Taylor Swift.
Photo: Andreas Rentz/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
In her new Disney+ documentary, The End of an Era, Taylor Swift weeps while reflecting on violent attacks and threats made against her fans during the Eras Tour. “It was little kids,” the singer says of the July 2024 knife attack where three young girls were fatally stabbed while attending a Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England. (Eight other children were injured, along with the teacher of the class.) Swift chokes up as she explains that she’ll be meeting and performing for some of the victims’ families that night at Wembley Stadium. “I swear to God, I’m not gonna do this,” she says, referring to her tears. “I’m gonna be smiley. So any of this gets out of the way before you ever go onstage. You lock it off. [For] three and a half hours, they don’t have to worry about you.” She compares herself to a pilot who isn’t sure if they can land a plane through turbulence but doesn’t want passengers to “freak out.” Her approach is to project confidence: “Got a little turbulence up ahead, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. Just keep your seatbelts fastened, and welcome to the Eras Tour!”
At the same time, Swift is also dealing with the thwarted attempt to bomb her concert in Vienna, Austria, in August 2024, which caused her to cancel three shows. The CIA said that suspects intended to kill thousands of people in a plot that was allegedly inspired by the Islamic State. The docuseries shows Swift was mid-flight to Vienna when she found out, as she tells Ed Sheeran backstage at Wembley, her first concert following the terror threat. “I just need to do this show, remember the joy of it,” she preps herself. “I get two months off after this, which I need. I need more than anything.” Cameras capture Swift crying before taking the stage. “From a mental standpoint, I just do live in a reality that is very unreal a lot of the time, but it’s my job to kind of be able to handle all of these feelings and then perk up immediately to perform,” she reflects. “That’s just the way it’s got to be.”
