Belem Werderich’s family wanted to celebrate her 50th birthday in a big way.
They bounced around ideas, like throwing a party or planning a family vacation. But for the long time Taylor Swift fan and elementary school teacher, there was one special trip — or concert — that would top the list.
Werderich’s sister, Lulu Laughlin, managed to find two coveted tickets to the Eras Tour in Vienna for Friday night, after missing out on the Chicago dates last summer. But, because the concert was canceled due to threats of a terrorist attack, the duo won’t get to see their favorite singer perform after all.
“I’m a crier, so I did cry a bit,” Werderich, a Yorkville resident, told the Tribune from Austria. “Nowhere in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen, and I thought this just isn’t for me, it’s not in the cards for me.”
Organizers called off three sold-out Eras Tour concerts at the Ernst Happel Stadium Wednesday after officials announced arrests over an apparent plot to attack the shows. Many Swifties across the globe and a few in Chicagoland, including Werderich and Laughlin, were disappointed by the decision, but felt relieved to be safe.
Both suspects appeared to be inspired by the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, Austrian authorities said Thursday, and investigators found bomb-making materials at one of their homes. Officials said one of the two confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.” Concert organizers expected up to 65,000 fans inside the stadium at each concert and as many as 30,000 onlookers outside.
The sisters were visiting Salzburg, the fourth-largest city in Austria, when they learned Wednesday about the apparent terrorist plot in a text from a friend. By the time the sisters made it back to their hotel, there were reports over the news and on social media, including Taylor Nation, a verified Instagram page believed to be run by Swift’s team, that the concerts were canceled. Both of their husbands were relieved they were OK, they added.
“We’re here and we’re alive,” Laughlin, 46, of Jefferson Park, said. “I get to go home to my doggy and my husband.”
Despite the snag in their plans, the pair have a relatively sunny outlook on their weeklong trip, saying they’ve enjoyed Austria, including its beautiful architecture, glasses of aperol spritz, delicious homemade pretzels and the kind people. Werderich said she’s adopting the mantra “we can do it with broken hearts,” inspired by Swift’s song “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”
Werderich, a first grade teacher at P.H. Miller School in Plano, said she fell in love with Swift when she made the transition to pop music with the album “1989,” released in 2014, which she said makes her want to dance. She also admires Swift’s work ethic, business acumen and musical talents, specifically her ability to play piano and guitar and write her own songs. She’s an inspiration for her young students and two kids, Werderich said.
Despite her love of Swift, Werderich said she’d never attended a concert, whether due to commitments with her kids or work, or not being able to get a code on Ticketmaster for the Chicago Eras Tour dates. She even planned to wear an outfit at the Vienna concert inspired by Swift’s 22 costume, featuring a shirt that said “I’ve got a lot going on at the moment.”
“Honestly that’s my life. Because I’ve literally had to plan around my busy schedule,” she said. “I’ve got a son that’s 19 and a daughter that’s 17, and I’m always running to baseball, canoeing events, just sport events.”
Laughlin’s a newer fan, saying she started listening to Swift’s music frequently about two years ago after watching the documentary “Miss Americana” on Netflix. She respected the way Swift treats her fans and employees, she said.
“This woman is a class act,” Laughlin, a compliance manager at U.S. Bank, said. “She actually is a decent woman. She totally sticks to her words, and I find that extremely enthralling.”
Other Chicago Swifites have made the trip to Europe for Swift’s tour, flying halfway across the world for cheaper tickets to see the pop star. Partly due to stricter rules on reselling and limits for markups above face value, tickets in Europe tend to be thousands of dollars cheaper than her sold-out North American shows.
Laughlin said ticket prices were about $500 each in Vienna, which, even with airfare and a hotel stay, ended up cheaper than resell tickets in the U.S. and Canada. Unfortunately the lower prices means they probably won’t be able to afford to attend another concert, even with a refund.
Instead, the sisters headed down Thursday to Corneliusgasse — a small street just 3 miles from the stadium — to sing “Long Live” and trade friendship bracelets with fellow Swifties. Fans are gathering on this street specifically because its name echoes “Cornelia Street,” a song from Swift’s 2019 album, “Lover.” With extra free time, they’re also planning a visit to Budapest.
They said they’ll always cherish the first vacation they took with just each other. The self-described “best friends” have loved spending so much uninterrupted time together, they said.
“We’ve had a great time, and I don’t want to think of Vienna in a bad way,” Werderich said. “Everything we’ve done to this point has been wonderful … it just had a little flair of drama to it.”
The Associated Press contributed.
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