Taylor Swift has postponed her Eras Tour concert Saturday in Rio De Janeiro as extreme heat continues to scorch the Brazilian city, with the conditions likely resulting in the death of an attendee at 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 on social media. “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
A rescheduled date for Saturday’s show, as well as the status of Sunday’s concert, was not immediately known.
Prior to Friday’s performance in Rio De Janeiro, which is experiencing record-high temperatures and “excessive heat” warnings this week, Swift took to social media and said she was “overwhelmed by grief” after a fan died before her Eras Tour show began in Brazil on Friday, likely due to cardiac arrest from 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 shared to 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 continued, “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, in the days before Friday’s concert, the heat index in Rio — a combination of temperature and humidity — reached roughly 137 degrees. The sweltering conditions were felt inside the stadium as fans pleaded for water within the venue.
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Footage taken during the concert shows Swift had paused the performance to indicate fans who needed water in the audience and at one point could be seen throwing water into the crowd. “There’s people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back,” she said while in the middle of a set. “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?
Prior to Saturday’s show, Rio’s Minister Of Justice and Public Security announced they would allow water bottles into Estadio Nilton Santos for the remaining two Eras Tour shows at the venue. However, the heat still posed a danger, forcing the postponement of Saturday’s show.