Taylor Swift shows in Vienna canceled over reported terrorist plot. Her fans reacted
Taylor Swift fans expressed shock and anger at a violent world Wednesday after Eras Tour concerts this week in Vienna were canceled following the arrest of two men suspected of plotting a terrorist attack.
The superstar singer, who is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, had concerts scheduled for Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Austrian capital. She is just days away from a two-month break during which she reportedly plans to spend time in Kansas City.
The Vienna shows were expected to attract 65,000 fans each day.
“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,” promoter Barracuda Music announced on social media Wednesday.
“All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.”
Swifties already in the city — some of whom traveled from the United States — vented about the situation on social media.
Some who haven’t yet arrived there yet said they still plan to put on their concert outfits and gather in Vienna.
ABC News reported that a 19-year-old Austrian citizen was arrested Wednesday morning and a second suspected extremist arrested later in the afternoon in Vienna.
The 19-year-old, arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, appeared to be planning an attack on an event in the area and seemed focused on Swift’s shows, according to The Associated Press.
Officials said the teen “pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group” last month, the AP wrote, and believe he became radicalized on the internet. They gave few details about the suspected plot, but said chemical substances had been found and are being evaluated.
The shows were canceled just hours after authorities announced plans to beef up security at the stadium, including a special focus on entry checks.
Austrian officials said the promoter decided to cancel the shows after close networking with foreign security authorities, according to the AP.
Swift has been selling out venues across the globe, drawing monster crowds to a tour that began in Glendale, Arizona, in March 2023 and ends Dec. 8 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Next she is scheduled to perform five shows in London’s Wembley Stadium beginning Aug. 15.
Fans on social media lamented about missing shows they had waited so long to see. But more were angry about the current state of the world and worried for their fellow fans in Vienna — and Swift.
Last week three young girls in Southport, a coastal town in northwest England, died and seven others were injured after a stabbing attack at a Swift-themed dance and yoga class.
The victims were ages 9, 6 and 7. A 17-year-old man was arrested for the attack, which horrified the singer.
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock,” Swift wrote on her social media.
“The loss of life and the innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Her fans raised thousands for the victims and their families.
“What kind of a world are we living in right now?! The news cycle is so depressing!” one fan wrote on X Wednesday after the Vienna shows were canceled. “And I am so sad & shocked for the thousands of people who have been left scared & devastated by a potential terrorist attack at a Taylor Swift concert!”
“I hate the world we’re living in!” wrote another. “Why can we not just have fun for three nights straight to an artist we have been looking forward to see for so long? Why do people have to ruin it for us? Vienna has been waiting for this the longest & now it’s over before it began.”
“This is disgusting,” a fan lamented on Instagram. “I feel like I should be afraid to be a swiftie because I feel like my life is in danger, no one should have to feel like this . It makes me have a pit in my stomach because someone actually planned this out and was going to do it. I’m mortified.”
After her London shows next week, Swift has a break until Oct. 18. Us Weekly magazine has quoted a source who said “she plans on staying at Travis’ home in Kansas City while he plays in the NFL season.”
Kelce bought a mansion in Leawood last year.
The Chiefs open the 2024 season at home on Sept. 5 in the NFL Kickoff Game against the Baltimore Ravens.
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