- Taylor Swift on her "biggest fear"
After Taylor Swift (34) canceled her three planned concerts in Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion due to a potential terror threat, an article has surfaced where she revealed that such a scenario was her "greatest fear".
"How do we protect three million fans for seven months?"
The three Austrian concerts (August 8, 9, 10) by the Grammy winner as part of her "The Eras" tour were unexpectedly canceled on August 7 after two suspicious persons were arrested, reportedly planning a terror attack on the weekend's concerts.
Swift's thoughts on this very fear were published in an article for Elle magazine in 2019. "My greatest fear. After the bombing at the Manchester Arena and the shooting at the concert in Las Vegas, I was terrified to go on tour again because I didn't know how to protect three million fans for seven months," it reads under point seven.
Attacks in Manchester and Las Vegas
By "bombing at the Manchester Arena," it refers to the terror attack shortly after a concert by US singer Ariana Grande (31) in May 2017. In the northwest English city, 22 people and the suicide bomber died, and hundreds of concert attendees were injured.
In October 2017, a man shot into the crowd during Jason Aldean's (47) performance at the "Route 91 Harvest Music Festival" in Las Vegas, Nevada, from a hotel. The perpetrator killed 60 people and injured hundreds.
Taylor Swift relied on "bandage for gun or knife wounds"
Swift's concerns also affected her private life at the time. "My fear of violence has also affected my private life. I carry a 'QuikClot' bandage for gun or knife wounds," she explained in the Elle article. The wound dressings contain an active ingredient that promotes blood clotting.
The US pop star had also obtained this bandage due to another potential threat: "Websites and tabloids have made it their mission to publish every address I've ever had. If you have enough stalkers trying to break into your house, you prepare for the worst," she soberly described a deeply unsettling situation.
Swift also fought mentally against the dark thoughts and fears, as she revealed: "Every day, I try to remember the good in the world, the love I've experienced, and my faith in humanity. We must live bravely to feel truly alive, and that means not being controlled by our greatest fears," said Taylor Swift.
Vienna suspect has made a "comprehensive confession"
In the current case, it is now clear that the concerts were rightly canceled, as a suspect has made a "comprehensive confession," as announced at a press conference on Thursday afternoon. The Austrian state security had received corresponding tips from a foreign service before the arrest of the suspects on Wednesday afternoon.
The US star has not yet commented personally on the events. Swift's next performance as part of the tour is scheduled for August 15 at London's Wembley Stadium.
The cancellation of Taylor Swift's concerts in Vienna's Ernst-Happel-Stadion was a direct consequence of the potential terror threat, as revealed in an article for Elle magazine in 2019, where she expressed her fear of protecting three million fans for seven months, following the tragedies at the Manchester Arena and the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas.
The Grammy-winning artist had to carry a "QuikClot" bandage for gun or knife wounds, her fears stemming from both potential concert threats and stalkers due to published addresses.
