Taylor Swift breaks silence over Vienna terror threat
Taylor Swift has spoken for the first time about the three Austria shows on her Eras tour that were cancelled earlier this month after a foiled terror attack.
Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium was due to host three 65,000-cap shows by the singer from 8-10 August, but co-promoter Barracuda Music pulled the concerts the night before.
The planned terror attack was uncovered by Austrian authorities who eventually arrested three teenage suspects – aged 17, 18 and 19 – for allegedly planning an Islamist attack in the Vienna region, with Swift’s shows being the “focus” of the plot.
The 19-year-old main suspect intended “either today or tomorrow to kill himself and a large crowd of people,” according to the head of state protection and intelligence at the Austrian interior ministry.
Chemicals, machetes and technical devices had been found at the home of the suspect, who made “an oath of allegiance” to Islamic State at the start of July.
In an Instagram post on Wednesday night celebrating the end of the Eras tour’s European leg, Swift said she is grateful “we were grieving concerts and not lives”.
“Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating. 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,” the 34-year-old singer wrote.
“I was so grateful to the authorities because thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives”
“But I was also so 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. 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.”
Explaining why she stayed silent on the terror threats, Swift 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.”
“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.”
Following the foiled terror plot, security measures were enhanced for Coldplay’s residency at Ernst Happel Stadium – the first concerts to take place at the venue since the cancellations. Last night, Coldplay and show opener Maggie Rogers performed Swift’s smash-hit ‘Love Story’ as an ode to her Austrian fans.
The European leg of the Eras tour concluded on Tuesday (20 August) night at Wembley Stadium – the last of eight concerts at the London venue.
The tour will now take a two-month break before restarting in the US at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on 18 October. As things stand, it is set to wrap up in Vancouver, Canada on 8 December.
IQ yesterday asked a raft of live music executives how Taylor Swift’s Eras tour became a cultural phenomenon.
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More details emerge of Eras show cancellations
More details have emerged of the suspected terror plot that led to the cancellation of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concerts in Austria.
Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium was due to host three 65,000-cap shows by the singer from 8-10 August, but co-promoter Barracuda Music announced last night (7 August) that the dates had been called off.
The development came after Austrian police arrested two teenagers, aged 17 and 19, on suspicion of planning attacks. A 15-year-old has also been detained.
Austria’s general director for public security Franz Ruf told a news conference, as per Reuters, that chemicals, machetes and technical devices had been found at the home of the 19-year-old main suspect, who made “an oath of allegiance” to Islamic State at the start of July.
The 19-year-old was allegedly planning to target the 20,000 fans who were expected to congregate outside the venue during the show.
“The Austrian authorities and the promoters took a very responsible decision on the basis of the evidence they had”
“He wanted to carry out an attack in the area outside the stadium, killing as many people as possible using the knives or even using the explosive devices he had made,” said Omar Haijawi-Pirchner, the head of Austria’s directorate of state security and intelligence.
Security expert Reg Walker, director of Iridium Consultancy, which works with a number of UK venues and festivals, tells IQ the decision to cancel the shows was “very wise”.
“The Austrian authorities and the promoters took a very responsible decision on the basis of the evidence they had to hand and the fact that two people were arrested,” he says. “Fans’ safety must come first.”
It was initially announced the shows would go ahead with enhanced security measures in the wake of the arrests, and Walker explains the likely process that took place on whether or not to proceed.
“It would have been a safety advisory group meeting between all parties concerned,” he says. “I imagine that would have escalated quite quickly in view of the serious nature of the potential threat, what risk there was, and if it was possible to mitigate that risk.
“Everyone, very clearly, came to the conclusion that the risk was so high it wasn’t possible to mitigate it. It sounds like a very fast-moving investigation, and you can’t have shows going ahead that are being targeted whilst that investigation takes place.”
“People are staying outside the event after the show has begun, which is a new dimension”
Last month, an estimated 40,000 fans gathered on a hill outside the Olympic Stadium in Munich, Germany, to listen to Swift’s performance. Walker says the scale of the US singer’s popularity presents additional safety considerations for event organisers.
