Taylor Swift’s cancellation of her upcoming concerts in Vienna, Austria, amid an alleged terror threat comes five years after she shared that was her ‘biggest fear.’
The singer, 34, cancelled three shows that were part of her successful Eras Tour, after two suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack.
Swift previously expressed fear of an attack at one of her concerts in a 2019 essay for Elle, following the end of her Reputation tour.
Discussing her ‘biggest fear’, she shared that it was trying to keeping her fans safe on tour.
‘After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,’ she stated.
Taylor Swift’s, 34, cancellation of her upcoming concerts in Vienna, Austria, amid an alleged terror threat comes five years after she shared that was her ‘biggest fear’; seen in July
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Taylor Swift CANCELS concerts after suspects are ARRESTED for 'plotting terror attack'
‘There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.’
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.
Meanwhile the Vegas shooting took place on October 1, 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowd of over 22,000 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 continued into my personal life. I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds,’ Swift shared.
‘You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things.’
However, the Clara Bow hitmaker emphasized 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 in order to truly feel alive, and that means not being ruled by our greatest fears.’
On Wednesday, it was announced that Swift cancelled her three upcoming Vienna concerts, after two suspects were arrested.
Swift previously expressed fear of an attack at one of her concerts in a 2019 essay for Elle. Discussing her ‘biggest fear’, she shared that it was trying to keeping her fans safe on tour
‘After the Manchester Arena bombing and the Vegas concert shooting, I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months,’ she stated
‘There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe,’ she added; fans pictured arriving to 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 gig 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 carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds,’ she shared
The 19-year-old main suspect was arrested in Ternitz, south of Vienna, and the second person in the Austrian capital – according to Franz Ruf, director-general for public safety in the Ministry of the Interior.
The popstar was due to perform at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion on August 8, 9, and 10 and security measures for the shows were set to be stepped up – before the cancellation.
The suspects – who allegedly radicalized themselves online – were planning to target Vienna in their attack – with the 19-year-old ‘focused’ on Swift’s Vienna concert, Ruf confirmed.
The 19-year-old man – who was living in his parents house along with another man – was arrested on Wednesday after police raided the home, according to Kronen Zeitung.
A bomb squad reportedly found chemical substances after raiding the home, – and the substances are now being evaluated to see if they could make a bomb.
The names of the suspects have not been released yet.
The teen had pledged an oath of allegiance to the Islamic State group (ISIS) in early July – police said, and confirmed they were aware of ‘preparatory actions’ for a potential attack.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News information about the threat to the shows originated with U.S. intelligence and was passed to the Austrians and Europol.
Ruf added: ‘The suspects were focused on the Taylor Swift concerts. We discovered that he was taking action to prepare for the attack. A clear threat has been averted.’
Taylor cancelled her three upcoming Vienna concerts after two suspects were arrested for allegedly plotting a terror attack on her shows; seen performing in July in Germany
The popstar was due to perform at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel Stadion (pictured) on August 8, 9, and 10
Swift’s concert promoter confirmed the cancellation in a post, citing public safety
Police are investigating potential other accomplices.
Swift’s concert promoter Barracuda Music posted a statement which read: ‘Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Vienna Shows Cancelled Due to Government Officials Confirmation of Planned Terrorist Attack
‘With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.
‘All tickets will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.’
Ruf initially said that there would be a special focus on entry checks and concertgoers should plan to arrive in plenty of time.
The shows were expected to be attended by 65,000 concertgoers per day, with an additional 10,000 to 15,000 fans outside of the area, police said.
DailyMail.com has contacted Taylor Swift’s representative for comment.
Swift’s Eras Tour will end in Vancouver, Canada, on December 8.
The 152-date concert series, in which Swift runs through hits from her 17-year career, is expected to surpass $2 billion by the end of its run, with the staggering per night receipts revealed by Variety last month.
‘One source close to the production said early in the Eras Tour era that her average gross each night is $14 million,’ reported the outlet. ‘Others believe that is a highly conservative estimate, with a possible total that on at least some nights edges closer to $17 million.’
This marks an increase from earlier Forbes reports, which estimated the figure to be between $10 and $13 million.
Notably, this figure excludes revenue from inflated resale tickets, which have often sold for several times their original price. Swift opted not to profit from the scalping of her own tickets, which averaged around $230 and reached a maximum of $499, excluding VIP packages that topped out at $899.
Additionally, the Eras Tour film, released last fall before the tour ended, grossed over $180 million domestically and $261 million worldwide, surpassing records set by Justin Bieber’s concert film in the U.S. and Michael Jackson’s globally, per Variety.
Swift’s Eras Tour will end in Vancouver, Canada, on December 8; seen at Olympiastadion on July 27, 2024 in Munich, Germany
The major hiccup for The Eras Tour happened in November 2022 when Ticketmaster’s system crashed due to overwhelming demand, causing 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 has 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 insiders now say could be released as early as next year.
According to sources, the Cruel Summer singer has no plans for a lengthy break and is already working on new music for a 2025 release – and is also in talks to hit the road again in 2026, insiders claim.