Taylor Swift describes being “riddled with anxiety” after a foiled plot that forced the cancellation of three Eras Tour stadium shows in Vienna, in the premiere episode of Disney+’s six-part docuseries The End of an Era, released Friday. The episode shows Swift tearful as she weighs the responsibility of putting tens of thousands of fans in one place, then trying to steady herself to keep the tour moving.
Austrian authorities called off the Vienna dates in August 2024 after arrests tied to an ISIS-inspired plan targeting the Ernst Happel Stadium concerts. Investigators said the main suspect, 19, pledged loyalty to Islamic State online and confessed in custody, with officials describing preparations that included chemicals and weapons. U.S. officials later said intelligence cooperation helped disrupt a plan aimed at mass casualties, and Austria’s interior ministry pointed to limits on monitoring encrypted messaging as a constraint during the investigation.
The docuseries also revisits the shock that hit Swift’s UK run weeks earlier: the July 29, 2024 stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance workshop in Southport. Prosecutors said three girls were killed and other children and adults were injured; the attacker received a life sentence with a minimum term of 52 years. In the episode, Swift is shown trying to keep composure before meeting victims’ families at her London shows, then breaking down afterward.
The new series arrives alongside a Disney+ concert film of Swift’s final Eras Tour performance in Vancouver, recorded in December 2024, with the platform promising backstage access to rehearsals and tour operations. In promotional appearances this week, Swift also pushed back on calls to retreat from public life, telling Stephen Colbert, “I don’t want to.”
