Taylor Swift said a Brad Paisley tour prank left her unable to sleep for months during her latest Nashville honor. The popstar revisited the 2007 incident while entering the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame at 36. Swift joked that Paisley had taken the prank “too far” by filling her tour bus with thousands of live crickets. The story added a comic flashback to a night otherwise focused on her songwriting career and two decades in Nashville.
Taylor Swift recalls Brad Paisley’s tour bus prank during Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame induction
Taylor Swift opened her acceptance speech by revisiting the old tour prank. She joked that she had been “estranged” from Brad Paisley since opening for him in 2007. Then came the reason. Paisley “filled my entire tour bus with live crickets, thousands of them,” Swift recalled. “For months I couldn’t sleep,” the singer added. “All night I considered buying a pet lizard to eradicate the problem.”
For context, Swift joined Paisley’s Bonfires & Amplifiers Tour as an opener in 2007. However, the prank story came during a much bigger career moment. At 36, Swift became the youngest-ever inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Hall confirmed that distinction when announcing its 2026 class in August. Meanwhile, Paisley introduced her as “the voice of a generation.”
Lainey Wilson also performed a stripped-down “Love Story” before Swift accepted the honor. The “Patient Zero” hitmaker said she felt “so incredibly honored to be inducted into this sacred club.” She added, “It’s not lost on me how crazy this is.” Notably, the gala followed the 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album.
Later, Swift widened the focus from the prank to the city that shaped her writing. She said she started writing songs as “a little kid.” Even without a career, songwriting “would be my passion,” she explained.
Additionally, the singer credited Nashville with honing and polishing what she valued most about her creative life. She called the induction “one of those amazing Nashville moments” she would revisit later.
Still, the Paisley prank supplied the night’s funniest memory. Swift’s cricket story turned her Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame milestone into a callback to her earliest touring years.
