'Grieving concerts and not lives': Taylor Swift responds to Vienna concert cancelation
Taylor Swift expressed guilt over her Vienna shows due to terror threats and potential harm to her fans, praising authorities and fan unity while prioritizing safety.
American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday overnight that she felt a "tremendous amount of guilt" over the cancellation of her Vienna performances due to threats of a terror attack.
View this post on Instagram
In her post, Swift shared, "Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating," stating that the reason for the cancellation "filled [her] with a new sense of fear."
She further wrote that despite the cancellation, she "was also grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."
Swift's Vienna concerts were canceled due to a terror threat involving a 19-year-old suspect with Islamic State ties. Authorities found chemicals and bomb-making equipment at his home, along with evidence of plans to drive a car into the crowd and use machetes and knives.
The concerts, which were expected to host 195,000 people, were canceled as a precaution to ensure public safety. The threat was revealed after international intelligence cooperation, emphasizing the risk to large gatherings.
Prioritizing fan safety
Fans were devastated by the cancellation, with some noting that Swift has never canceled a performance in the past.
Swift showed appreciation for her fans when she wrote, "I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together," vowing to focus her "energy... helping to protect the nearly half a million people had coming to the shows in London."
Swift also explained why she had not spoken about the cancellations earlier, stating, "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 further emphasized that "in cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint... My priority was finishing our European tour safely." She also shared that her experience at London's Wembley Stadium "brought [her] back to a place of carefree calm."
Jerusalem Post Store
`; document.getElementById("linkPremium").innerHTML = cont; var divWithLink = document.getElementById("premium-link"); if (divWithLink !== null && divWithLink !== 'undefined') { divWithLink.style.border = "solid 1px #cb0f3e"; divWithLink.style.textAlign = "center"; divWithLink.style.marginBottom = "15px"; divWithLink.style.marginTop = "15px"; divWithLink.style.width = "100%"; divWithLink.style.backgroundColor = "#122952"; divWithLink.style.color = "#ffffff"; divWithLink.style.lineHeight = "1.5"; } } (function (v, i) { });