After foiled Vienna attack, Taylor Swift fans ready to party in London

From early afternoon, hundreds of “Swifties” gathered around Wembley Stadium. In front of nearly 90,000 people each evening, the American singer will give the last five European concerts of her tour launched nearly a year and a half ago in the United States.

“It's crazy, it doesn't seem real,” exclaims Brodie MacArthur, a 23-year-old student from London, interviewed by AFP upon her arrival at Wembley. She is wearing a long white dress inspired by the album “The Tortured Poets Department.”

Not far from her is Juan Ramirez, who came specially from California. “The wait for the concert was nerve-wracking. But here we are at last!” rejoices the 28-year-old ambulance driver. He was afraid that the star would cancel her concerts in the British capital.

Because a week ago, her three concerts planned in Vienna were canceled at the last minute after the revelation of a jihadist suicide attack plan and the arrest of three suspects, which prevented a “bloodbath” according to the Austrian authorities.

“After what happened in Vienna, it's reassuring to know that security has been stepped up,” says Brodie MacArthur. “There's always a worry in the back of your mind, but there are people there to keep you safe.”

London police have said they are ready for the event, saying ticket checks will be stepped up and extra security measures will be put in place around the stadium.

On the Wembley website, ticket holders were warned that “extra checks” would take place at the stadium “before entry.”

– Earthquakes –

Lauren Thies, a 19-year-old student who came with her mother from New Jersey, near New York, is confident that Taylor Swift is “ready to come back and play.” “She loves playing for her fans. (…) This is going to be very important to her,” she says.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan leaves 10 Downing Street in London, July 9, 2024 © AFP – JUSTIN TALLIS

Some fans arrived early in the morning for the event, or even Wednesday morning for one of them, and exchanged pearl bracelets that have become fashionable again thanks to the song “You're on your own, kid”.

Katie Moulson even offered some to security guards: “They seem to appreciate it,” jokes this 24-year-old speech therapist who came specially from the east of England, who says she is reassured by the security measures deployed and above all impatient: “I can't believe it!”

After several sold-out concerts in London in June, Taylor Swift's return to the capital of the United Kingdom also comes almost two weeks after the murder of three young girls in a knife attack in Southport, in the northwest of England, which sparked a wave of xenophobic riots in the country.

Fans of American singer Taylor Swift gather in Vienna, Austria, on August 8, 2024, after the star's concerts were canceled at the last minute © APA – ROLAND SCHLAGER

The children, aged six, seven and nine, were attending a dance class themed to songs by Taylor Swift, who said she was “completely shocked” on social media.

The pop star, who maintains a close relationship with her fans, has not yet commented on the decision to cancel her concerts in the Austrian capital.

Some “Swifties”, who form a very close-knit and active community on social media, have agreed to resell or even give away their tickets for the London concerts to others who had lost their place in Vienna.

London will conclude the European part of the tour, which began in May in Paris. The global star will then travel to Canada from November for the last concerts of a resounding world series, due to the seismic tremors sometimes measured locally during the performances but also due to its enormous economic impact.

At the end of last year, “Eras” became the first tour in history to sell more than a billion dollars in tickets.

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