Thousands of Taylor Swift fans are coping with the loss of their highly anticipated “Eras Tour” shows in Europe this week.
Following news of a terrorism threat targeting Vienna, Austria’s three “Eras” shows, the superstar and her stakeholders canceled the gigs, which were slated to begin on Thursday this week.
Two arrests were made in connection to the terror plot, but Austrian concert promoter Barracuda Music made it clear that the threats had not been neutralized in time to promise a safe event.
“We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” Barracuda Music shared in a statement posted to Instagram.
Swift’s official fan account Taylor Nation reposted the announcement, but the singer herself has not yet made any statements about the cancellation of the concerts.
Now, her fans are left to mourn — both the loss of a concert they were eager to attend (an estimated 200,000 people were expected to attend the three shows), as well as the threat to their safety.
Vienna’s tourism board has shared a list of local attractions fans can visit, including museums and restaurants, that are providing free entry, food, drinks, or gifts for Swift’s ticket holders.
But the Swifites — ever persistent — are creating their own DIY concert experience, too.
Since the shows were canceled, large crowds of fans began gathering in Vienna’s Stephansplatz square and Corneliusgasse Strasse (the city’s “version” of the famed Swift landmark Cornelia Street in New York City).
Here, they gathered around speakers and acoustic guitars, singing hit Swift songs, showing off their concert attire, and trading friendship bracelets.
“We’re going to Cornelia Street in Vienna to try to make the best of this day,” one fan — Katie Wood — said in a TikTok video, showing the crowded street.
“They have police there, and they’ve actually shut this street down,” she added. “Can you imagine living here and you have no idea why everyone’s upset, and you’re not a Swiftie?”
The video went on to show fans of all ages and backgrounds gathering outdoors, singing hits like “All Too Well” and meeting under a large sign that read “Bracelet Trading Spot.”
Additionally, a church located nearby — Lutherische Stadtkirche — offered fans a place to stay and listen to Swift’s discography in safety, with rows of pews filling with young women, bopping their heads to the lyrics of the hit song “Style:” “You’ve got that James Dean daydream look in your eye,” they sang along, beneath a crucifix.
This resilient positive spirit has become trademark of the often young, female fans — whose safety is unfortunately not always promised.
Just last month, three young girls were killed in Southport, an area near Liverpool, while attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop. A knife-wielding assailant took the lives of three children and critically injured five others.
Swift did make a statement about this tragedy, citing the “loss of life and innocence,” and the “horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there,” leaving her at a “complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
As per usual, her fanbase turned out in support. A crowdfunding page called Swifties for Southport has since raised over £370,000, which will go to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where many of the injured survivors have been treated.
Despite these horrific acts — and terrorist threats — inflicting violence and vulnerability on innocent fans, the global community of Swifties seems connected to one another as they navigate the fear, loss, and connective tissue of this moment.
“It’s not pleasant to have to look over one’s shoulder,” Karoline Pedersen, a Norway-based fan, told the Associated Press on Thursday. “It angers me that a concert like this, where millions of girls have said they actually feel safe, should be turned into a place of fear.”
Still, they sing.
One fan posted to the r/TaylorSwift subreddit on Thursday, with a video of the Vienna crowd crooning a Swift song in unison.
“This is beautiful to see,” they wrote. “Swifties come together in song and unity this morning. [It] brings a tear to my eye.”
Header photo courtesy of Pexels and iHeartRadioCA / CC BY 3.0
