Taylor Swift’s cancellation of her upcoming concerts in Vienna, Austria, amid an alleged terror threat comes five years after she shared that it was her “biggest fear.”
The 34-year-old singer has cancelled three shows that were part of her successful Eras Tour after two suspects were arrested for allegedly planning a terrorist attack.
Swift previously expressed fears of an attack at one of her concerts in a 2019 rehearsal for Sheafter finishing his Reputation tour.
Speaking about her “biggest fear,” she shared that it was trying to keep her fans safe while on tour.
“After the Manchester Arena bombing and the shooting at the Las Vegas concert, I was absolutely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe for seven months,” she said.
Taylor Swift, 34, canceling her upcoming concerts in Vienna, Austria amid an alleged terror threat comes five years after she shared that it was her “biggest fear”; seen in July
“A tremendous amount of planning, expense and effort went into keeping my fans safe.”
The Manchester Arena attack he was referring to took place when a suicide bomber killed 22 people on May 22, 2017, after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas shooting took place on October 1, 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of more than 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest music festival. More than 60 people lost their lives.
Swift went on to detail the precautions she takes for her personal safety outside of concert venues.
“My fear of violence has extended to my personal life. I carry around military-grade QuikClot bandages, which are for gunshot and stab wounds,” Swift shared.
“If there are enough stalkers trying to break into your house, you start to prepare for bad things.”
However, the Clara Bow singer stressed the importance of focusing on positivity to counteract her fears.
“Every day I try to remind myself of the good in the world, the love I’ve witnessed, and the faith I have in humanity. We have to live bravely to feel truly alive, and that means not letting our greatest fears rule us.”
On Wednesday, it was announced that Swift had cancelled her next three concerts in Vienna after two suspects were arrested.
Swift previously expressed her fear of being attacked at one of her concerts in a 2019 essay for Elle. Speaking about her “biggest fear,” she shared that it was trying to keep her fans safe while on tour.
“After the Manchester Arena bombing and the shooting at the Las Vegas concert, I was absolutely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe for seven months,” she said.
“A tremendous amount of planning, expense and effort went into keeping my fans safe,” she added; fans pictured arriving at Swift’s show in Warsaw, Poland, on August 3.
The Manchester Arena bombing she was referring to took place when a suicide bomber killed 22 people on May 22, 2017, after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England; Grande pictured at the One Love concert in Manchester in June 2017
Swift went on to detail the precautions she takes for her personal safety outside of concert venues. “My fear of violence has continued into my personal life. I wear a military-grade QuikClot bandage, which is for gunshot or stab wounds,” she shared.
The main suspect, aged 19, was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and the second person in the Austrian capital, according to Franz Ruf, director general of public security at the Interior Ministry.
The pop star was scheduled to perform at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion on August 8, 9 and 10 and security measures were set to be stepped up for the shows before the cancellation.
The suspects, who were allegedly radicalised online, were planning to attack Vienna, and the 19-year-old was “focused” on Swift’s concert in Vienna, Ruf confirmed.
The 19-year-old man, who lived in his parents’ home with another man, was arrested on Wednesday after police raided the house, according to Kronen newspaper.
A bomb squad reportedly found chemicals after raiding the house and the substances are now being tested to see if they could be used to make a bomb.
The names of the suspects have not yet been released.
The teenager had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State group (ISIS) in early July, police said, confirming they were aware of “preparatory actions” for a possible attack.
Police sources said that ABC News The information about the threat to the shows came from the American intelligence services and reached the Austrians and Europol.
Ruf added: “The suspects were focused on Taylor Swift’s concerts. We discovered that she was taking steps to prepare for the attack. A clear threat has been averted.”
Taylor cancelled her next three concerts in Vienna after two suspects were arrested for allegedly planning a terrorist attack at her shows; she was seen performing in July in Germany
The pop star was scheduled to perform at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel Stadium (pictured) on August 8, 9 and 10.
Swift’s concert promoter confirmed the cancellation in a post, citing public safety concerns.
Police are investigating other possible accomplices.
Swift’s concert promoter Barracuda Music released a statement reading: ‘Taylor Swift | Eras Tour shows in Vienna have been cancelled due to confirmation by government officials of a planned terrorist attack
‘With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at the Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel all three scheduled shows for the safety of everyone.
‘All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.’
Ruf initially said that special emphasis would be placed on entry controls and that concert-goers should plan their arrival well in advance.
The shows were expected to draw 65,000 attendees a day, plus an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans from outside the area, police said.
DailyMail.com has contacted Taylor Swift’s representative for comment.
Swift’s Eras Tour will conclude in Vancouver, Canada, on December 8.
The 152-date concert series, which sees Swift revisit hits from her 17-year career, is expected to top $2 billion by the end of its run, with the staggering per-night earnings revealed by Variety last month.
“A source close to production said early in the Eras Tour era that its average nightly gross was $14 million,” the outlet reported. “Others believe that’s a very conservative estimate, with the total likely to be closer to $17 million on at least some nights.”
This marks an increase from previous data. Forbes reports estimated the figure at between $10 and $13 million.
It’s worth noting that this figure excludes revenue from the resale of inflated tickets, which often sold for several times their original price. Swift opted not to profit from the resale of her own tickets, which averaged around $230 and peaked at $499, not including VIP packages that topped out at $899.
Additionally, the Eras Tour film, released last fall before the tour ended, grossed more than $180 million domestically and $261 million worldwide, surpassing records set by Justin Bieber’s concert film in the U.S. and Michael Jackson’s worldwide, according to Variety.
Swift’s Eras Tour will conclude in Vancouver, Canada on December 8, and will be seen at the Olympiastadion on July 27, 2024 in Munich, Germany.
The biggest setback for The Eras Tour occurred in November 2022 when Ticketmaster’s system crashed due to overwhelming demand, resulting in delays for thousands of fans.
Despite setting a record with 2 million tickets sold in a single day, the blame fell on the ticketing platform, not Swift herself.
While she’s had an incredibly successful year, between her 152-date Eras Tour and the release of The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor is already working on new music, which some experts say could be released as early as next year.
The Cruel Summer singer has no plans to take an extended break and is already working on new music for release in 2025, sources say. She is also in talks to tour again in 2026.