New safety precautions have been put in place for Taylor Swift‘s second The Eras Tour show in Brazil following the death of a fan at the first show in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
On Friday (Nov. 17), during the tour’s first show of three at Nilton Santos Stadium, 23-year-old attendee Ana Clara Benevides died of cardiac arrest while reportedly over a thousand people sought medical treatment for passing out and heat-related illness during the outdoor show amid the heat wave and warnings from city officials.
The concert organizer’s T4F announced that they will be providing more water stations during Swift’s second show and are allowed to bring in sealed water containers. According to reports, the first concert ticket holders were not allowed to bring drinks into the stadium.
According to Folha De S Paulo, a total of eight medical posts will be present inside the stadium along with eight ambulances and eight mobile Intensive Care Units. The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, released a statement that they created a circulation ring outside the stadium to “keep people out of the sun” in addition to extra brigade members, increase in number of ambulances on site and new water distribution points.
Fans inside the stadium for Saturday’s concert reported that though there are free water areas, in other sections of the stadium, water is being sold for $8. Fans also posted that despite the stadium’s ventilation ducts being covered during the first show, they are now open for the second night. According to Swifties on Twitter, more electric fans were added to the general admission area as well.
Video footage from the general admission pit shows hundreds of people pressed together waiting for the show to begin amid the heat wave.
Prior to the second show on Saturday (Nov. 18), local firefighters brought out hoses to spray those waiting in line in an attempt to cool them off. Some fans sang Swift’s song “Cruel Summer” outside in response to the heat wave.
Although in an Instagram post, Swift wrote to fans that she would not address the fan’s passing on stage because she is “overwhelmed by grief,” a friend of the deceased’s, nurse Thiago Fernandes, told the local newspaper, “I want Ana to appear on the Taylor show screens.”
Meanwhile, Swifties are confused at who is to blame for the several safety concerns that led to a death and over a thousand to need medical treatment. T4F said in a press release that it was not up to their company to allow a water bottle ban rule.
“We also emphasize that the prohibition of entering water bottles in stadiums is a requirement made by public agencies and that we do not market beverages and food, which is the responsibility of the stadium administration,” T4F stated.
During the show, Swift requested water bottles for fans and threw some to them as well while the crowd chanted “water,” at points in addition to holding up signs on their phones asking for water. Some fans in attendance voiced their disappointment in the lack of safety protocols or announcements and not being able to access water.
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