Taylor Swift has broken her silence about the cancellation of her Eras Tour concerts in Vienna following a foiled terrorist attack.
The “Antihero” singer was scheduled to perform in Vienna from August 8 to 10 in front of an estimated crowd of 200,000. However, the concerts were cancelled when Austrian police foiled a terrorist attack targeting the concerts, leading to the arrest of two men.
Swift remained silent about the cancellations until she finished the final show of the European leg of the tour in London. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, she wrote that the cancellation of the Vienna shows was “devastating.”
“The reason for the cancellations filled me with new feelings of anxiety and enormous guilt because so many people had planned to come to these shows,” she wrote.
She added that she was grateful to the authorities: “Thanks to them, we had to mourn concerts and not live performances.”
London authorities had increased security at Wembley Stadium, where Swift performed in front of 92,000 spectators every night from August 15 to 20. The additional security measures included extra ticket checks, a ban on overnight camping and tighter restrictions on bags, NBC News reported.
Swift wrote that her silence following the foiled terrorist attacks was for the safety of her fans.
“Let me be very clear: I will not speak publicly about something if I believe it might provoke those who wish to harm the fans who come to my shows,” she explained.
“In cases like this, ‘silence’ is actually an expression of restraint and waiting to express oneself at an appropriate time. My priority was to finish our European tour safely and I am very relieved to say that we have succeeded in doing so.”
After completing the European shows, Swift will take a break before returning to North America for the final leg of the tour in October.
“To the fans who saw us this summer, you will always remember the most sparkling place,” she wrote.
The fans had to deal with disappointment and disbelief
Bianca Capazorio, a South African fan, had flown 15 hours 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 be just a little bit heartbroken today than be in the stadium if something had happened,” she told Business Insider.
Kayla Sommese, a fan from Los Angeles, told BI that she spent nearly $5,200 on her trip to Vienna, including $300 on custom-made outfits. When she heard the news of the show’s cancellation after landing, she felt her whole body go “numb.”
“I know a lot of people are concerned about how upset (Swift) is, and I’m sure this is devastating for them as well,” she told BI.
In 2019, Swift told Elle that her “biggest fear” was a terrorist attack on her concert.
“Every day I try to remember the good in the world, the love I have experienced and the faith I have in humanity,” she said.
A representative for Swift did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment outside of regular business hours.
