Taylor Swift a big hit on Hollywood Boulevard at free gig

An estimated 15,000 Taylor Swift fans took over Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday night (23Oct14) to watch the singer perform a free outdoor show as part of an appearance on late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The star performed Shake It Off and new track Out of the Woods, which is believed to be about her romance with One Direction singer Harry Styles, after the street was shut down for the one-off mini-gig, staged to promote Swift's new album 1989, which is released next week (27Oct14).

Before her performance, Kimmel recalled her first visit to his show when she was a 14-year-old hopeful.

He said, "Taylor came to our show with her mom and her guitar, and somehow she got a hold of the guy who books the bands here... and she asked if she could play a song for him. And he said, 'No, you can't be in the green room, we serve alcohol here. You're too young. You have to go'.

"So he threw her out. He threw Taylor Swift out of our building."