A recent Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert in Warsaw saw the crowd silenced in place of sirens with the screens in the venue shut off.
Expectations have long been in place for what to expect when you attend an Eras Tour show. You anticipate a sense of community, with thousands of other Swifties smiling and singing along to their favorite Taylor Swift songs. The behemoth tour has broken records and fans of her music still have until December 2024 when the string of dates finally concludes. However, fans in Warsaw were warned ahead of time that something out of the ordinary would occur at their show, but not without reason…
A Taylor Swift Eras Tour show commemorated 1944 Warsaw Uprising
Swifties may have been surprised by the interruption of events at the 34-year-old singer-songwriter’s PGE Narodowy stadium show in Warsaw on Thursday, August 1st 2024.
Footage from the show has emerged showing the screens turned off, concertgoers turned silent, and the sound of air raid sirens ringing through the stadium.
Ahead of time, however, those attending the show were reassured that there was no cause for concern.
“At 5 pm on August 1st, sirens will sound out while the air force takes the skies in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw uprising,” a Taylor fan account pre-warned the fandom the day before the gig. “Please DO NOT panic or be alarmed.”
The sirens are a way of acknowledging the anniversary of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, a 63-day rebellion by Polish insurgents against five years of occupation by the Nazis during World War II.
Commemoration has become an annual tradition, and one seen as historically important enough that the stadium hosting the Warsaw Eras Tour dates participated in showing respect.
As for the reason the sirens sound at 5 pm, this is the time when the uprising started on that pivotal day 80 years ago.
Taylor Swift fans lift up the ‘classy and empathetic’ icon
Taylor is all set to perform two more dates at the same venue, but those two will be unaffected by air raid sirens or any other Warsaw Uprising commemorations.
Fans have appreciated that the Eras Tour took a moment to pause and recognize the day’s cultural significance.
“That’s so respectful,” one fan commented on footage of the stadium during the air raid sirens. “It’s an important event in Warsaw.”
“She’s always classy and empathetic,” another praised of Taylor, who recently posted on her stories in response to the tragic and sickening dance class tragedy in which three children died.
“A concert and a history lesson,” one reacted to the Warsaw show. “She uses her powers for good”
One also argued “This is why she is undoubtedly one of the best human beings out there.” In Tay we trust.