Taylor Swift calls cancellation of Vienna shows ‘devastating’ and explains her silence

LONDON — Two weeks after Taylor Swift’s Vienna concerts were canceled due to a suspected terror plot, the singer delivered her first remark about the cancellations.

“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating,” she stated in a message on Instagram on Wednesday. “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.”

She thanked authorities—”Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives,” she said—and stated that she would wait to speak until the European leg of her Eras Tour was completed to prioritise safety.

Taylor Swift calls cancellation of Vienna shows ‘devastating’ and explains her silence

“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 said.

Following the cancellations, Swift’s reps did not reply to several requests for comment from The Associated Press and other news organizations, and her social media profiles had become inactive.

“In situations like this,’silence’ is exercising restraint and waiting to express yourself until the time is appropriate. My top objective was to finish our European trip safely, and I’m relieved to say we did,” she added.

Barracuda Music, the concert organizer, said it canceled the three-night Vienna run, which was scheduled to begin on August 8, since the arrests in connection with the conspiracy occurred too close to showtime. Authorities claimed a 19-year-old suspect wanted to target spectators outside the Ernst Happel Stadium with knives or homemade explosives, wanting to “kill as many people as possible.” Austrian officials claimed they appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State and al-Qaida.

That suspect and another 17-year-old were arrested on August 6, the day before the gigs were canceled. A third suspect, aged 18, was arrested on August 8. The 19-year-old’s lawyer has said the allegations were “overacting at their best” and claimed Austrian authorities were “presenting this exaggeratedly” to obtain new surveillance powers.

Tens of thousands of Swifties from all over the world had traveled to Vienna for the performances.

Swift’s Instagram post also marked the end of the European leg by paying respect to her five nights at London’s Wembley Stadium, which she said influenced her decision to wait to speak out and eventually “felt like a beautiful dream sequence.”

Taylor Swift calls cancellation of Vienna shows ‘devastating’ and explains her silence

“I decided that all of my energy had to go towards helping to protect the nearly half a million people who were coming to see the shows in London,” she wrote the day after her final Wembley performance. “My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal.”

The shows in London, the next stop after Vienna, followed a stabbing at a Swift-themed dance class that killed three young girls in the United Kingdom. Swift said in a statement following the Southport attack that she was “just completely in shock” and “at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.” According to news reports, Swift met with some of the survivors backstage in London.

The record-breaking tour is on hiatus until October, when it will resume in Miami.

SOURCE | AP