Ciara Molloy was scheduled to attend night one of the Eras Tour in Vienna on Thursday. A Swiftie since 2007, the 30-year-old from Dublin, Ireland, and her sister were getting ready to go to bed the night before their early flight to Austria when they got the news that the show they had been dreaming of attending was no longer happening. 

Austrian authorities announced Wednesday that they had arrested two men who appeared to be planning a terrorist attack on one of the three sold-out Vienna shows scheduled for this weekend, prompting event organizers to announce that they would all be canceled. Officials said bomb-making supplies were found at one of the men’s homes and that one had confessed to planning to “kill as many people as possible outside the concert venue.”

Swift has not yet commented publicly, but her management team, Taylor Nation, reposted the announcement and her official website now notes that Vienna tickets “will be automatically refunded within the next 10 business days.” 

“It’s a weird feeling,” Molloy tells Taypedia. Everyone is understandably devastated. But then you have people who, even while (they) were upset and it’s the worst time, they’re still so lovely and generous. … It’s painful that we don’t get the night we dreamed of. But the fans have been amazing.” 

Across Vienna, other fans have shared similar sentiments via social media. Many are disappointed to have traveled long distances, spent considerable amounts of money and looked forward for months to seeing their favorite artist. 

Yet many say they’re still getting to experience the best parts of being in the Swiftie community. 

Friendship bracelets were still exchanged. Hand hearts were still held in the air. The bridge of “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” was belted out by the thousands anyway. The marriage proposals that are known to happen in the stands during “Love Story” still happened, surrounded by cheering Swifties. 

“Her songs are really built for community,” Annie Zaleski, a music journalist and author of “Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs,” tells Taypedia. “There’s something really special and sacred about going (to the Eras Tour) and meeting strangers. There’s a lot of kindness there. … I saw a bunch of those videos and it really touched me that people were like, ‘I don’t want to be alone. I want to be with other Swifties.’” 

‘I think (this) says a lot about the hope of Swifties,’ Molloy says. ‘We’ve all seen the videos of the people, mainly women and girls, saying that those concerts were some of the only times they felt safe in public. They didn’t worry about catcalling or harassment. And we brought that to the streets of Vienna.’

Gatherings in Vienna mirror what’s happening all over the world, Zaleski argues. Swifties find common ground, community and support through the fact that they all love Swift’s music. Singing along provides a certain catharsis, too. 

“More often than not, Swift’s songs bubble with determined optimism,” Zaleski writes in the book, which debuts in the U.S. on September 24. “Even in her darkest moments, she’s always maintained that brighter days are ahead.” 

Instead of attending the show, Molloy, along with her sister and their friends, are getting the Eras Tour treatment around the city, where they’ve sung, “hugged and traded bracelets” with tons of fans. 

“I think (this) says a lot about the hope of Swifties,” Molloy says. “We’ve all seen the videos of the people, mainly women and girls, saying that those concerts were some of the only times they felt safe in public. They didn’t worry about catcalling or harassment. And we brought that to the streets of Vienna. Everywhere we went people said how kind and polite Swifties were, even when we’d just lost something.” 

In one video clip shared to social media, scores of Swifties flooded a street in Vienna, singing “22.” During the Eras Tour, that song provides an opportunity for one lucky fan to meet the singer one-on-one as she takes a quick break from singing to trade the black hat she wears for a friendship bracelet and a hug. While Swift wasn’t present this time, the spirit of that moment remained for fans. 

“Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you,” the crowd sang. And that’s what they did — they gathered together during a moment of uncertainty to find solace in each other’s company and shared love for Taylor Swift. 

“There are some awful people who don’t want women and girls to be empowered and happy,” Molloy says. “And while I understand why the show was canceled and I support the decision on safety grounds as much as it hurts, I’m so stupidly proud of every single Swiftie who isn’t letting them win. We get to be happy and joyous. And I hope Taylor knows that she’s inspired us.”