Opinion: Taylor Swift is the Problem

By Will Tallman

Pop artist Swift is indisputably a global superstar. However, her recent concerts in Rio De Janeiro were marred by fatalities, violent muggings, and myriad health and safety issues. Is massive success worth this deadly price of admission?

The influence and appeal of Taylor Swift reaches millions of fans across the globe, aided by never-ending social media campaigns that keep her audience in rapture, waiting for the chance to see their musical hero on the stage. 

In fact, the clamor for tickets in lesser traveled South American cities during her ongoing Eras tour was at such a fervor that Swift’s management seized upon the opportunity to sell more tickets, adding three additional concerts in Mexico City, San Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro. Swift announced this in a Twitter post, breathlessly writing that she and fans had “waited our whole lives” for the occasion. Tragically, Swift’s statement was all too accurate for several fans in attendance.

At Swift’s first Rio de Janeiro show, a 23-year-old fan was pronounced dead after suffering cardiac arrest while attending the concert. Prior to the concert, she had waited in line in the sweltering 138°F heat for no less than eight hours. Later, another fan was stabbed on a local beach while enroute to the Swift concert. 

The Rio de Janeiro concert, organized by a Brazilian event planner T4F (Time 4 Fun), was also plagued by negligent management and a lack of access to drinking water (after refusing to allow fans in with water or food), which resulted in many spectators being hospitalized for dehydration and other heat-related medical issues. The concert was eventually canceled, and many disappointed fans returned home without seeing their idol play. 

 Taylor Swift is certainly not the sole one to blame – in fact, she is probably the least culpable for the tragic events in Brazil. Her pop empire is so vast that it is likely impossible that she is aware of the intricate machinations of a worldwide brand. But that’s just it – Swift is on a level of stardom that few, if any, other artists can lay claim to. 

In the wake of Brazil, it is clear that this model of maximizing profit – by an artist who (per Forbes) pockets $13 million per stop on her current tour – has reached a point where the product is too big. Massively successful artists like Swift cannot guarantee the safety and health of the fans they claim to love yet continue to rake in millions of dollars. It’s just a shame that it has their fans’ blood on it.