The Eras Tour has been the highest grossing tour in history, making over 1 billion dollars
by the end of 2023. Spanning over 5 continents, Taylor Swift will have played in 53 cities
worldwide by the end of the tour. Swift is one of the most popular artists of our time, and The
Eras Tour has been highly anticipated by her fans after her Reputation Stadium Tour closed in
2018 and the cancellation of Lover Fest set to begin in April of 2020. The lucky fans who were
able to survive “The Great War” of Ticketmaster started their countdowns for the day they would
get to see Taylor. Many have gotten the lively experience of the 3.5–hour long Eras Tour show,
but unfortunately the fans going to the Vienna, Austria shows did not get so lucky.
Swift was set to perform in Vienna on August 8th, 9th and 10th at Ernst Happel Stadium.
However, on August 7th, Barracuda Music, an Austrian concert promoter, announced that all
three of the Vienna shows have been cancelled. This threat was found through the Central
Intelligence Agency; however, the CIA did not share how they figured out about the threat. The
threat was believed to be an ISIS related attack. As investigations progressed, three people were
arrested. Including a 19–year–old Austrian citizen, a 17–year–old Austrian citizen, and an 18–year–
old Iraqi citizen. According to the deputy director of the CIA, this attack planned to kill tens of
thousands of people. Swifties who had travelled from all around the world to see these shows
were saddened by their cancellations.
This didn’t stop Swifties from having fun. Despite the disappointing news, they still found
a way to come together. Swift’s fans gathered in several parts of Vienna including Stephansplatz
square and Corneliusgasse also known as “Cornelia Street”, a popular song by Swift. This is
where they raised their spirits by trading the iconic friendship bracelets. Fans also cheered and
sang together, including songs like “I Knew You Were Trouble” and “Long Live”. Many fans
posted videos and photos on social media in their best Taylor merchandise. Under unfortunate
circumstances, her fans made the best of an awful situation.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2024/08/08/swifties-gather-in-vienna-streets-after-taylor-swift-cancels-shows-following-foiled-terror-plot-photos/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/taylor-swift-fear-tremendous-guilt-foiled-terror-plot-targ-rcna165751
https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-vienna-concerts-cancelled-a5290b3560e221bdd4a1b6108d31217e
