VIENNA (AP) — Pricey tickets for three sold-out Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna. Hundreds of euros, if not more, dropped on flights and hotels in one of Europe’s most expensive capital cities. Tens of thousands of Swifties, bedecked in homemade friendship bracelets, devastated by the cancellations of three sold-out Eras Tour shows in Austria after authorities foiled an apparent attack plot.
Austrian security officials said two young men wanted to commit an attack outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using knives or self-made explosives. Concert organizers said they stood behind their decision, saying they expected up to 65,000 fans inside Ernst Happel Stadium at each concert and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside, where authorities said the suspects planned to strike. The venue sat empty Thursday morning aside from media filming outside.
But later in the day on Corneliusgasse — a small street just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the stadium — fans flocked to trade friendship bracelets and commiserate about the cancelations. They gathered there specifically because the street name echoes “Cornelia Street,” the name of a contemplative synth-pop track from Swift’s 2019 album, “Lover.” The title refers to a street in New York City’s Greenwich Village, where Swift rented a luxury apartment in 2016 and fans now visit to take selfies.
“And I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends,” she sings in the song’s chorus. “I’d never walk Corne.