Taylor Swift breaks silence on Vienna terror plot, thankful 'we were grieving concerts and not lives'
The singer didn't mince words as she explained why she didn't previously address the foiled attack or the Eras Tour shows that were canceled as a result.
Taylor Swift is taking the opportunity to speak now after a foiled terror plot led to the cancellation of three Eras Tour concerts in Vienna earlier this month.
The singer, who just finished the European leg of her record-breaking world tour in London on Tuesday, commemorated the occasion Wednesday on Instagram and opened up for the first time about the canceled shows.
"We have officially wrapped the European leg of The Eras Tour," she began her lengthy post, which included a carousel of photos from the five-night stint in London. "With it came the most passionate crowds I’ve ever played for, new traditions in the show, and an entirely new era added in."
Buda Mendes/Getty Images
Taylor SwiftRelated: Swifties are not enchanted by Germany's new Taylor Swift wax figure
Swift then thanked her crew and fellow performers — calling them "the most impressive people" — before addressing the Vienna shows. "Walking onstage in London was a rollercoaster of emotions. Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating," she wrote. "The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."
Swift continued, "I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together. I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us."
The "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart" singer was slated to perform three nights at Vienna's Ernst Happel Stadium beginning Aug. 8, but the shows were called off after two suspected terrorists were arrested in Austria the day before, and accused of plotting an attack on the shows. Though Swift's Taylor Nation social accounts reshared a statement from concert promoter Barracuda Music announcing the cancellations, the singer herself did not publicly address the situation, which upset some fans.
To that end, Swift didn't pull any punches. "Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows," she said in her post Wednesday. "In cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it's right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that."
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
The 14-time Grammy winner concluded her post on a high note, shouting out some London tour highlights — including special guests and longtime friends Florence + the Machine, Jack Antonoff, and Ed Sheeran — and saying that "the energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there."
Now Swift and the rest of the Eras Tour crew will get a two-month break before resuming with the North American leg, which is the final portion of the tour, in October. Acknowledging this too, Swift ended her post, "We'll see you all again when we resume The Eras Tour in October, but for now we get to take a much needed rest. Thank you for the adventure of a lifetime. May it continue…"
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.