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Taylor Swift has opened up for the first time about how she felt after three of her Eras Tour dates in Vienna were canceled earlier this month, stating it filled her “with a new sense of fear” and a tremendous amount of guilt.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday celebrating the end of the European leg of her tour, which wrapped up on Tuesday at London’s Wembley Stadium, Swift wrote about the “rollercoaster of emotions” she experienced.
“Having our Vienna shows canceled 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,” the singer said in her first public comments about the incident.
She added, “But I was also so grateful to the authorities because, thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives.”
Officials in Austria said they had arrested two men accused of plotting a terrorist attack. One of the men, they said, had recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State online and had targeted the Eras Tour as a potential site for the attack. Nearly 200,000 people were expected to attend the Vienna concerts, which were scheduled to begin on Aug. 8.
“I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together,” she continued. “I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people who were coming to see the shows in London.”
She addressed fans who had noticed that she hadn’t issued a statement in the days following the cancellations, explaining that her focus was on seeing the Eras Tour through to a safe conclusion.
“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,” she wrote.
“My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that. And then London felt like a beautiful dream sequence. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.”
In a subsequent caption, she thanked her surprise guests Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch, and Jack Antonoff—as well as, of course, her fans.
“To the fans who have seen us this summer, you’ll always have the most sparkling place in my memories. You were a dream to perform for, dance with, and share those magical moments with.”
