Taylor Swift Tour Opens With Tornado Benefit [VIDEO]

Taylor Swift is in rehearsal now for her 2011 "Speak Now" World Tour! Her first tour stop is actually a warm up for the tour and it is a benefit concert.

Taylor is sweetening the deal for her fans in order to give back to those who lost belongings, homes and loved ones during the devastating tornadoes in the south.

“I was watching the coverage of the tornadoes backstage at rehearsals,” Swift says in a press release about the event. “I wanted to do something for the families affected by the damage.”

Swift made her announcement last Friday that she will be opening up her final dress rehearsal for the Speak Now Tour to her fans as a special fundraiser to benefit victims of the tornados. The ‘Speak Now … Help Now!’ rehearsal show will take place in front of 13,000 fans who will get a first look at Swift’s new show! The rehearsal show will take place on Saturday, May 21 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.

Taylor went on to say “I’ve never opened a rehearsal to the public before, but I felt that inviting my fans to the last rehearsal for the Speak Now Tour would be a great way to raise money”.

Tickets to Swift’s ‘Speak Now … Help Now!’ event will become available on Monday, May 9 through her website. All proceeds from tickets sold will go directly to the tornado victims.

The North American portion of Swift’s 2011 Speak Now World Tour kicks off on May 27 in Omaha, Neb. with Frankie Ballard. Watch Taylor Swift's live performance from the ACM Awards last month!