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Taylor Swift has made her first official comments regarding the failed terrorist plan that caused the cancelation of the Vienna, Austria concerts of “The Eras Tour” on August 8th-10th.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, August 21st. “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. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives. I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together.”
Swift explained she chose to remain silent in the immediate aftermath of the foiled terror plot out of an abundance of caution. “I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London [which took place in the week after the canceled Vienna concerts]. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us,” Swift continued. “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. 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.”
Austrian authorities arrested three suspects who had allegedly sworn allegiance to ISIS, and were planning to “kill as many people as possible” outside “The Eras Tour” shows at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, according to The Associated Press. Though the suspects’ plans were thwarted, the shows were called off nonetheless, with ticket providers saying the cancellation came as an effort to ensure safety.
Sadly, this is just the latest episode of violence in Swift’s orbit, following a horrific stabbing in the UK last month at a children’s dance workshop inspired by her music. Then, earlier this month, a man was arrested at a Morgan Wallen concert in Kansas City after he threatened to shoot Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In the past, Swift has said that terrorism and violence are her greatest fears, citing the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing and Las Vegas shooting as haunting events that stay on her mind. “I was completely terrified to go on tour [after those events] because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,” she wrote in a 2019 essay for Elle. “There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.”
In that same essay, Swift wrote, “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. We have to live bravely in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.”
After concluding the European leg of “The Eras Tour,” Swift will embark on a final run of North American shows beginning in October. She’ll play concerts in Miami, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Toronto, and Vancouver. Grab your last-minute tickets here.
Meanwhile, during their own concert in Vienna on Wednesday night, Coldplay covered Swift’s song “Love Story” with opener Maggie Rogers. “This is something we never do, but we have to do it today,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said of the band’s cover. “Of course, we haven’t mentioned that Vienna was in the news all over the world for all the wrong reasons. But what reached us was the beauty and the togetherness and the kindness of all of Taylor Swift’s fans.” He added, “If this is not good, please, please don’t put it on YouTube because I don’t want to get in trouble with Taylor. If you can sing with us that would be wonderful. This is a wonderful song.” Watch Coldplay and Rogers’ cover of “Love Story” below.
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