Swifties mourn

“Cancellation is a bad joke of fate”

After the cancellation in Vienna, the Swifties are still hoping for alternative dates.

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

"A terrible loss", "A year of anticipation just gone", "Disappointment and emptiness", "I feel robbed": thousands of Swifties in Austria fell into a hole when the three Vienna concerts were canceled. The "Krone" asked them about it.

"The cancellation feels like a terrible loss. I had a countdown running on my cell phone for over 400 days. It's a bad joke of fate that out of over 150 concerts, the ones in Vienna are being canceled." Shock and sadness after the Taylor Swift concerts were canceled - like Hannah, 27, from Graz, who put her feelings into words on behalf of more than 100,000 ticket holders. Not without hoping for her idol: "I believe that Taylor will say something about it and that there might even be alternative dates - it's certainly just as bad for her as it is for the Swifties."

Swifties in Vienna

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

In difficult times, as Swift's fans have often shown, they stick together: "I'm very sad - I've been looking forward to this concert for over a year. But it must be even worse for all those who have traveled from far away," says Clara from Klagenfurt.

Alina from Carinthia is uncomprehending: "To be honest, I don't really know what to say ... except that a year of anticipation and preparation is now just gone ... and some people are simply not able to leave others who just want to have a good time in peace ..."

"Screaming, crying, throwing up", Stefanie is also furious. "This community stands for tolerance, inclusion and joy. Canceling the concert was certainly the right decision, the safety of the fans comes first. But the disappointment of not being able to experience Taylor live as the only tour stop, not being able to exchange friendship bracelets, not being able to sing your favorite songs together with thousands of others, cannot be put into words."

Some Twitter users explain the fact that Taylor Swift's concert was the target of the attack plans with the composition of Swift's fan community: 

Hannah from Klagenfurt is already keeping her fingers crossed for the British fans: "I hope that the other concerts in London are not canceled. What makes me endlessly sad is that the terrorist organization's target is primarily women and the LGBTQ community." Incidentally, London was already considered an insider tip for disappointed Swifties shortly after the Vienna cancellation, with numerous offers for tickets immediately doing the rounds on social media:

"I can't describe the emptiness"
For many young people, a Taylor Swift concert is more than just music: "Her music was a ray of hope for me through difficult times, sometimes the only joy at all, and now that's just being taken away. I can't even describe the disappointment and emptiness, because I can't even put into words what the concert and everything around it has meant to me for a year," says Anna from St. Veit sadly.

"I've been making friendship bracelets for six months and I'm very sad now. Fortunately, an attack was prevented, but I still feel robbed of the concert," says Xenia from Carinthia. The motivation and solidarity among the Swifties is almost legendary - and despite the tragedy of the cancellation, it also made people smile:

The end of political Islam may be overstated after all, but at least there are small consolations for the disappointed Viennese Swifties, provided they are old enough to visit the U4:

Of course, local politicians also had their say - one of the first was NEOS leader Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

She was followed by Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and SPÖ leader Andreas Babler.

Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler (Greens) also spoke out about the concert cancellation during the night.

Just as surprised as the fans were the employees of the organizer - if not the organizer himself: "They thought it was no big deal - and were then totally surprised themselves at the dimensions it had taken on," said a crew member outside the Happel Stadium to the "Krone" on the evening of the cancellation.