Taylor Swift has wrapped up the European leg of her Eras Tour in London and has released a statement explaining why she had chosen to wait until now to speak about the Vienna concert cancellations, which she called "devastating".
ADVERTISEMENTTaylor Swift has spoken out on the “devastating” cancellation of her Vienna tour dates due to an attack threat, saying she felt "a tremendous amount of guilt" because so many people had planned on travelling to the shows.
The three concerts at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium were cancelled earlier in August as three people were arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack.
The 34-year-old pop superstar had not commented on the cancellation and the terror plot at the time, and went on to close out the European leg of the Eras Tour with five sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium in London.
Now, in a post on Instagram, Swift wrote: "Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. 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. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
She continued: “I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. 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. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us.”
Explaining why she had chosen to wait until now to speak about the Vienna concert cancellations, she said: "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. 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 is with great relief that I can say we did that."
During the course of Swift’s Eras Tour, the singer performed eight concerts at Wembley, overtaking a record for any solo singer, which was previously set by Michael Jackson in 1988.
After her UK performances in June, the country was rocked by the fatal stabbing of three young girls at a Swift-themed dance class in Southport.
Swift released a statement at the time, saying: “The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock... The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
It was reported prior to the start of her August Wembley run that the singer had privately reached out to the families of the three girls killed in the attack on 29 July - Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9.
She also welcomed the families of the victims of the Southport stabbing attack backstage in London.
Swift has wrapped her European leg of the Eras Tour and is taking a two-month break. She heads back to North America and will end the Eras Tour in Canada: Toronto (14, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 November) and Vancouver (6, 7 and 8 November).
