Taylor Swift Postpones 2nd Rio de Janeiro Concert Following Death of Fan
Written by djfrosty on November 18, 2023
Taylor Swift has postponed the second night of her Eras Tour concert in Brazil on Saturday (Nov. 18) due to “extreme temperatures” in Rio de Janeiro.
The last-minute delay arrives one day after the death of a fan attending the pop superstar’s opening night at Rio’s Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos on Friday (Nov. 17).
“I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium,” Swift shared in a handwritten note on her Instagram Story Saturday. “The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio. The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
Brazilian concert promoter T4T noted in a statement on Instagram that Saturday’s concert will be scheduled for Monday (Nov. 20). Further information about rescheduled event will be shared through taylorswifttheerastour.com.br.
On Friday night, Swift expressed her sorrow on social media over the loss of 23-year-old fan Ana Clara Benevides Machado, who died after attending the opening night of the singer’s Eras Tour in Rio. The woman was treated by paramedics after she reported not feeling well and was later taken to a hospital, where she died, according to an Instagram post by T4T. The exact cause of Machado’s death had not been revealed at press time.
“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 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 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.”
Many concert-goers complained that they were not allowed to bring in water bottles to the stadium despite a record-breaking heat wave in Rio, the Associated Press reports. Temperatures reached 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit in the city on Friday.
During Friday’s show, her first of three at Rio’s Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos, Swift paused her performance to request water for a group of fans who indicated they needed it.
“There’s people that need water right here, maybe 30, 35, 40 feet back,” the singer said, as seen in fan-captured footage on X. “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?”
This marks the second time Swift has been forced to postpone dates on the South American leg of her Eras Tour. Just hours ahead of her second show at the Estadio River Plate in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Friday (Nov. 10), the “Cruel Summer” singer announced that the concert was being delayed due to “truly chaotic” rainy weather conditions in the region.