Taylor Swift Breaks Silence on Abruptly Canceled Vienna Shows

Taylor Swift is speaking out following the abrupt cancellation of three Eras Tour concert dates in Vienna earlier this month.

Two weeks after a foiled terror plot forced the pop superstar to cancel the shows and refund tickets, the 34-year-old has finally broken her silence with a lengthy statement shared to her Instagram grid on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

"In summation We have officially wrapped the European leg of The Eras Tour," Swift began before telling fans that her recent shows have been a source of some of "the most passionate crowds I’ve ever played for, new traditions in the show, and an entirely new era added in."

"Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions. Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating," she wrote, adding that it "filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt," essentially confirming Swifties were right to be concerned about her emotional well-being citing statements she made in a resurfaced interview discussing her "biggest fear."

"But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives," Swift added. "I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together."

As for why it took her so long to speak out, the 14-time Grammy winner said it was to protect her fans at future shows. "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."

"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," she explained. "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."

Admitting that "[the Eras Tour] was a more hectic pace than we’d done before," Swift also sang the praises of her stagehands and production crew, calling them "the most impressive people I know" before shouting out the fans that filled the stadium in London and who made the rest of the overseas tour feel "like a beautiful dream sequence."

"All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night," which she said brought her "back to a place of carefree calm up there"–something she desperately needed, as just one day before Swift was set to hit the stage for a string of performances at what would have been her prior tour stop in Austria's capital city on Aug. 8 through Aug. 10, local authorities discovered the terror plot allegedly targeting one of the upcoming Eras Tour shows, according to The Associated Press.

Several people have since been arrested in connection with the foiled incident, with the main suspect eyed by police being a 19-year-old Austrian citizen who was arrested in Ternitz, a town south of Vienna, shortly after the news broke.

Swift wrapped up the European leg of her international Eras Tour on Tuesday, Aug. 20, with one last show in London. After her break commences later this fall, the singer and all of her crew will head to Canada for a series of final concerts in Toronto and Vancouver.

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