Taylor Swift is grappling with her “biggest fear.” After her Eras Tour concerts in Vienna, Austria, were canceled over an alleged planned terror attack, the singer’s previous comments about fearing an incident at one of her shows have resurfaced.
Swift, 34, previously penned a list of her most meaningful life lessons for Elle magazine in 2019, months ahead of her milestone 30th birthday. Coming in at number seven on the list was “My biggest fear,” which surfaced following the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing at an Ariana Grande concert and the Las Vegas shooting that same year during Jason Aldean’s Route 91 Harvest Music Festival performance.
“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 wrote, referencing her 2018 Reputation Tour. “There was a tremendous amount of planning, expense, and effort put into keeping my fans safe.”
Swift also addressed her concerns about her own personal safety in her everyday life.
“My fear of violence has continued into my personal life,” she wrote. “I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds. Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I’ve ever had online. You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things. 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.”
Event organizer Barracuda Music announced news of the cancelled shows on Thursday with a statement reading, “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,” the statement continued.
Swift has not yet issued a personal statement on the situation.
According to ABC News, Austrian authorities announced on Wednesday that a 19-year-old Austrian citizen and a second suspect had been arrested, with Franz Ruf, director-general for public safety in the Ministry of the Interior, stating that the suspects had allegedly radicalized themselves online.
Vienna was reportedly the target of their planned attack, with the 19-year-old suspect stating a particular focus on Swift’s concerts at the Ernst Happel Stadium.
The city was set to be the final stop of the singer’s latest European leg of her record-breaking tour. She will return to the stage on Oct. 18 to kick off another North American leg at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
Throughout her blockbuster Eras Tour, Swift has kept a keen eye on fans in the audience who might be in need of assistance.
“We have to take care of these crowds because you’re just the best, and you just dance so wildly and sing so loudly, and the way that you just, like, are so in the moment, I never could have imagined we would have this much fun on the European Tour,” she said during a June show in Lyon. “It’s just been crazy, you guys, and I appreciate it so much.”
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