Swifties rally in Vienna after three Taylor Swift concerts cancelled over planned terror attack
Three of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts have been cancelled in Vienna. (Getty)
Swifties have rallied in Vienna, Austria after Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts were cancelled in the city after an alleged terror attack was planned. The attack was ultimately prevented by government officials and organisers Barracuda Music released a statement.
Concert organisers cancelled the concerts on 7 August after officials announced that they had made arrests over the planned terror attack. Swift was scheduled to play at Ernst Happel Stadium on 8, 9 and 10 August.
Fans of the singer who were scheduled to attend Swift’s three-night run of her critically acclaimed Eras Tour flocked to the city streets to console one another amid the news of the cancellations.
But her loyal fanbase vowed to make the most of coming together. Swifties continued to hand out their friendship bracelets, dress up in their Eras Tour-inspired costumes, and belt out tracks from the singer’s discography, despite the star not taking to the stage as planned.
Fans even headed to Cornelius Gasse in the 6th district of the city, due to its similarities with the Swift song, “Cornelia Street”. Fans embraced each other, with some crying as they sang: “And baby, I get mystified by how this city screams your name/ I’m so terrified of if you ever walk away/ I’d never walk Cornelia Street again.”
Taylor Swift Vienna statement
At the time of cancellation, event organiser Barracuda Music made a statement via social media: “With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.”
Authorities announced that they arrested three suspected extremists. A 19-year-old was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, while a second and third suspect were also arrested, according to the BBC.
Franz Ruf, public security director for Austria’s interior ministry, said that the authorities were aware of “preparatory actions” for the potential attack.
“During our investigations, we identified preparatory actions and noted that the 19-year-old suspect had a particular focus on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna,” Ruf said. He also said that the main suspect, an Austrian citizen who previously pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS), was believed to have been radicalised online.
A resurfaced interview from Elle Magazine in 2019 saw Swift explaining that her “biggest fear” is violence erupting at her shows. She wrote at the time: “After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months.”
The singer is still set to continue her performances at London’s Wembley Stadium on 16, 17, 19, and 20 August, marking the end of the European leg of her tour.
