Inside Taylor Swift’s horror Brazil concert where Ana Clara Benevides died of cardiac arrest: Footage shows Swifties lining up in 110F heatwave for HOURS before begging for water
Fans who witnessed Taylor Swift’s tragic concert in Brazil have given a glimpse into the disorganized scenes and sweltering circumstances that saw a young ‘Swiftie’ die.
Before the show, thousands of adoring fans waited for hours outside the Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, apparently in a scramble to get seats as close to the star as possible.
One fan, Joey – who claims he was at the show – shared on TikTok that the hectic first-come, first-served seating had fans “queuing very early in unbearable heat.”
Images from social media From outside the event saw scantily clad supporters huddled under umbrellas in search of ice cream which was being handed out in desperate attempts to cool off hours before the show.
Once inside the sweltering stadium, he said people in the single-serve sections “didn’t drink water because they don’t want to go to the toilet and possibly lose their place,” adding that fans around him in that area were “really struggling.” ‘.
At one point Swift’s was PR chief Tree Paine was also seen during the handover a tired-looking fan watered as guards had to hold her down.
It comes as fan Ana Clara Benevides, 23, fainted during the show and tragically died as she thought she was going into cardiac arrest during the heatwave.
The show’s apparent first-come, first-served seating had ‘Swifties’ queuing outside in the sweltering heat for hours to try to get the best seat possible
Stadiumgoer Joey shared details of what it was like at the electrifying concert, describing it as ‘unbearable’ as he said ‘people were really struggling’
Scantily clad fans were seen huddled under umbrellas and rushing for ice to try and cool off amid Brazil’s sweltering heatwave
In chaotic scenes at the Brazilian show, fans begged for water as Swift took matters into her own hands and threw water bottles into the crowd from the stage.
As singer tells security to return water bottles to wrestling group ’30, 40 feet back,’ video shared on TikTok from the crowd saw others shouting, ‘Please! We need water too!’
In another video, Taylor was captured stopping her dance moves while the song “All Too Well” played in the background so she could throw a water bottle to an adoring fan in the crowd amid the sweltering heat.
Joey said that in his section at the ‘premium’ pitch right in front of him, he saw a girl faint, and “when we tried to call for help, no one could come.”
Swift has claimed that Benevides died before her show started, and it is unclear whether the fainting fan the TikTok user was referring to was Benevides.
He added that Swift’s direct attempts to help her fans seemed to be ignored by stadium officials, saying, “She called someone to try to get that person some water, but it took like several minutes for anything to happen.”
“Taylor was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ he said, adding that some fans – despite the famous difficulty of getting an Eras Tour ticket – were forced to leave the show early to escape the heat.
Tributes have poured in for Benevides, seen in an undated photo wearing an I love Taylor Swift singlet top
In another video, Taylor was captured throwing a bottle of water to an adoring fan in the crowd amid the sweltering heat.
Joey said the concert’s chaotic seating had fans battling the elements to get close to the star and avoiding water to avoid going to the bathroom and losing their spot
There is a reaction to the circumstances of the event a petition launched in Brazil he urged officials to provide free water at every event in the South American country, attributing Benevides’ death to “sheer negligence.”
Another fan who says he was also at the event took to TikTok to talk about it the event, but claimed Benevides passed out after Swift started singing “the first few songs.”
“This isn’t Taylor’s fault,” he insisted. ‘She told the staff to give everyone free water, and they barely did. It wasn’t enough, it didn’t happen often, I was dying.’
“I think I almost fainted, imagine that girl… she was just there to have fun,” he said, adding that the heat in the stadium felt like “140 degrees.”
He echoed Joey’s concerns about the huge lines of people that had been waiting outside the stadium for hours, saying he arrived around noon to find hundreds of people “already waiting.”
“And because of the heat, I didn’t even bring an umbrella and a lot of people had umbrellas, I felt like people weren’t hydrating enough… I’m so devastated.”
The fan claimed security ignored Swift’s pleas to help her fans, that “water wasn’t that accessible,” and said fans would put up with the sweltering conditions to keep their spots and avoid going to the bathroom.
When Swift intervened as the crowd shouted “We need water,” a clip filmed by an audience member saw Taylor respond to the call for water by urging stadium staff to help, noting the sweltering temperature in the venue.
She said, ‘Do you see that? Sorry, it’s just really hot. So when someone says he needs water when it’s so hot, he really does need it.’
Trying to calm the situation as it threatened to escalate, Taylor continued, “We don’t have to sing, it’s fine. We just have to give them water. Does anyone here have water?’
Sad: Taylor was unaware of the tragedy during her performance and has since released a statement expressing her devastation over Benevides’ death
Ana Clara Benevides fainted during the show and is said to have suffered cardiac arrest. Despite efforts by doctors on the scene, the 23-year-old was then taken to hospital where she died.
Swift showed candor in her statement, revealing that she “couldn’t talk about this from the stage” because she is “overwhelmed with grief” following Benevide’s death.
Swift shared her post-show heartbreak at Benevides’ death, saying she was shocked by what happened upon her return to Brazil.
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but it is with her broken heart that I say that earlier tonight, before my show, we lost a fan. I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this,” Swift wrote.
“There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and very young,” she continued.
“I’m not going to be able to talk about this from the stage because I feel overwhelmed with sadness when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now that I feel this loss deeply, and my broken heart goes out to her family and friends. This is the last thing I ever thought would happen when we decided to bring the store to Brazil.”
The show’s organizers, T4F, stood for Time For Fun, one of the largest in the world, issued a statement following the tragedy but did not address criticism from fans about a lack of water and unsafe conditions.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23 years old,” the company said.
‘Last night Ana Clara felt unwell and was assisted by a team of emergency workers and paramedics. She was taken to a medical center at the Nilton Santos Olympic Stadium so that first aid protocol could be administered.
“Given the situation, the medical team opted to transfer her to Salgado Filho Hospital. After almost an hour of emergency care, she unfortunately died.
“We extend our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Ana Clara Benevides.”