After terror threat shuts down shows, Taylor Swift fans express grief, fear and relief

CNN
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Tiffany Kidd, a 41-year-old nurse from Arizona, had never left the United States—but Taylor Swift deserved it.

He bought his ticket last summer, and since then he got his first passport, sewed several Swift-inspired outfits and spent $5,000 to fly to Vienna to watch the superstar perform live in concert.

But her dreams ended in disappointment on Wednesday after organizers canceled all three shows scheduled for the Austrian capital after authorities uncovered an alleged terror plot to attack the venue.

With shows scheduled from Thursday to Saturday, Vienna’s Ernst-Happel Stadium was supposed to be the penultimate venue on the European leg of Swift’s Eras global tour, which has been through Asia, Australia and the Americas since last March.

Fans flocked to see Swift from all over the world, with many saving up for the occasion and going the extra mile to show their love and support for the star. The blockbuster tournament has also become a multibillion-dollar force with millions of Swifties in attendance, providing an economic boost to its hosts.

Kidd, for example, traveled 13 hours to Austria from Arizona after planning his trip for an entire year. But her homemade outfits, including a dazzling bodysuit, a sequined jacket and a lace dress emblazoned with Swift’s lyrics and motifs, will now remain unworn.

The cancellations are “definitely heartbreaking,” she told CNN on Wednesday, adding that she was “a little shaken” when the news broke — but glad everyone is safe.

Barracuda Music, the promoter of Swift’s concerts in Austria, announced the cancellations on Wednesday, saying they had “confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack.” Swift’s official website also listed the concerts as canceled.

CNN has reached out to Swift’s representatives for comment.

Kardelen Kocakcigil, 30, said he was “heartbroken” after traveling from Toronto to Vienna via Istanbul – a journey of more than 24 hours.

She paid about $2,100 for the trip, including additional baggage fees for her Swift-themed costume, she said.

“My trip was planned around the concert, getting dressed up, meeting up with my Swiftie friends from around the world and going to Taylor Swift-themed attractions around town,” she said.

“Now I have no itinerary and my friends are not coming for safety reasons. This trip turned from something I had been looking forward to for over a year to a pointless and expensive trip.”

Kocakcigil was glad everyone was safe and thought the cancellation was the right decision, she added. But exhausted from all the travel and stunned by the sudden turn of events, she said she felt “very broken and aimless”.

Most fans had similar mixed feelings — pleased that the alleged planned terror plot had been foiled, but extremely disappointed to see their Swift concert dreams evaporate.

Vanessa Szombathelyi, 24, traveled from Ireland to Hungary where she planned to drive across the border into Austria for what would have been her first Swift concert.

“(It’s) mixed emotions, everything from tears to being angry, upset and grateful” that the alleged plot was foiled, she said.

Another Swift fan, Denis Savić, 23, traveled to Vienna for the show in the Czech capital, Prague. He initially thought the reports of a terror threat were a hoax by his friends – but felt “quite scared” when he realized they were real, he said.

After looking forward to the shows for a year, he said he was “devastated” when they were cancelled. “I felt something heavy sitting on my chest,” he said.

Still, he understood the decision, adding, “I’d rather not go to a show than get hurt and hurt my mom because she was supposed to go to the show with me.”

His close friends and his brother were also supposed to be in Vienna, so he was glad of their safety as well. With no shows to attend, they were now scrambling to change their plans, he said.

Some fans came from as far away as China. Qin Lu, a student from eastern Zhejiang province who was taking her first trip abroad, said she spent nearly $2,000 on travel and a concert ticket.

“I was completely stunned when I first saw the news,” she said. “But now I feel lucky – safety has to come first, after all.”