Swifties gathered on a Vienna street called Corneliusgasse to sing and exchange friendship bracelets after three of Taylor Swift’s Austrian shows were cancelled over fears of a terrorist attack.
On Thursday, fans of the Grammy winner headed to the road — referring to it as Cornelia Street, in honour of a Swift tune with that title — and shared videos of the experience on TikTok, with Swifties belting out songs like Cruel Summer, You’re On Your Own, Kid, and, fittingly, Fearless.
Jaye Rockett had traveled two hours from England to Vienna to meet up with a friend, who’d flown 17 hours from Taiwan to see Swift’s Eras Tour. When they heard that the shows had been canceled, Rockett said they were “shocked”.
“It’s really taken a full 24 hours for it to really sink in,” she told HuffPost. “We’ve gone through all the stages of grief.
“Obviously, we’re devastated to not be going. It’s really layered because we’ve spent so much money, we’ve [been] planning this for over a year, and it’s quite overwhelming thinking that what could have gone wrong if authorities hadn’t been so on the ball.”
After deciding it was probably safe, Rockett and her friend headed into town and said everyone there has been kind.
“The energy in the city has been really good, and we actually said that going out was the best thing we could have done because it’s made us feel so much better to connect with all these people that are in the same situation as us,” she said.
Before the shows were cancelled, Rockett had visited Corneliusgasse and documented it on TikTok. On Thursday, she filmed fans singing Swift’s song Enchanted together in the street.
Online, the Vienna Tourist Board shared offers that Swifties could still take advantage of by showing a concert ticket. These included a free burger from Le Burger, a Taylor-themed drink from the Golden Harp pub, a “crystal surprise” from Swarovski and more.
Rockett said that everyone she’s spoken to has expressed concern for the chart-topping singer, who has not commented publicly on the apparent terror plot or cancelled shows.
“Everyone just hopes she’s OK, and everyone is getting through it together, which is nice,” Rockett said.