The Tortured Poets Department musician took to her Instagram on Wednesday (August 21) to reflect on the European leg of the Eras Tour following the final set of shows at Wembley Stadium in London. In her lengthy statement, she spoke about the three Vienna shows that were forced to be canceled following a foiled planned terror attack at the venue that led to multiple arrests .
"Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating," she said. "The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows. But I was also grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives."
"I was heartened by the love and unity I saw in the fans who banded together," she said, adding that she worked with authorities in London to ensure safety of the fans attending her second set of shows at Wembley . "I decided that all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London. My team and I worked hand in hand with stadium staff and British authorities every day in pursuit of that goal, and I want to thank them for everything they did for us."
Swift directly addressed why she "waited" to speak out about the canceled shows now, saying that she would never want to put her fans in harm's way for something she said.
"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," she said. "In cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint, and waiting to express yourself at a time when it's right to. My priority was finishing our European tour safely, and it is with great relief that I can say we did that."
Returning to London after such a scary situation and being met with crowds that were "bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance" felt like "the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there."
Elsewhere in her post, she thanked the "most passionate crowds I've ever played for," celebrated her fellow performers and crew for helping make "magic" happen each night, and praised all of the guests who joined her for various "epic" surprise performances .
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