Taylor Swift fans who spent thousands on cancelled Eras Tour show 'grieving' loss
Swifties who spent thousands to go to one of her now-cancelled concerts in Vienna have shared their heartbreak after missing out on an experience that's "so much more than just a concert"
Fans who spent over £3,000 to attend one of Taylor Swift's now-cancelled concerts together have shared their heartbreak over the 'terrifying' turn of events.
Jaye Rockett, 30, travelled from Bournemouth, England, to Vienna, Austria to attend the Eras Tour, and she was joined by her long-distance friends from the Netherlands and Taiwan for the special occasion.
Unfortunately, the lifelong Swifties had their dreams dashed on Wednesday when organisers cancelled all three shows in Austria due to a terror threat.
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"With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety," Austrian ticketing service Barracuda Music announced in a statement. Two suspected extremists were arrested by police and investigations are ongoing.
The group recognises the right call was made, but for Jaye and her friends, who arrived in Vienna on Monday, it's still a crushing blow.
"Initially when the news was read out we thought it was an awful joke. We’ve definitely gone through all the stages of grief. We’re devastated to not be attending, this show is so much more than just a concert, it’s the ultimate gathering of girlhood joy," she told the Mirror.
"The trading of friendship bracelets, everyone complimenting strangers’ outfits, dancing and singing together for over three hours, having that taken from us is heartbreaking. But also we’re just terrified now, scared to go out in the city, scared to fly home. We have felt so safe all week in Vienna, and this has really changed everything. It’s incredibly overwhelming knowing that had the Austrian authorities not been so on it, things could have been very different."
There's also the financial aspect to consider. While the concert tickets will be refunded, the group had already shelled out for their travel and accommodation costs.
"Between the four of us, we’ve spent well over three grand to be here. Flights from England, the Netherlands and Taipei, hotels were more expensive than usual in the city for the show, and Vienna is an expensive city to eat and travel in general," Jaye revealed.
For most of the group, it was likely their only chance to see Swift perform her record-breaking show. "I was lucky enough to purchase resale tickets for Edinburgh, so at least I was able to see her then," Jaye said, but her friends haven’t attended any other dates. "We have looked at trying to get tickets for London but they’re incredibly expensive and now we’re feeling scared about attending a show," she added.
In preparation for the show, the friends made over 200 friendship bracelets and crafted DIY outfits. While they might not get a chance to wear their costumes, the group has been trading bracelets with other affected fans, as Jaye's documented on her TikTok account @jayerockett.
Commenting on her plans now the show has been cancelled, Jaye explained: "Initially my reaction was to get out of the city as soon as we could, but honestly that feels like letting them win. Everyone we met has been so kind and up until now we’ve felt so safe, and so we’re trying to reassure ourselves that now with increased security we should be even safer."
She continued: "This morning we found ourselves having brunch in a cafe full of other sad Swifties, everyone still wearing friendship bracelets and merch, and it definitely helped us to feel better knowing we’re all in the same boat. We talked about where we’d travelled from, we traded bracelets across the restaurant and it helped us feel better!"
Ultimately, Jaye wants what is best for Swift, her team and her fans, and she’s confident organisers made the best decision, upsetting though it may be.
"We know that above all Taylor really cares for the wellbeing of her fans, we’ve seen it time and time again,” said Jaye. "Above all our conversations have been around how we hope she’s okay and not taking this too hard. We all know cancelling would have been a tough decision for her but it was the right one, she kept us all safe and for that we are so grateful."
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