“Taylor Swift is a force of nature, so whatever you will get at a gig by another internationally famous artist, you can times it by 10,” he notes. “You always get crowds outside the venues – queues, merchandise, fan zones, etc – so most of the big venues are used to factoring in people outside the venue into their planning.
“You need more specialist security in place. You need more behaviour detection officers, more counter terrorism police, more uniformed police, more security to manage those crowds, and you also have to extend your crowd management plan further outside the venue footprint than you usually would.”
Staff at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium reportedly directed fans away from the ground to a nearby park after they turned up to try to listen to Swift’s shows at the venue in June, but Walker does not expect the trend to be formally banned despite the recent events.
“It’s become part of the culture and they’re not causing any disturbance or disruption, so I think it would be a very difficult move to disrupt, deter or ban that type of activity. And then there’s always the question, would it even be lawful to do so?” he says.
“We have some of the best counter terrorism police and security services in the world”
A similar planned attack on Austria’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade in Vienna was foiled in June last year. Coldplay are the next act due to play at Vienna, with the band’s four Music of the Spheres dates between 21-25 August still on at present. Swift’s upcoming five-night run at London’s Wembley Stadium, which is scheduled to begin next Thursday (15 August), is also unaffected.
“There is nothing to indicate that the matters being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have an impact on upcoming events here in London,” says a Metropolitan Police spokesperson. “The Met works closely with venue security teams and other partners to ensure there are appropriate security and policing plans in place. As always, we will continue to keep any new information under careful review.”
Walker also attempts to offer reassurance regarding the UK’s capability on safety matters.
“We have some of the best counter terrorism police and security services in the world, who’ve done phenomenal work on advising venues and event organisers over a period of years,” he says. “Those services are absolutely excellent… so I think we can draw some comfort from the processes in place.”
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Taylor Swift Vienna gigs pulled over terror threat
Taylor Swift’s three concerts in Austria have been cancelled due to a “planned terrorist attack”.
The Eras Tour was due to stop at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium from 8-10 August, but co-promoter Barracuda Music has announced the shows have now been called off.
The BBC reports that Austrian police arrested two people today (7 August) on suspicion of planning Islamist attacks on large events around Vienna, including the Eras concerts.
“With confirmation from government officials of a planned terrorist attack at Ernst Happel Stadium, we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety,” says a social media statement by CTS Eventim-backed Barracuda, which adds that all tickets will be refunded in the next 10 days.
Austrian police arrested two people on suspicion of planning attacks on large events around Vienna
A 19-year-old Austrian citizen was reportedly arrested on Wednesday morning in the town of Ternitz, with a second suspect arrested in Vienna this afternoon.
The general director for public security Franz Ruf said the 19-year-old is alleged to have made “an oath of allegiance” to Islamic State at the start of July.
“According to the current status of the investigation, the two suspects became radicalised via the internet,” said Ruf, who added that chemical substances had been found and were being analysed.
The concerts were due to be attended by around 65,000 fans, plus 22,000 people outside the venue. When news of the arrests first broke, it was initially announced the shows would go ahead with enhanced security measures.
London’s Wembley Stadium is scheduled to be the next stop on The Eras Tour, with Swift set to start a five-night run at the venue next Thursday (15 August).
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Austria’s Electric Love curtailed due to weather
Austrian festival Electric Love was forced to shut down for half a day due to the threat of severe weather.
The 70,000-capacity event in Salzburg was scheduled for 4–6 July but its final day was hampered due to forecasted strong winds, heavy rain, and lightning.
Organisers announced at 10:30 on Saturday (6 July) that the festival grounds were expected to open at 20:00, which meant the day’s programming was slashed in half.
Camping guests were advised to “secure their tents” by 16:00 and “seek shelter in a vehicle” while others were asked to refrain from heading towards the venue until clearance was given.
