Swift performed in Rio two days after fan Ana Clara Benevides Machado died after her concert. The extreme heat wave on Saturday postponed Taylor’s Eras Tour in Brazil to Night 2 tonight.
Taylor surprises her audience with two or three songs every evening. Usually tracks from her archive she has never performed live. Her Night 2 surprise songs were touching given the circumstances. Fans noted Swift’s posture and the slight lyric change in Bigger Than the Whole Sky, the second surprise song.
Swift was thought to be saying goodbye to Ana with the song: Goodbye. You were bigger than the sky and time. Much to miss and live without. I’ll never meet, Might have Shoulda been you?
Later in the song, lyrics state, “Everything to come has turned into ashes ‘Cause it’s all over, it’s not meant to be, So I’ll say words I don’t believe.”
Onstage, Taylor sang, “Every single thing I touch has turned into ashes.” Taylor Swift is crushed by Ana’s death, Mamas Uncut reported. The singer reported a Brazilian admirer died of heat stroke before her performance.
Unbelievable, but I’m heartbroken after realizing we lost a fan tonight before my show. Swift: This hurts beyond words. She was beautiful and very young, but I know little. Swift claimed her anguish overwhelms her when she talks about this live.
My heart goes out to her family and friends throughout this loss. I never imagined this when we went to Brazil with this tour.”
The AP said that stadium spectator Ana Clara Benevides Machado called paramedics after feeling nauseous. Before the hospital, she was brought to the stadium’s first aid center.
An hour after arriving at the hospital, she died. A horrible heat wave is hitting Brazilian performers. People threw waters to the audience on her Eras Tour’s opening night to keep everyone safe.
Swift often threw water into the audience when she saw someone in need while singing. Brazil is so hot that venue temperatures reached nearly 60 degrees Celsius, or 137 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Associated Press. Brazil Night 1 recordings showed Taylor becoming crimson during the 4-hour event.
Safety concerns prevented concertgoers from bringing water into the stadium. Blocking stadium vents prevented outsiders from observing the concert. Event organizers were criticized for their early decisions.
The AP stated that Justice Minister Flávio Dino tweeted that the ministry will create “emergency rules” for water provision at exhibitions and other public gatherings after the event. The AP says this spring warmth is unusual for that region. We have never seen anything like it, says hydrologist Javier Tomasella of global warming. In this difficult moment, we pray for Machado’s family and friends.
