Taylor Swift's Rio Tour Performance Delayed Due to Fatal Fan Incident Caused by Extreme Heat
Due to the extreme heat that has been affecting Rio De Janeiro, Taylor Swift announced on social media that she has delayed her Eras Tour concert that was scheduled for Saturday night in the Brazilian city. The heat wave, which has caused record-high temperatures and “excessive heat” warnings this week, may have also contributed to the death of a fan who attended Friday’s show. “I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio,” Swift wrote. “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
It is not clear when Saturday’s show will be rescheduled or if Sunday’s show will go ahead as planned.
Swift also expressed her “overwhelmed by grief” after learning that a fan passed away before her Eras Tour performance in Brazil on Friday, likely from a heart attack caused by the heat.
“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,” Swift wrote in a statement posted on her Instagram Story. “I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this. There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young.” She added, “I’m not going to be able to speak about this from stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now I feel this loss deeply and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring this tour to Brazil.”
According to ABC News, the heat index in Rio — a combination of temperature and humidity — reached about 137 degrees in the days leading up to Friday’s concert. The fans inside the stadium felt the effects of the heat and asked for water during the show. Videos from the concert show Swift stopping the show to point out fans who needed water and throwing water into the crowd. “There’s people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back,” she said while performing. "So whoever is in charge of giving them that, just make sure that happens. Can I get a signal that you know where they are?
Before Saturday’s show, Rio’s Minister Of Justice and Public Security said they would let fans bring water bottles into Estadio Nilton Santos for the remaining two Eras Tour shows at the venue. However, the heat was still too dangerous, leading to the postponement of Saturday’s show.