At 20:00, organisers put out a statement saying: “The predicted storm front barely touched the area, but strong winds were still measured in the infield. Therefore, a structural inspection must be conducted before opening.”
“The predicted storm front barely touched the area”
The festival site reopened at 20:45 with a revised programme that ran until the early hours of the morning and included Mau P, Meduza, ELF24 Relive, John Newman, DJ Snake and Toby Romeo.
At the time of writing, Electric Love, which is owned by CTS Eventim-backed Barracuda Music, has not offered refunds to customers.
Electric Love joins a long list of events that have either been cut short or cancelled due to severe weather.
Gazebo Festival, Sueños Music Festival, Lovers & Friends, Slam Dunk Festival and Sol Blume are among the victims, with the US market being hit the worst.
In the US, adverse weather coverage has “increased significantly” in the last five years, according to Jeff Torda from Higginbotham. Backing this point, a recent Billboard article claimed premiums in North America had tripled in recent years.
The latest edition of ILMC also saw industry leaders discussing ways to cope with the impact of weather on festivals and open-air live music events.
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Barracuda Music partners with lake festival
Austria’s Barracuda Music has inked a three-year partnership with the long-running Mörbisch Lake Festival to bring international acts to the open-air stage.
The town of Mörbisch, Burgenland, has hosted the 6,100-seater festival since 1957, showcasing opera and musical productions each July/August, with pop and folk shows also held at the site in collaboration with promoters Showfactory and Stargarage.
CTS Eventim-backed Barracuda, organiser of events such as Nova Rock, Frequency Festival, Clam Rock or Lovely Days, has now been drafted in help establish the lake stage as a location for rock artists.
“The Mörbisch lake stage with its 6,100 seats requires very careful planning for events with which we can fill the stands and which can also be financed on this scale,” says Barracuda CEO Ewald Tatar. “I already have a few names in mind that fit Mörbisch well, but we first have to place the new location on the market.”
The first concert confirmed under the link-up is by Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero on 15 July.
“This premiere marks the beginning of a three-year partnership through which Mörbisch Lake Festival will also be established as a pop and rock location”
“With the ambience of the lake stage, which in itself is an argument for a visit, we will definitely succeed,” adds Tatar. “This is also proven by the advance sales for the concert with Zucchero. Half of the tickets were gone within a few days.”
Tickets are available in various categories, priced between €59.99 and €199.99.
“This premiere marks the beginning of a three-year partnership through which Mörbisch Lake Festival will also be established as a pop and rock location with Barracuda Music as a partner,” adds Burgenland state governor Hans Peter Doskozil. “With Ewald Tatar, we have the most experienced and successful representative in this industry on board, who will initially hold two to three concerts per year in Mörbisch. If this plan is successfully implemented, there could be more in the future.”
Vienna-based Barracuda also has early 2024 shows across Austria with the likes of Jason Derulo, Simple Plan, Nothing But Thieves, James Arthur, Crystal Fighters, New Model Army and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
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Nova Rock adds fourth day for 2024 edition
Austria’s Nova Rock festival has added a fourth day for the 2024 edition, after originally announcing the event would run for three days.
All tickets already purchased are automatically valid for the additional day without any surcharge. The current ticket price, which ranges from €219.99–339.99 for three days, will remain unchanged until 3 November when the first wave of acts are revealed.
The 55,000-capacity festival will take place between 13 and 16 June 2024 at its longstanding home of Pannonia Fields in Nickelsdorf, Burgenland.
The current ticket price for three days will remain unchanged until 3 November
Launched in 2005, the festival – promoted by Nova Music Entertainment, a part of CTS Eventim’s Barracuda Music – has varied between three and four days long.
The 2023 edition took place across four days and was headlined by Slipknot, The Prodigy, Tenacious D, Bidlerbuch and Die Ärzte. Ahead of last year’s event, organisers invested hundreds of thousands of euros in site improvements after the 2022 offering was marred by adverse weather.
