Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Taylor Swift's Rio Tour Marred by Deaths, Muggings and a Dangerous Heat Wave
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
November 21, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

RIO DE JANEIRO — The deaths of two people, muggings and a dangerous heat wave left legions of Taylor Swift’s Brazilian fans angry and disappointed in the three-day Rio de Janeiro leg of the pop superstar’s Eras Tour, which concludes Monday night.

Gabriel Mongenot Santana Milhomem Santos, 25, a fan who had traveled from the country’s center-west region to see Swift, was stabbed to death on a Copacabana beach about 3 a.m. Monday, Rio’s police said in a statement.

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

Fans also reported fainting from extreme heat, being mugged or getting caught up in a police raid.

Rio’s Municipal Health Department said Benevides, who, according to a friend, passed out during Swift’s second song, “Cruel Summer,” experienced cardiorespiratory arrest, but the exact cause of her death is not yet known. Rio’s Forensic Medical Institute examined the body Saturday and said additional laboratory tests had to be conducted, the online news site G1 reported.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Swift said Benevides’ death left her with a “shattered heart.”

Temperatures Inside Stadium Hit 138 Degrees

Before the show Friday, fans lined up for hours outside the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium where temperatures soared to 105 Fahrenheit, with a heat index of nearly 138 F. Inside the stadium, concertgoers complained of unbearable heat and some said they had difficulty getting access to water.

“I didn’t imagine that my dream could turn into a nightmare,” said fan Kléssia Menezes, who told R7 TV that she had gotten stuck with hundreds of other people on one of the ramps to a VIP area Saturday as security officers blocked the entrance.

Once security let them through, she said, people started running and she fell on a hot metallic floor that burned her leg and back.

“They took me to the doctor … and I saw that I wasn’t the only person to have fallen in this chaos,” she said. “Many people fell and burned themselves.”

Ultimately, that night’s show was postponed, after tens of thousands of fans had spent hours lining up in the heat. Swift announced on Instagram that it was necessary “due to the extreme temperatures in Rio.”

A 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’m sweating, how all the pores in my body are dilated from the sweat?” Alvarenga asked, visibly angry, in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. She then pointed to her waist, highlighting the extreme measures she had taken to attend a concert for which she knew she would stand in line for hours. “I’m wearing a diaper, a geriatric diaper,” she says, urging the artist to appear. “Come on stage, I want to see you!”

The postponement was followed by chaos outside the stadium. Under a light rain, a mass of concertgoers left the area, which is close to one of Rio’s working-class neighborhoods, known as favelas.

Videos shared on social media showed groups of pickpockets robbing fans of their belongings, scenes not so unusual to Rio residents, but far from the postcards many tourists have seen of the “cidade maravilhosa.”

Many took refuge inside a Burger King, ducking for cover under tables and behind the counter in the kitchen area. Heavily armed police raided the fast food restaurant’s basement as loud sirens blared and those stuck outside the restaurant shouted. Some of those who were able to escape in taxis were overcharged by the drivers.

Saturday’s show was postponed to Monday night, but many who had traveled from other regions of Brazil and outside the country had already made plans to leave earlier.

“We’re not going to be able to make it,” said Hely Olivares, a 41 year-old Venezuelan who had traveled from Panama. “A lot of people have wasted their journey.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Vacant Fresno Restaurant Heavily Damaged in Early Morning Fire

DON'T MISS

Visalia Police Make Arrest in Deadly Hit-and-Run

DON'T MISS

Madera County Inmate Arrested After Chase and Crash With Kids in Car

DON'T MISS

Fresno Shooting Leaves Man Dead Near Griffith and Hughes

DON'T MISS

Iran and Israel Say a New Wave of Iranian Missile Attacks Has Begun. Explosions Heard Over Jerusalem

DON'T MISS

Man Found Dead in Bass Lake, Cause Under Investigation

DON'T MISS

US Marines Carry out First Known Detention of Civilian in Los Angeles, Video Shows

