Taylor Swift fans try to lift their spirits in Vienna amid canceled concerts

Vienna, Austria - A small street in Vienna became a place of "healing" for hundreds of Taylor Swift fans on Thursday after organizers canceled her shows because the authorities had uncovered an Islamist attack plot.

A small street in Vienna became a place of "healing" for hundreds of fans of mega-star Taylor Swift on Thursday after organizers canceled her shows because the authorities had uncovered an Islamist attack plot.
A small street in Vienna became a place of "healing" for hundreds of fans of mega-star Taylor Swift on Thursday after organizers canceled her shows because the authorities had uncovered an Islamist attack plot.  © ROLAND SCHLAGER / APA / AFP

Hundreds of Swifties gathered at Vienna's Corneliusgasse aka Cornelius Strasse Street – dear to fans for its similarity to her hit song Cornelia Street – to chant the pop star's songs.

They wanted to lift up their spirits after missing out on their idol's concerts, which some of them had been waiting for all year.

On Wednesday, Austrian officials announced they had foiled an attempted suicide attack by an Islamist, who confessed he had planned to kill "a large number of people" at one of Swift's concerts this week.

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"I didn't believe it at first, but when I realized it, I was devastated," Veronika Doubkova said.

The 23-year-old student, who had traveled from the Czech Republic to attend a show, was hanging some of her friendship bracelets onto the branches of a tree located on the street.

Doubkova said she felt she "didn't come here for nothing" after experiencing the "uplifting" vibe and strong sense of "community" among the fans, some of whom were donning sequined dresses and cowboy boots in honor of Taylor.

23-year-old engineer Dilyara Joldassova and two of her friends had traveled all the way from Kazakhstan for the concert.

They learned about the cancellations while strolling through Vienna's Prater amusement park late on Wednesday.

"My heart is really broken. Everything went grey," she said.

But "safety comes first," she added, and said she was relieved that "everyone is safe" and could gather to feel the "healing atmosphere."

All the events surrounding this week's three canceled concerts seem set to go ahead as planned, with police stepping up their presence and reinforcing security measures.

Local Viennese businesses have been giving special treats to Swifties

Fans of Taylor Swift stand and sing together on Cornelius Strasse Street in Vienna, Austria on Thursday.
Fans of Taylor Swift stand and sing together on Cornelius Strasse Street in Vienna, Austria on Thursday.  © ALEX HALADA / AFP

Despite the disappointment, all Swifties interviewed said they understood the organizers' decision.

"I can't even imagine what it would have been like if the attack had happened and I'd ended up telling the story of how we'd survived – if, in fact, we had survived," Bernadett Bordas said from Budapest.

The 26-year-old Hungarian employee, who had planned to travel to the concert by bus with her sister, said she had been looking forward to the event "for more than 10 years."

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"I was counting down the days, playing all the concerts over and over again on the internet," she said.

Hungarian David Banyai had already arrived in Vienna after a six-hour train ride and was gearing up for the concert – just to find out that it wouldn't happen.

"I admit I was a bit scared because I've heard of other attacks on concerts by Islamists," said the recent university graduate.

He was thinking of the deadly November 2015 attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris and the 2017 fatal bombing in Manchester, England after a show by pop star Ariana Grande.

As Taylor Swift looks set to wrap up her sold-out European tour in London on August 20, her fans don't know whether they will ever be able to see their idol on stage again.

In the meantime, Vienna businesses have been trying to soften the blow. One restaurant chain provided hamburgers and drinks to anyone with a concert ticket and several museums offered free admission until Sunday.

Cover photo: ROLAND SCHLAGER / APA / AFP

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