Suann Lee and her husband planned an entire trip to Europe around taking her teenage daughters to see their favorite music artist, Taylor Swift, perform in Vienna, Austria.
But those plans quickly unraveled Wednesday night, when it was announced that the three shows in Vienna were canceled after a terror attack was uncovered by Austrian authorities.
Listen: The Hunt: Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna canceled because of foiled terror plot
Lee, who used to work in WTOP’s sale department, said her family had stopped by the Paris Olympics before landing in Vienna on Tuesday. The Montgomery County, Maryland, family had just wrapped up a day of sightseeing when a friend texted Lee, asking her about news of a terrorist attack aimed at Swift’s Eras Tour concert they planned to attend.
“I didn’t know what she was talking about,” Lee recounted. “She sent me a screenshot of the news story, and I didn’t believe it. And then she sent me another news story from, I believe, the BBC, and then another news story from like ABC, saying that the concert was on. So we had all these mixed emotions and mixed feelings.”
Her daughters, 14-year-old Alaina and 15-year-old Abigail, were distraught and started looking through social media and news sites to get more information about the status of the concert. Finally, “Taylor Nation,” a verified Instagram account widely believed to be run by Swift’s team, confirmed that the concert was canceled.
Swift has not spoken publicly about the plot or canceled shows.
Concert organizers said they expected up to 65,000 fans inside Ernst Happel Stadium at each concert and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside, where authorities said the suspects planned to strike. It was deemed too dangerous to hold the concerts.
Lee said her daughters were in tears after they heard the news. She had tried to prepare them for the worst after hearing horror stories of people flying to Australia for the Eras Tour and finding out they had counterfeit tickets.
“I didn’t want the whole family vacation to be dependent, our happiness, to be dependent on this concert, because I knew anything could have happened,” she explained.
Even so, her daughters were very disappointed.
“A lot of tears, up late last night, reading all the news stories, reading all the Twitter feeds, talking to their friends,” Lee said. “I’m having a wonderful vacation, as is my husband, but we’re just so disappointed for the girls.”
Thankfully, Lee’s husband found that they will be refunded by StubHub for their tickets, despite buying them secondhand. But after struggling to find tickets in the U.S., plus spending money on flights and hotels for their trip this summer, Lee doesn’t think they’ll be able to get their daughters to another Taylor Swift concert.
“We might get them to see another concert, like another musician that they enjoy as a consolation, but it won’t be anything in comparison to their pure love for Taylor Swift and the Eras Tour, which is really special,” she said.
Many other fans are lamenting the cancellation and begging online for tickets to Swift‘s next shows. She is expected to perform at London’s Wembley Stadium in five concerts between Aug. 15 and 20 to close the European leg of her record-setting Eras Tour.
The Associated Press and WTOP’s Kyle Cooper contributed to this report.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
