"Consolation" from the chancellor

Swifties fan fever shows no signs of abating

Chancellor Karl Nehammer spontaneously comforted a delegation of Swifties on Friday and became "one with a bracelet" himself.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/Wolfgang Hauptmann; instagram.com/swiftienightsvienna;,)

Oceans of tears are still flowing, but they are slowly drying up. The collective mourning turns into celebration. Hope dies last.

"Even though we weren't able to see you live on stage, you're still with us in our hearts, Taylor, and we're with you," assures a 17-year-old Viennese girl. Just like her friend Stephanie, with whom she met at Vienna's Stephansplatz for collective mourning and heartfelt consolation! The shock of the cancellation is profound. But gradually the tens of thousands of fans, who have spontaneously formed Taylor communities in Vienna in particular, but also in St. Pölten, and are singing their hearts out, feel like celebrating again.

Meanwhile, in front of the Steffl in the heart of Vienna, Taylor fans are making their own concerts.

(Bild: Tuma Alexander/Starpix /A. Tuma)

Colorful self-made bracelets from the Swifties

(Bild: Tuma Alexander/Starpix/A.Tuma)

As reported, the crowds of disappointed fans even sang a loud hallelujah. Singing and dancing against hate - not only songs by this pop star, but also by other stars - especially from the older generation - were sung, such as "Give Peace a Chance" by John Lennon. A touching anthem that has been used to promote peace for decades. The fans' hope that Swift might come to the Danube one day is dying last. "Then I'll definitely be there again," enthuses a Swiftie from Linz.

Now it's off to London for the concert
A Swift enthusiast from St. Pölten - she had bought tickets for all three performances in Vienna - consoles herself with the fact that she is now flying to Wembley for the big event anyway. There, the 19-year-old wants to enjoy her idol's concert all the more intensely and intensely. The young woman had previously flown to Amsterdam. A family from Brunn am Gebirge (Lower Austria) had been hopeful. The 50-year-old woman would have gone to the stadium with her daughter (15). "The little girl can't understand why it was canceled," the disappointed mother told her neighbor.

US pop singer Taylor Swift is sorely missed in Vienna.

(Bild: Tuma Alexander/Starpix/Tuma/CP)

The little girl can't understand why it was canceled.

Mutter über ihre Tochter (15)

"I wanted to see Taylor Swift once in my life"
For 23-year-old Zhihan Wang from Chengdu (China), too, a long-cherished dream was about to come true. "I wanted to see Taylor Swift once in my life and had been saving up for years," says the student desperately. Thick tears roll down her face. Jinbao Guo (25), her boyfriend from the metropolis of Shanghai, nods in agreement. It wasn't easy to get the one-month visa for Austria. When the concert was canceled, many people began to cry out in despair. Together with thousands of other Swifties, they had already set up base camp in front of the Ernst Happel Stadium to get the best seats.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer spontaneously comforted a delegation of Swifties on Friday and became "one with a wristband" himself.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/APA/Wolfgang Hauptmann; instagram.com/swiftienightsvienna;,)

Chancellor "comforts" a Swiftie delegation
In order to understand the fans' disappointment, ÖVP leader Karl Nehammer spontaneously received a Swiftie delegation at the Federal Chancellery on Friday afternoon. He listened attentively, took the concerns seriously and offered comfort ...