On Nov. 18, Taylor Swift postponed an Eras Tour concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after a 23-year-old fan died during her show the night prior. Fan Ana Clara Benevides Machado suffered from cardiac arrest, likely as a result of the extreme heat wave.
On Friday morning, temperatures in Rio hit 138ºF, the highest index ever recorded in Brazil’s history. Despite this weather, fans who attended the concert said they were not allowed to bring water bottles into the stadium. Elizabeth Morin, age 26, described how it was difficult in certain parts of the stadium to access water, especially “if you were concerned about losing your specific position.”
Daniele Menin, Benevides’s friend who attended the concert with her, said that her friend passed out at the beginning of the concert as Swift performed her second song, “Cruel Summer.” Soon after, Benevides was taken to a first-aid center, then a hospital. According to the show’s organizer, Time4Fun, she died an hour later.
Due to this tragedy and the weather conditions, Swift decided to postpone the next day’s concert.
“We are on the train. And everyone is so disappointed,” said Hely Olivares, a 41-year-old Venezuelan who traveled from Panama to see the artist.
Though fans–who paid a great deal and traveled far to see the Rio Concert–were disappointed, Swift’s decision to postpone the show is commendable.
In a hand-written note on Instagram, the singer wrote, “The safety and wellbeing of my fans, fellow performers, and crew has to and always will come first.”
Swift’s decision to postpone the concert illustrates her ability to prioritize others’ lives without considering her individual monetary loss, fans’ tickets were fully refined if they chose not to attend the postponed performance. The death of a young woman’s life at a concert is unacceptable, and Swift knows that. This act of compassion proves to the world, yet again, that Taylor Swift is so much more than an artist.