Taylor Swift has broken her silence about the cancellation of her Eras Tour shows in Vienna following a foiled terror attack.
The “Anti-hero” singer was scheduled to perform in Vienna from August 8 to 10 for an estimated audience of 200,000. However, the concerts were called off when Austrian police thwarted a terrorist plot that targeted the concerts and led to the arrest of two men.
Swift remained silent about the cancellations until she completed the last show of the tour’s European leg in London. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, she wrote that canceling the Vienna shows was “devastating.”
“The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows,” she wrote.
She added that she was grateful to the authorities: “Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
Authorities in London had stepped up security measures at Wembley Stadium, where Swift performed to a crowd of 92,000 each night from August 15 to 20. Additional security measures included extra ticket checks, the prohibition of overnight camping, and heightened bag restrictions, NBC News reported.
Swift wrote that staying silent after the foiled terror attacks was for the safety of her fans.
“Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she stated.
“In cases like this one, ‘silence’ is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it’s right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.”
With the conclusion of the Europe shows, Swift will take a break before returning to North America for the tour’s final leg in October.
“To the fans who have seen us this summer, you’ll always have the most sparkling place in my memories,” she wrote.
Fans had grappled with disappointment and disbelief
Bianca Capazorio, a South African fan, had flown 15 hours hoping to attend her first Taylor Swift concert. She had spent more than a year planning the trip and said she was “devastated” by the cancellation.
“At the same time, I accept that the decision was probably not taken lightly. I would rather just be a little bit heartbroken today than be in the stadium if something happened,” she told Business Insider.
Kayla Sommese, a Los Angeles fan, told BI that she had spent almost $5,200 on her trip to Vienna, including $300 on custom-made outfits. Upon landing, she heard the news about the show’s cancellation and felt her whole body go “numb.”
“I know a lot of people are worried about how upset [Swift] is, and I’m sure this is devastating for her as well,” she told BI.
In 2019, Swift told Elle that her ‘biggest fear’ was a terror attack on her concert.
“Every day I try to remind myself of the good in the world, the love I’ve witnessed and the faith I have in humanity,” she said.
A representative for Swift did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
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