Taylor Swift’s Rio tour was marred by deaths, theft and a heatwave

RIO DE JANEIRO – Two murders, robberies and a dangerous heatwave have left legions of Taylor Swift’s Brazilian fans angry and disappointed in… Three-day leg of Rio de Janeiro From the pop star’s Eras Tour, which concluded Monday night.

Rio police said in a statement that Gabriel Monginot Santana Milhomim Santos, 25, a fan who traveled from the country’s central west to see Swift, was stabbed to death on Copacabana Beach around 3 a.m. on Monday.

This is the second death of a Swift fan in four days. On Friday, Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23, fell ill during the singer’s first show in the city, and died later that evening in hospital.

Fans also reported swooning from Extreme heatOr being robbed or caught in a police raid.

Rio’s municipal health department said Benevides, who, according to a friend, lost consciousness during Swift’s second song, “Cruel Summer,” suffered cardiorespiratory arrest, but the exact cause of her death was not yet known. The Rio Forensic Institute examined the body on Saturday and said additional laboratory tests would need to be carried out, the G1 news website reported.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Swift said Benevides’ death left her “broken-hearted.”

Before the show on Friday, fans lined up for hours outside the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium as temperatures soared to 41 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit), with a heat index of nearly 59 degrees Celsius (138 Fahrenheit). Inside the stadium, partygoers complained of the unbearable heat, and some said they had difficulty getting water.

“I never imagined that my dream could turn into a nightmare,” said fan Clesia Menezes, who told R7 TV that she and hundreds of other people got stuck on one of the ramps leading to the VIP area on Saturday. entrance.

She said that as soon as security allowed them to pass, people started running and she fell on a hot metal floor, burning her leg and back.

“They took me to the doctor… and I saw that I wasn’t the only one who got into this mess,” she said. “Many people fell and burned themselves.”

Eventually, that night’s show has been postponed, after tens of thousands of fans spent long hours queuing in the hot weather. Swift announced on Instagram that this was necessary “due to the extreme temperatures in Rio.”

One fan who identified herself as Julia Alvarenga said she was upset that Swift didn’t decide to cancel earlier.

“My friend, can you see how much I sweat, and how all the pores on my body expand due to sweat?” a visibly angry Alvarenga asked in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. She then pointed to her waist, highlighting the extreme measures she took to attend a concert she knew would have her standing in line for hours. “I’m wearing a diaper, an old people’s diaper,” she says, urging the artist to pose. “Come on stage, I want to see you!”

The postponement was followed by chaos outside the stadium. Under light rain, crowds of partygoers left the area near one of Rio’s working-class neighborhoods, known as the favelas.

Videos circulating on social media showed groups of pickpockets stealing fans’ possessions – scenes that are not unusual for Rio residents, but a far cry from the “Cidade Maravilosa” postcards many tourists have seen.

Many of them took refuge in a Burger King restaurant, hiding under tables and behind the counter in the kitchen area. Heavily armed police raided the basement of a fast food restaurant, while sirens wailed loudly and those stuck outside the restaurant screamed. Some who managed to escape in taxis were overpaid by drivers.

Saturday’s show was postponed to Monday night, but many who had traveled from other areas in Brazil and outside the country had already planned to leave earlier.

“We will not be able to achieve this,” said Hailey Olivares, a 41-year-old Venezuelan who came from Panama. “A lot of people missed their trip.”