The Taylor Swift fans helping other Swifties who missed out on Vienna gigs
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A Taylor Swift fan who missed seeing the star in Vienna said she has felt “every emotion possible” after she secured tickets for The Eras Tour in London thanks to a fellow fan.
Last Wednesday, all three of Swift’s performances at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium were cancelled following the prevention of an allegedly planned terrorist attack.
Fans of the superstar, known as Swifties, have been coming together to support those who had tickets for the sell-out shows in Austria’s capital – with many offering up their own.
Catherine Santamaria, 47, from Buckinghamshire, was due to attend Swift’s blockbuster tour in Vienna with her 14-year-old daughter, Carla, saying they were “devastated” when they heard the news of the cancellations the day before they were due to fly out from Heathrow.
The pair, based near High Wycombe, have since managed to secure tickets to Monday’s concert at Wembley stadium thanks to a fellow Swiftie from America who now lives in the UK.
“We’ve been through every possible emotion at this point, my 14-year-old is just beside herself,” Ms Santamaria, a teaching assistant, told the PA news agency.
“We spent all day packing and we were just getting ready for bed when I saw the news it had been cancelled.
“I just couldn’t believe it – (Carla) was so devastated.”
The mother-daughter duo decided they would “make the best of it” and travel to Vienna, where they experienced the “sweetest atmosphere” after gathering with other “heartbroken” fans in the city centre.
“We were obviously quite sad when we arrived but we started looking online and saw Swifties were gathering in central Vienna,” Ms Santamaria said.
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“It was just the sweetest atmosphere, everybody was exchanging friendship bracelets, singing and doing their best to get over being heartbroken.”
After spending three nights in Vienna, the pair returned home but Ms Santamaria said she was determined to see the star perform.
“We got back and I thought, I just can’t let this go, it feels so unfair that we’re not getting a chance to go,” she said.
She wrote about their situation on a Taylor Swift fan group online, where she received a message from a woman in America who was offering to sell her tickets for Swift’s upcoming tour dates at Wembley.
“She sold them to me at face value, which is just unheard of, and we’re going on Monday,” she said.
“What’s lovely about the Swiftie community is just how devoted they all are and they’re so generous.
“We wouldn’t be going it if wasn’t for this other Swiftie.”
Ms Santamaria added she felt “happy” to attend the concerts in London, saying the UK capital is “very good at security”.
Cristina Jones, 29, the creator of the viral Swifties for Southport JustGiving page, told PA how she has given her Wembley ticket away for free to a fan who was unable to go to the concert in Vienna.
Ms Jones, from Trowbridge in Wiltshire, established the fundraising page following the attack which took place at a Swift-themed dance class to ease the financial burden on the families involved.
“I thought it was just nice to give it away to someone who couldn’t go simply because Vienna was cancelled for the right reason,” she said.
“It was nice to be able to see that someone who hasn’t been able to go to The Eras Tour is now able to go.”
She said she set up an online giveaway process to offer her ticket to one lucky fan, with Ms Jones saying their reaction was “really sweet”.
“She was really excited, until I sent the ticket I don’t think she realised it was going to be real,” she said.
“I think if somebody says they’re going to give you a free ticket to a show that was extremely difficult to get tickets to generally, I don’t think people are going to believe it’s going to happen.”
Nicole, 18, who did not wish to give her surname and is based in London, purchased two tickets for The Eras Tour at Wembley on Thursday, with the hope she would find someone to attend from the US singer’s huge fanbase.
The university student said when she heard the news about Vienna, she wanted to “do my part in helping at least one Swiftie” who has not had the “pure pleasure of seeing her yet”.
“I originally had the tickets for The Eras Tour London without anyone to go with, and while I of course had many options to choose from due to the sheer demand of Taylor’s shows, I was in no rush to give away the extra ticket,” Nicole told PA.
“However, when I heard of the sudden almost tragedy in Vienna, I knew it wouldn’t feel right to do anything but give a ticket to a fellow Swiftie, especially one who had not had the pure pleasure of seeing her yet.”
Nicole put out an appeal on X, formerly Twitter, on August 7 asking people to message her if interested, which received more than 1,000 likes and more than 100 comments, with the lucky recipient being selected within a week.
“I hold the personal belief that at times like this, the Swiftie community which has proven time and time again to be such a strong and supportive force, it is so important to come together and help others however you can,” she said.