Taylor Swift performs rescheduled Rio show after deadly heat
Taylor Swift wrapped up her “Eras Tour” stop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday night, following a weekend of performances beset by problems caused by dire heat.
Though Swift’s tour has faced a few weather-related challenges previously, it has been a run largely free of trouble prior to Rio. The domestic leg of her “Eras” performances, which began in Arizona in March and concluded in Los Angeles in August, were credited with boosting local economies, increasing public transportation use and launching a summer phenomenon of friendship bracelets and girl power.
However, Swift’s stop in Brazil turned tragic before she even took the stage on Friday as concertgoers grappled with a crushing heatwave.
According to a news release issued on Saturday by the Brazilian Ministry of Culture, concertgoer Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, had been in the heat at the venue before she “suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest” just before Friday’s concert – Swift’s debut show in the city – at the Nilson Santos stadium.
“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 posted to her Instagram stories at the time, adding, “I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this.”
An official cause of death has yet to be released, but the Ministry of Culture noted in their statement that the city was dealing with record-breaking heat and humidity. Those extreme temperatures are why Swift ultimately decided to postpone her concert scheduled for Saturday, writing in a statement just before the show was set to begin that it would be rescheduled for Monday.
“The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first,” she wrote.
Seating for the Rio concerts is on a first-come-first basis, which prompted some concertgoers to wait in queues outside of the stadium – in the sizzling sun for hours – to secure a position inside. The venue also initially prohibited attendees from bringing food and water into the stadium.
Swift even noticed audience members in need of water, pausing her show on Friday to call attention to security guards to help struggling people in the crowd, as seen in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter).
Time For Fun, the Brazilian production company that organized Swift’s Rio shows, released a statement on Saturday outlining new safety measures for the remaining shows, including allowing fans to bring in plastic water bottles, providing additional water distribution points in and around the stadium and making additional medical resources available.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Swift and Time For Fun for further comment.
By Sunday and Monday, temperatures had lowered and Swift was able to perform without incident. She did, however, appear to hold off use of some pyrotechnic and fire elements that are typically part of her stage show on Sunday.
Swift will next travel to São Paulo, Brazil, where the forecast is rainy but temperate, for three performances later this week. She then has a winter break scheduled before she will resume her tour in Japan in February.