Monday, November 18, 2024

Will Taylor Swift’s London Eras Tour Shows Go Ahead?

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Taylor Swift fans in London are preparing for her return to the city, as she is set to play five shows at Wembley Stadium between Aug. 15 and Aug. 20. But in light of the uncovered foiled terrorist attacks connected to her three concerts in Vienna, Austria—and the subsequent cancellation of those concerts—many fans are wondering if the U.K. shows will go ahead.

Swift—TIME’s 2023 Person of the Year—has yet to make a statement about the planned attack, nor about her upcoming London Shows, the next in her  Eras Tour—a concert series that has become the highest grossing tour ever at over $1 billion. 

As of Sunday, Swift’s official website shows that the London dates are still a-go. Furthermore, multiple London officials have made statements to ensure the public knows that safety is a top priority and that they will keep new information under “careful review.”

“There is nothing to indicate that the matters being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have an impact on upcoming events here in London,” a spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police—the police force for Greater London—told TIME in an emailed statement on Sunday.

“The Met works closely with venue security teams and other partners to ensure there are appropriate security and policing plans in place.”

Taylor Swift is joined on stage by boyfriend Travis Kelce at Wembley Stadium on June 23, 2024.Gareth Cattermole—Getty Images

On Thursday, the U.K.’s Minister for Policing, Diana Johnson, stated on British radio station LBC that the police will be on high alert for the London shows.

 “Clearly, the police will be looking at all the intelligence and making decisions, they risk-assess every event that happens in this country, and that’s something for the police,” Johnson said.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, corroborated that the Swift shows will go ahead in England’s capital city.

“We’re going to carry on, working closely with police [and] ensuring that the Taylor Swift concerts can take place in London safely,” Khan told Sky News.

Wembley Stadium has yet to release an official statement regarding any new safety precautions in relation to Swift’s upcoming concerts, but on the website’s Eras Tour-specific page, the venue states  that “no one is allowed to stand outside any entrance or on the Olympic Steps at the front of the stadium.” This statement was in place back when the pop star came to Wembley in June.

On Aug. 7, Swift’s three sold-out shows at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna were canceled by organizers, following the arrest of two people who allegedly plotted a terrorist attack in Vienna, authorities said. During a press conference in the Austrian capital on Friday, it was announced that a third suspect had been arrested in connection to the foiled plot. 

Concert organizer Baracuda Music let fans know that all tickets would be refunded. The same message was relayed on Swift’s official website under the Vienna dates.

Read More: Taylor Swift’s Vienna Concerts Canceled After Police Say They Uncovered a Planned Terrorist Attack

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Fans of U.S. singer Taylor Swift stand and sing on Cornelius Strasse street in Vienna, Austria, on Aug. 8, 2024 after organisers cancelled the concerts due to a foiled terrorist attack. Alex Halada—Getty Images

Austrian authorities said that one of the suspects confessed to planning the attack, a 19-year-old Austrian, the Associated Press reported on Aug. 8.

“He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence.

The man, who lived with his parents in Ternitz, located south of Vienna, is said to have pledged “an oath of allegiance” to ISIS, Vienna State Police Director Franz Ruf told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.

The second suspect, a 17-year old Austrian, had recently started a job with a company “providing services at the venue for the concerts.” Authorities also found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at his home.

The third suspect is an 18-year-old Iraqi citizen who was found to be in contact with the main suspect,  Interior Minister Gerhard Karner told reporters at a press conference.

“He had been in contact with the main perpetrator but is not directly connected to the attack plans,” Karner said during the press conference. “But, as was found out a few days ago, he took an oath of allegiance specifically to the IS on Aug. 6.”

In the aftermath of the canceled shows, fans grappled with the loss of their moment to see the famous pop star and hear their favorite songs. A large crowd of disappointed fans  congregated at Corneliusgasse, as the street name echoes “Cornelia Street,” the name of a beloved pop track from Swift’s 2019 album, Lover.

The fans swapped friendship bracelets—a popular activity among the Swift’s Eras Tour crowds—and sang songs.

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