Taylor Swift’s concert in Lisbon, Portugal, descended into chaos as enraged fans broke through barricades after waiting for hours in sweltering heat.

Following the end of her journey in Paris, France, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour moved to Lisbon on May 24th. However, the first show in Portugal did not start smoothly as fans had to wait much longer than expected, over an hour, in the hot weather to enter Estádio da Luz stadium.

Before the concert, images showed long lines of fans queued outside the venue. The gates were scheduled to open at 4 PM for ticket holders with valid invitations. However, reports indicate that fans were not allowed inside until 4:45 PM.

Fans queued under the scorching sun to enter the venue for Taylor Swift’s concert.

This delay left those who had been waiting for a long time extremely frustrated, shouting at security staff: “Let us in.”

The situation became increasingly difficult to control when 200 spectators broke through the barriers, bypassing security gates and entering the stadium, much to the dismay of security personnel.

“There was a lot of pushing in the crowd. They broke through the barriers. With only two security guards outside, security forces had to be deployed to deal with the riotous fans. They started shouting, ‘Let us in, let us in.’ Fans were going crazy due to the delay. People were pushing and screaming. The staff were quite worried and scared about the situation. I don’t know what caused the delay, but we had to wait for VIP guests to enter first, while other fans were forced to wait,” recounted a security guard.

The sweltering weather was cited as a factor that made fans more prone to erupt in anger than usual. Security had strict regulations against bringing water into the stadium. However, due to the long wait under the heat, organizers had to make last-minute changes, allowing fans to bring drinks into the covered stadium.

“I just feel sad. I spent thousands of dollars to meet Taylor. Please, I just want to be inside,” one person said.

Meanwhile, fans from Amsterdam, Netherlands, said they and three friends waited in line for an hour and a half but were turned away when they approached the stadium gate.

“We were like cattle being herded. It was complete chaos,” a female fan quipped.

USA Today Entertainment reported that when Taylor appeared on stage, she did not apologize for the delay and for making fans wait. Taylor’s team also did not respond to emails when asked about the reason for the late start.

Instead, the 35-year-old singer expressed gratitude for the fans’ affection towards her: “This is my first time in Portugal, and this is how you welcome us. When I stepped outside, looked at the crowd, you took my breath away. My heart was beating so fast. You make me feel loved. Thank you so much.”

Taylor is scheduled to perform another night in Lisbon before heading to Madrid, Spain, and kicking off the show at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on May 29th.

Taylor Swift did not apologize for the delay but instead expressed gratitude towards the fans in Portugal.