PEI

Swifties from P.E.I. still eager to attend London concert after plot against Vienna shows foiled

Taylor Swift made her return to the stage at London's Wembley Stadium Thursday night, just a week after three shows in Vienna shows were cancelled because of a plotted attack.

Star’s shows in England are her 1st since 3 shows in Austria cancelled last week

Taylor Swift standing onstage in a purple skirt and green top.
Taylor Swift is shown performing in the Netherlands during an Eras Tour stop at Johan Cruijff Arena on July 05. (Getty Images for TAS Rights Mana)

Taylor Swift made her return to the stage at London's Wembley Stadium Thursday night, just a week after three shows in Vienna shows were cancelled because of a plotted attack.

Swift is set to play five consecutive nights at the venue, and two ticket-holders from P.E.I. are excited about the chance to catch her Eras Tour despite the scare in Austria.

"We've done a lot of research and things like that. I guess, unfortunately, that's where the world is today," said Suellen Clow Munro, who is in London to see Saturday's show with her eight-year-old daughter, Adaira.

"She is extremely excited," Clow Munro said of Adaira. "This is like her dream."

An Island woman and her daughter are seeing Taylor Swift at London's Wembley Stadium despite the recent cancellation of some shows in Vienna due to a foiled attack plot. We check in with them about their feelings leading up to the big show.

The trip was booked at the last minute, after someone the family knew in Halifax put a pair of tickets up for sale. Clow Munro said they were "extremely lucky" to snag the tickets, cash in airline points, and plan everything in just a few days.

"We just tried to figure out, my husband and I, if we could make it work," she said. "And we managed to pull it off."

Spotlight on security

The Vienna incident, for which three people have now been arrested, has cast a spotlight on security at large venues with tens of thousands of people present.

"They attract the attention of people who are either direct members of or sympathetic to… terror organizations," said Michael Kemper, an associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa, in an interview with CBC's Island Morning.

Kemper cited the 22 people who were killed in 2017 at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, a city in the northwest of England.  

A woman and child pose in front of the London Eye.
Suellen Clow Munro and her eight-year-old daughter Adaira are in London to see the Eras Tour this weekend. (Submitted by Suellen Clow Munro)

"They're looking to make that type of atrocious splash in the global media to get any attention, good or bad, for their causes," he said.

As a result, private security forces at concert venues and local police are being more alert when it comes to potential security threats, but the caution isn't limited to those organizations.

"It goes all the way up to national security agencies that analyze the Internet chatter and social media chatter for the organized terror organizations that put messages out to try to inspire lone-wolf actors to do their bidding," Kemper said.

Feeling safe and sound

Clow Munro said that while her daughter is over the moon about seeing Swift perform, safety concerns are still at the top of her mind.

"If I didn't feel [safe], even though we had the ticket, I wouldn't go," she said.

Concertgoers have been told in advance that security will be tighter for the rest of Swift's tour. Previously, fans who couldn't snag a ticket could still take in the atmosphere by "tailgating" at the venue before the show, now only those with tickets will be allowed on the site.

Two police officers watch a crowd of people on a street.
Austrian police officers watch Swift fans gathering in Vienna on Aug. 8 after three concerts were called off due to arrests over an apparent plot to launch an attack on concertgoers. (Heinz-Peter Bader/The Associated Press)

"The size of the purse you're allowed to take can only be like an A4 size envelope," Clow Munro said. "You're allowed to take one bottle of water, no food or anything. So it's very strict."

And all across London, Clow Munro said security seems to be increased and precautionary measures are in place.

One thing that hasn't stopped, though, is the trend of making bracelets for Swift concerts. Clow Munro and her daughter have 40 handmade bracelets to trade with other fans during the show.

with files from Island Morning