A man has been detained on suspicion of stalking Taylor Swift ahead of the first of three shows by the pop star, German police have said.

The man was detained following tips from organisers of the event, police said in a statement. The man previously made threats against the singer, according to local media.

They gave no more details of the man or the background to the incident.

Police said that Wednesday evening’s concert, attended by about 60,000 people, went peacefully.

The American superstar has shows in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as part of her Eras Tour.

Ahead of the concerts, the city put up signs temporarily renaming itself “Swiftkirchen” and honoured the singer on a “Walk of Fame” that commemorates local celebrities.

A yellow city sign with the new name — which translates roughly to “Swift’s Church” — was unveiled Tuesday by Swift fan Aleshanee Westhoff, who suggested the name to the city’s mayor and started a petition a few weeks ago.

Ahead of the concerts, the city put up signs temporarily renaming itself ‘Swiftkirchen’ (AFP via Getty Images)

Mayor Karin Welge thanked the teenager for her “great idea” in a letter accepting the proposal.

The concert took place in Veltins Arena, the home of German football club Schalke 04, and around 200,000 “Swifties” are expected to flock to the city this week.

After record-breaking concerts across Europe, Ms Swift took to the stage in Gelsenkirchen and greeted fans in German:

“Willkommen zur Eras Tour! (Welcome to the Eras Tour!)” she said. “Schön, euch zu sehen! (Nice to see you!)” she added, to huge cheers.

Continuing in English, she promised: “It won’t be that long before I come back again.”