Taylor Swift’s three planned concerts in Vienna this week have been canceled due to a “planned terrorist attack,” organizers said on Wednesday.
“Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Vienna shows cancelled due to government officials confirmation of planned terrorist attack,” Barracuda Music, an Austria-based music promoter group, wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Swift’s official website also lists the Vienna shows as canceled and noted tickets will be refunded within the next 10 business days.
Swift was scheduled to perform at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as part of her international leg of The Eras Tour. An estimated 65,000 concertgoers bought tickets to each show, with tens of thousands of fans expected to wait outside the arena.
🚨 What happened today?
The news comes after two suspects were arrested by authorities in Austria earlier on Wednesday, one of whom was accused by authorities of planning a possible attack at the concert venue.
Franz Ruf, the public security director at Austria’s interior ministry, told the Austria Press Agency that a “targeted raid was carried out this morning” on a “19-year-old perpetrator.” Chemical substances were also allegedly seized from the suspect’s home.
Ruf added that the 19-year-old in question had “pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group” and is believed to have become “radicalized on the internet,” PBS reported.
🗣️What Swift has said about concert safety fears in the past
In a 2019 interview with Elle, Swift mentioned that her “biggest fear” was violence at her concerts and failing to keep her fans safe. She referenced the Manchester Arena bombing that happened after an Ariana Grande concert and the Las Vegas mass shooting, which both happened in 2017, as reasons for why she was “terrified” to go on tour for a while.
“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,” she said. “There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense and effort into keeping my fans safe.”
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Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
