in Florida this month. Those rays of light were just part of Taylor Swift’s performance before a sold-out crowd at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
But for a moment on April 15, the spectacle had a group of friends convinced that extraterrestrials were about to land in the Sunshine State. A video capturing the bright light drifting across the clouds, and shouts asking if it was a UFO, has racked up more than 1 million views on TikTok.
They shriek and gasp in surprise. They exclaim “What the [expletive] is that?” and “Holy [expletive].” They declare that the unknown light is aliens and joke that some of them will be abducted. At one point, Swift’s name is floated as a possible source but quickly dismissed.
Turns out, the eye-catching gleam was part of the light show while Swift sang “Don’t Blame Me” during her “Eras Tour” concerts in Tampa. But Tabatha Pankop, 35, and her friends were so stunned by the lights that the realtor, who typically uploads videos related to her work, decided to post a clip on TikTok.
She was astonished how it exploded online.
“Honestly, we thought it was an alien, but we kind of have come to the conclusion that it was Taylor Swift,” Pankop acknowledged. She had initially thought performers were not allowed to have lights that bright due to the stadium’s proximity to an air force base. “I did not expect it go viral.”
A flood of comments also followed, many of them appearing to come from Swifties who quipped the singer was “opening the gates of heaven.” Others played along, saying it was aliens “learning how to parallel park.”
Soon enough, a commenter notified Pankop that the lights were part of Swift’s performance and she realized it wasn’t a close encounter.
Although Pankop wasn’t looking to achieve social media fame, she’s hoping the video might boost her real estate business. Perhaps even Swift — who has built a real estate empire worth north of $150 million, according to the Wall Street Journal— might stumble across the clip and be convinced to buy a property in Tampa with her.
“I’d be happy to help her find a house on the beach,” she said. “I like her music.”
Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.