‘It’s not just a concert’ – Irish Taylor Swift fan on the horrifying Vienna terror plot

Kat O'Connor

Taylor Swift fans were left heartbroken after her Vienna shows were cancelled

Fans of Taylor Swift are all too aware of how tricky it was to get tickets to the Eras Tour. The Fearless singer’s tour has become one of the most successful tours ever, but fans were left broken-hearted after a terror plot was discovered days before the singer took to the stage in Vienna.

Swift was due to perform three shows at the Ernst Happel Stadium, but the shows were cancelled due to a terror threat.

Four men have since been arrested in connection with the planned attack. One planned on killing “himself and a large crowd at the concert either today or tomorrow”.

The teenager reportedly planned to carry out the heinous attack by using knives and explosives. Others were going to drive through crowds of fans gathered outside the stadium.

Thankfully, a mass tragedy was avoided, but thousands of fans were shaken after the shows were called off.

Vienna has become a city-wide stage, with Swifties filling every corner, from museums and churches to busy streets, singing Taylor Swift’s songs. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/fYKLckT7yV
— Taylor Swift Charts (@chartstswift) August 9, 2024

195,000 fans were expected to watch the All Too Well singer perform this week, including Irish fan Jess Spencer.

Spin 1038 presenter Jess opened up about the harrowing ordeal in an interview with Her.ie. She said the incident is upsetting but also an attack on women.

Irish Taylor Swift fans flew to Vienna for the sold-out shows

Speaking about the joy of being a Taylor Swift fan, Jess said there’s a sense of safety in the fanbase.

Having that taken away feels so disheartening.

She shared: “Being a Swiftie has become such a core part of my identity. Everybody who knows me knows me as a Taylor Swift fan.

Swifties in Vienna after Taylor Swift’s concerts were canceled due to terrorist threats:

“It’s been a long time but we’ll wait for evermore.” pic.twitter.com/Fb3qcmkil3
— Taylor Swift Charts (@chartstswift) August 8, 2024

The presenter explained that Taylor Swift’s music has helped her through so many personal experiences so having this special event tainted is more than upsetting.

“There are experiences that I wasn’t ready to talk about with anyone and I listened to songs Taylor has about similar experiences and they helped me process them and work through the memories to a point where I could talk about them,” she shared.

The concerts being cancelled is one thing but thinking about what could’ve happened is even more unnerving, especially for those within this community. Fans who have been to the Eras Tour know how wholesome, safe, and comforting the atmosphere and this attempted attack has taken that away from thousands of fans.

“An attempted attack on women and a safe space for women”

“We’ve seen how these concerts have been such a warm and safe space for women over the past year, and it’s so upsetting that someone would try to take that away from thousands of people. She makes music that connects to the female experience so deeply. I can’t see her ever not being a big part of my identity,” Jess said.

“I still see this as an attempted attack on women and a safe space for women. The first few minutes after finding out were pure shock and then once it sunk in, I bawled.

“This was something my boyfriend and I had spent a year looking forward to. Vienna was just the only place outside of Ireland where we registered and got access to the sale.”

Jess said she would’ve travelled anywhere to see the Lavender Haze singer live.

“We would have gone anywhere to see this tour. Especially in the last few weeks leading up to the gig, there have been songs I’ve listened to on repeat and I thought ‘I just cannot wait to see this live’.”

Jess is one of thousands of Irish fans who have flown all around Europe and the UK to see the singer live. The Eras Tour is so much more than a concert to Swift’s fans. It became a community, a safe space, and a place where people could embrace their true selves without judgment.

Despite their devastation, fans in Vienna have hosted Eras Tour parties, traded friendship bracelets, sang and danced in the street together, and refused to let every ounce of joy be taken away from what was meant to be an enchanting week for them.