Two weeks after the cancellation of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna due to a foiled terror plot, the singer issued her first statement regarding the matter. On Wednesday, Swift took to Instagram to express her feelings about the situation.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she wrote. “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.”
Swift expressed her gratitude towards the authorities, stating, “thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.” She revealed that she chose to remain silent until the European leg of her Eras Tour concluded to prioritize safety. “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,” she emphasized.
Following the cancellations, Swift’s representatives did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press and other news organizations, and her social media accounts remained inactive. Addressing her silence, she explained, “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’s with great relief that I can say we did that.”
The concert organizer, Barracuda Music, had cancelled the three-night Vienna run, which was set to begin on August 8, citing security concerns due to arrests made close to showtime. Authorities reported that a 19-year-old suspect planned to target spectators outside the Ernst Happel Stadium using knives or homemade explosives. This suspect, along with a 17-year-old, was taken into custody on August 6, the day before the cancellation announcement. A third suspect, aged 18, was arrested on August 8. The lawyer for the 19-year-old suspect claimed the allegations were exaggerated and contended Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” to gain new surveillance powers.
Tens of thousands of fans, known as Swifties, had traveled from around the world to attend the Vienna shows.
In her Instagram post, Swift also marked the end of the European leg of her tour, paying tribute to her five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium. She mentioned that this influenced her decision to wait before speaking out, describing the experience as “a beautiful dream sequence.”
“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,” she wrote, adding that her team worked closely with stadium staff and British authorities to ensure safety.
The London shows, following the Vienna cancellations, occurred in the wake of a tragic stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class in Southport, U.K., which resulted in the deaths of three young girls. Swift expressed her shock and conveyed her sympathies to the affected families, also meeting with some survivors backstage in London.
The record-breaking Eras Tour is currently on hiatus until October, when it will resume in Miami.
