'We dodged massacre': Taylor Swift recalls foiled Vienna terror plot
What's the story
The first episode of Taylor Swift's The End of an Era documentary series, released on Friday, delves into the foiled terrorist plot during her Eras Tour in Europe. In August 2024, three shows in Vienna were canceled after the CIA informed the singer of the threat. "Never in my life did I think we would have a terrorist plot," she says in the documentary. "We dodged a massacre."
Resilience
Swift's coping mechanism post-terror plot
Swift, visibly shaken, shared her coping mechanism. "You block it off," she said, likening herself to a pilot who must assure everyone that everything is fine even when it's not. The documentary also shows her returning to the stage at Wembley Stadium in London just days after the incident. "I want to keep all of the nerves I have away from the crowd. Because when you're sort of the ringleader, they can sense any kind of shift energetically in you."
Emotional aftermath
Swift's reaction to online criticism and emotional backstage moments
After the terror plot and subsequent show cancellations, Swift faced criticism for her silence. She earlier addressed this on Instagram after her London shows, stating, "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." "My priority was finishing our European tour safely."
Heartfelt moments
Swift's emotional encounters and backstage breakdowns
The documentary also captures the emotional toll of Swift's Wembley shows. During her time in London, she met families affected by the stabbings at a children's Swift-themed dance studio. Though these meet-and-greets are not shown, they lead to an emotional breakdown backstage where her mother, Andrea Swift, comforts her. The End of an Era is streaming on JioHotstar now.
Terror attack
More about the thwarted attack
Speaking at the annual Intelligence Summit last year, David S. Cohen, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), revealed that the thwarted attack aimed to kill numerous people. "They were plotting to kill a huge number, tens of thousands of people at this concert, I am sure many Americans." "The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do."