Around €300,000 was spent on renewed lawns and drainage, a new network of paths for arrival and departure and a new shuttle service.
In other news, Barracuda Music was recently sued by the Austrian government over several clauses in its general terms and conditions, primarily regarding the cancellation of events.
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Barracuda Music sued by Austrian gov over T&Cs
Promoter Barracuda Music has been sued by the Austrian government over several clauses in its general terms and conditions, primarily regarding the cancellation of events.
The CTS Eventim-backed firm was taken to court by the Ministry of Social Affairs for six clauses which “violate legal prohibitions, are also not sufficiently transparent and are sometimes grossly disadvantageous”.
Barracuda Music intended to issue vouchers instead of refunds in cases of event cancellation for force majeure such as bad weather, in addition to the accepted use of vouchers brought in for the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the Supreme Court (OGH) declared this illegal.
“The legislature created the KuKuSpoSiG for the historically unique exceptional case of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said The Association for Consumer Information (VKI), which represented the ministry in court.
“This regulation massively interfered with general contract law and the interests of consumers, also because it placed consumers at risk of insolvency with regard to claims for compensation converted into vouchers. There is no justification whatsoever for contractually extending this regulation to all other cases of force majeure, such as bad weather.”
KuKuSpoSiG (the Art, Culture and Sports Security Act) was a law introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, which stipulated that organisers of art, cultural or sporting events that were cancelled due to the crisis could give a voucher for the amount to be reimbursed instead of the fee to be repaid.
The clauses “violate legal prohibitions, are also not sufficiently transparent and are sometimes grossly disadvantageous”
It was extended until mid-way through 2022, during which time Barracuda’s Nova Rock festival experienced “the rain of the century”. This led to the promoter investing €300,000 on renewed lawns and drainage, plus a new network of paths for arrival and departure.
Also in its T&Cs, Barracuda stated that date changes due to the Covid-19 pandemic or other cases of force majeure would be minor and reasonable if the new event date is no longer than 18 months after the original date.
“However, this change in service is neither minor nor reasonable for consumers because it gives Barracuda Music the opportunity to set any new date for the cancelled event,” according to OGH. “Those affected cannot be expected to remain interested and available for the event at a specific date within the next 18 months.”
Another clause deemed inadmissible by the OGH read: “In the event of a refund, any fees cannot be refunded because the relevant services have already been provided as part of the contract processing. The amount of the fees can vary, but is usually around 10%”. Again, OGH disagreed.
The promoter had initially appealed the judgment of the Vienna Commercial Court.
Barracuda has previously promoted concerts with Bob Dylan, David Gilmour, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran and Robbie Williams. Its festival portfolio includes Nova Rock, FM4 Frequency Festival, Butterfly Dance, Clam Rock, Beat the Fish and Lovely Days.
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Robbie Williams concert cancelled due to storms
Storms in the Carinthia region of Austria have led to the cancellation of Robbie Williams’ concert at Hochosterwitz Castle tomorrow (22 July).
Promoter Barracuda Music says severe storms have “taken a toll on the park and event areas”, with further intense rainfall and thunderstorms forecast for the day of the event.
“Necessary inspections by the operations centre have shown that under these circumstances, the traffic volume and the event can no longer be handled safely to a sufficient degree,” a spokesperson tells Puls 24.
Austria has been hit by storms of up to 161km an hour in recent days, reports The Local, causing damage to buildings, railway lines and power outages.
Barracuda says the decision to cancel followed lengthy talks with the local authority and emergency services.
“We are very sorry to announce that the event with Robbie Williams scheduled for Saturday cannot take place”
“We are very sorry to announce that the event with Robbie Williams scheduled for Saturday cannot take place,” says the company in a statement posted on social media.
“After hours of discussions with all participants and the authority, it was established that safe adherence and implementation in accordance with the knowledge is not feasible. The safety of our visitors is a top priority for us, as organisers and location operators.”
