Superstar Taylor Swift broke her weeks-long silence over the cancellation of three Austrian concerts due to a terrorist threat, saying on social media that she was “showing restraint.” The 34-year-old, whose “The Tortured Poets Department” was Billboard’s 2024 midyear top-selling album, wrote on Instagram that she was “waiting to express [herself] at a time when it’s right to.” “My priority was finishing our European tour safely,” Swift wrote Wednesday, “and it is with great relief that I can say we did that.
” Swift had been quiet about the cancellations until Wednesday’s statement, fueling questions and criticism from some fans over her non-response. Swift was scheduled to perform Aug. 8-10 at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium as part of the European leg of her Eras Tour.
Concert organizers expected up to 65,000 fans for each concert, with a potential 30,000 more outside. Show organizer Barracuda Music announced on its website that Swift’s three sold-out shows were canceled as a precaution. Barracuda said it confirmed with government officials “a planned terrorist attack” at the venue.
“We have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” the organizer noted. “Having our Vienna shows canceled was devastating,” Swift wrote. “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.
But I was also so gra.