By Riham Alkousaa
BERLIN (Reuters) -Taylor Swift fans grappled with sorrow, anger and disbelief on Thursday after the singer's three Vienna concerts were abruptly cancelled, following the government's announcement that security officials had uncovered a planned attack at the venue.
A total of some 195,000 "Swifties" had been expected for the concerts at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium, with many having travelled from abroad for a chance to see the pop superstar live.
"One year of excitement is gone in one second," lamented a fan in response to the organizer's Instagram message on Wednesday cancelling the concerts, less than 24 hours before the first was due to start.
The post gained over 5,500 responses, ranging from understanding to outrage, with many urging Swift to address her fans directly and reschedule her shows in the Austrian capital.
The 34-year-old singer-songwriter has yet to issue a public statement.
"We waited for entire year for this and we came all the way from North Macedonia. Yeah, it was a like six-hour trip maybe. We were so excited, but there's nothing we can do," said one fan, Michaela Dujanski, in Vienna.
Inspired by Swift's 2019 "Cornelia Street", dozens of her fans went to Vienna's Corneliusgasse street on Thursday afternoon. The street has been an unofficial pilgrimage point for Swift's fans in recent days.
Fans sang their favourite Swift songs while sharing their disappointment along with handmade friendship bracelets, which are inspired by one of her 2022 album songs and are swapped among Swifties.
Referring to the concert organiser's decision to cancel, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Kanner said on Thursday, "I repeat, this has prevented a tragedy."
Austrian police detained three people suspected of plotting attacks on Wednesday. The main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian who has North Macedonian roots, had allegedly masterminded a plot to attack Swift fans in Vienna with a bomb or knife and had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group, authorities said on Thursday.
Swift has previously spoken about her fears regarding safety on tour, especially in light of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing that killed 22 and a mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival the same year in which 60 people were killed.
"I was completely terrified to go on tour this time because I didn’t know how we were going to keep 3 million fans safe over seven months," she said in a 2019 interview with Elle magazine, revealing that her fear of violence had made her carry military-grade bandages for emergencies.
TICKET REFUNDS
Barracuda Music, the concert organizer, said all tickets would be automatically refunded within 10 days.
However, for many fans who had travelled from afar, the reimbursement fell short of covering their expenses.
Mark Del Rosario, who flew from the Philippines for the concert, said the cancellation was heartbreaking and frustrating. But he showed understanding for the decision.
"I guess at the end of the day, safety comes first," Del Rosario said, standing in front of the stadium where the concert series had been meant to kick off on Thursday.
Tracy Jo Clark Neusser said she was shocked and devastated after flying from the United States.
"We would never be able to afford the trip back again even if she does reschedule," Neusser wrote on Instagram, asking how she could get a poster for the cancelled concert.
"It would certainly be a story on our wall, even if it's an unfortunate one. Gonna just have to believe everything happens for a reason," she added.
(Reporting by Riham AlkousaaEditing by Alexandra Hudson and Frances Kerry)