Williams, who is represented on the live scene by Ian Huffam of X-ray Touring, is approaching the conclusion of his XXV 25th anniversary solo tour, which continues with headlines slot at Lucca Summer Festival in Italy (28 July), Summer in the City in Bucharest, Romania (19 August) and Zurich Open Air in Switzerland (22 August).
The 49-year-old will then perform in Malta at the Granaries in Floriana on 24 August, presented by Greatt and NNG Promotions, followed by two dates at Norfolk’s Sandringham Estate in his native UK from 26-27 August as part of the Heritage Live Concert Series.
He will also play the Singapore F1 Grand Prix (17 September) and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena (18 October), prior to touring New Zealand and Australia in November/December.
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Barracuda unveils Vienna’s first major hip-hop festival
Austria’s capital city is set to gain its first major hip-hop festival, courtesy of promoters Barracuda Music and Beat the Fish.
Not Afraid Festival will take place on 27 June 2023 at The Donauinsel, an artificial island parallel to the Danube river and in central Vienna.
US superstar Machine Gun Kelly will headline the open-air festival, performing alongside Viennese rap icon Yung Hurn, German rap legend Sido and Berlin’s Kontra K.
Makko and Eli Preiss, two burgeoning talents on the German-speaking music scene, also appear on the bill. Early bird tickets for Not Afraid start from €79.99 (£68.82).
“Vienna finally has its first big, star-studded hip-hop festival”
“Vienna finally has its first big, star-studded hip-hop festival,” says Barracuda Music CEO Ewald Tartar. “No Afraid ’23 sees itself as a modern, musical exclamation mark as well as a message and statement! Thanks to everyone who helped make this day and the festival possible!”
Vienna-based Barracuda Music has a festival portfolio which includes Nova Rock, FM4 Frequency Festival, Butterfly Dance, Clam Rock and Lovely Days.
The CTS Eventim-backed company will promote concerts with P!nk, Michael Buble, Lionel Richie, Sam Smith, Lewis Capaldi and Simply Red in Austria, next year.
Beat the Fish, meanwhile, specialises in bringing hip-hop acts to Austria, and has been enlisted by Barracuda to curate a part of the bill for FM4 Frequency Festival next year.
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Ewald Tatar on “unforeseen challenges” at Nova Rock
Barracuda Music CEO Ewald Tatar has spoken to IQ about the “unforeseen and unpredictable” challenges at this year’s Nova Rock festival in Austria.
The annual hard rock event returned to Nickelsdorf last weekend (9–12 June) and featured acts including Muse, Placebo, Volbeat and Five Finger Death Punch.
The sold-out festival saw a total of 225,000 visitors flock to Pannonia Fields, which marked a new attendance record for Nova Rock.
According to Tatar, the festival’s biggest challenge was recovering from “the rain of the century,” which hit the country mere days before the festival was due to open its gates.
“During the 3-4 final days leading up to Nova Rock 2022 it rained more in the region than during the period between November 2021 and the beginning of June 2022 in total,” explains Tatar.
“This was very challenging for the final construction work on the festival site, as the ground, which is a field used for farming the other 11 months of the year, was completely soft and our vehicles got stuck. This was also the case for the festival visitors’ cars and caravans, which slowed down the arrival process and made it very tricky. As soon as it dried up and everyone had arrived, we had perfect festival weather: sunshine and heat!”
Despite the washout, Tatar says everything worked smoothly behind the scenes and both artists and crew were happy to be back on the fields after two years.
“Festivals and big events are what everyone in our team loves and loves being a part of and you could feel this euphoria and great energy during Nova Rock,” he says.
“Most artists mentioned on stage how happy they were to be back performing for huge audiences and you could tell, that the audience shared that feeling too! The atmosphere was incredibly energetic and positive as the area in front of the stage was packed with people dancing and singing along to their favourite bands, who loved playing a big festival again.”
Nova Rock, which is promoted by Nova Music Entertainment (part of CTS Eventim’s Barracuda Music), will return between 7 and 10 June in 2023.
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