DON'T MISS

Tensions Boil Between Arias and Dem Congressmembers

DON'T MISS

ICE Arrests of Non-Criminal Migrants Surge 800% Under Trump

DON'T MISS

Youth Invited to Unplug, Connect With Nature at Day Camp in Auberry

UP NEXT

Mexico’s Sheinbaum Urges US to Avoid Immigration Action at LA Soccer Game

UP NEXT

Missiles Fired at Israel in Response to Israeli Attacks

UP NEXT

US Gave Regional Allies Heads up on Israel’s Planned Attack on Iran

UP NEXT

Ye Makes Surprise Appearance at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial

UP NEXT

Trump Tells Reuters It’s Unclear if Iran Still Has a Nuclear Program

UP NEXT

Israel’s Netanyahu Says Washington Knew About Iran Attack Plans

UP NEXT

Russia Says Israeli Attack on Iran Was Unprovoked and Illegal

UP NEXT

Middle East Airspace Shut After Israel Strikes Iran, Airlines Cancel Flights

UP NEXT

Israel Could Strike Iran as Soon as Sunday, WSJ Reports

UP NEXT

Humanitarian Workers Killed in Gaza Ambush Blamed on Hamas, Internet Cut in Territory

Fresno Shooting Leaves Man Dead Near Griffith and Hughes

9 hours ago

Iran and Israel Say a New Wave of Iranian Missile Attacks Has Begun. Explosions Heard Over Jerusalem

9 hours ago

Man Found Dead in Bass Lake, Cause Under Investigation

9 hours ago

US Marines Carry out First Known Detention of Civilian in Los Angeles, Video Shows

9 hours ago

Tensions Boil Between Arias and Dem Congressmembers

10 hours ago

ICE Arrests of Non-Criminal Migrants Surge 800% Under Trump

10 hours ago

Youth Invited to Unplug, Connect With Nature at Day Camp in Auberry

10 hours ago

Mexico’s Sheinbaum Urges US to Avoid Immigration Action at LA Soccer Game

11 hours ago

Fresno County’s Firestone Fire Grows, Personnel Added to Contain the Blaze

12 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Allan Saly

12 hours ago

Vacant Fresno Restaurant Heavily Damaged in Early Morning Fire

An early morning fire caused significant damage to a vacant restaurant building in Fresno, the Fresno Fire Department reported.   ...

7 hours ago

A vacant Fresno restaurant was heavily damaged in a fire early Friday, June 13, 2025, morning, with no injuries reported and the cause under investigation. (Fresno FD)
7 hours ago

Vacant Fresno Restaurant Heavily Damaged in Early Morning Fire

8 hours ago

Visalia Police Make Arrest in Deadly Hit-and-Run

Michael Sanchez, 30, a Madera County inmate, who failed to return from a funeral day-pass was arrested Friday after a police chase and crash involving children. (Madera County SO)
8 hours ago

Madera County Inmate Arrested After Chase and Crash With Kids in Car

9 hours ago

Fresno Shooting Leaves Man Dead Near Griffith and Hughes

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept missiles over Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Tomer Neuberg)
9 hours ago

Iran and Israel Say a New Wave of Iranian Missile Attacks Has Begun. Explosions Heard Over Jerusalem

A man in his 80s was found dead in Bass Lake on Friday, June 13, 2025, morning while attempting to launch a boat, authorities said. (Madera County SO)
9 hours ago

Man Found Dead in Bass Lake, Cause Under Investigation

U.S. Marines detain a person outside the Wilshire Federal Building after Marines were deployed to Los Angeles, as protests against federal immigration sweeps continue, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2025. (Reuters/Aude Guerrucci)
9 hours ago

US Marines Carry out First Known Detention of Civilian in Los Angeles, Video Shows

10 hours ago

Tensions Boil Between Arias and Dem Congressmembers

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend