Everything
Tragedy has struck the South American leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. After a jubilant performance in Argentina—where she surprised fans by shouting out her boyfriend Travis Kelce in “Karma“—the songstress was forced to postpone a show in Brazil due to scorching heat and a tragic accident.
Swift’s second performance in Rio de Janeiro was pushed back following excessive heat and the death of one of her fans at the show on Friday evening.
In the hours before the scheduled show on Saturday, the songstress took to social media to address the legions of adoring fans slated to attend the three-hour concert. “I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium,” she began in a hand-written statement.
“The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio,” she continued. “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
The post came a day after Swift addressed the tragic death of 23-year-old Swiftie, Ana Clara Benevides Machado. The fan devastatingly passed away after collapsing pre-performance at Rio’s Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos stadium.
Machado was one of 70,000 fans who attended the show during the city’s record-breaking heat wave, as reported by Vanity Fair. It’s been alleged that fans were not allowed to bring water into the venue, despite the scorching temperatures reaching nearly 125°F, (approx. 51°C).
The recent Grammy Award nominee acknowledged Machado’s passing in another statement, writing: “I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this.”
Swift also acknowledged in her statement that she was “not going to be able to speak about this from the stage” as she would be “overwhelmed by grief”. The musician was also captured by fans’ footage looking physically under stress during the ‘Midnights’ section of the concert.
Swift was also prompted to postpone the second show during her stint in Argentina with Kelce, citing “chaotic weather” as the reason for the rescheduling.
The 33-year-old will complete her stay in Brazil in late November before bringing the Eras Tour to the Asia-Pacific region in February 2024. Australia, it’s been a long time coming.
