Taylor Swift Chokes Back Tears as She Sings ‘Bigger Than the Whole Sky’ After Fan Dies at Show
Taylor Swift got choked up while performing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as part of her Eras tour on Sunday, November 19. As one of the night’s two surprise songs, the pop star gave the debut performance of her emotional 2022 track “Bigger Than the Whole Sky.” It appeared to be a dedication to Ana Clara Benevides, the fan who died at her concert two days prior.
“Bigger Than the Whole Sky” is about the loss of a loved one, with gut-wrenching lyrics like, “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you were bigger than the whole sky. You were more than just a short time. I’ve got a lot to pine about, I’ve got a lot to live without.” Taylor, 33, has never revealed what inspired the heartbreaking song.
Although the “Anti-Hero” singer didn’t mention Ana, 23, by name before performing the track, fans were quick to point out that the timing of the song choice made sense as a dedication to the late Swiftie. Taylor addressed Ana’s death on social media before her November 17 show and admitted that it would be too difficult for her to talk about it on stage.
“I can’t believe I’m writing these words but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show,” Taylor shared. “I can’t even tell you how devastated I am by this. There’s very little information I have other than the fact that she was so incredibly beautiful and far too young. I’m not going to be able to speak about this from stage because I feel overwhelmed by grief when I even try to talk about it. I want to say now 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 this tour to Brazil.”
Ana’s cause of death has not been confirmed. However, fans who attended the November 17 show revealed that it was scorching hot in the stadium and said that access to affordable water was limited. Even from the stage, Taylor noticed fans in distress on more than one occasion throughout the concert. At one point, she even retrieved a water bottle from security and threw it into the crowd for someone who was struggling.
Taylor was due to perform a second show in Rio de Janeiro on November 18, but it was postponed to Monday, November 20 due to the heatwave and “extreme temperatures.” The heat seemed to break during the Sunday show, as Taylor performed almost the entirety of the concert in the pouring rain.
