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A few months ago, I wrote about Taylor’s ubiquitous Eras Tour, a tour that takes you on Taylor’s 17 year music journey. It was rumored that a documentary was in the making and that it might be released on streaming platforms. In the beginning of September, it was announced that The Eras Tour film would be released on October 13th in theaters worldwide.
The film was entirely shot at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles over the course of her 6-day stint in August, which marked the last leg of her US tour. It hadn’t even been three months since she shot this and the movie already made box office history as the highest-grossing concert film of all time, earning a whopping $97M domestically and $30M worldwide in its opening weekend.
Due to the unprecedented demand in ticket sales, the release date was moved to October 12th. On October 11th, Taylor shut down the Los Angeles mall The Grove for a private screening with selected fans, family, backup dancers and a few celebrity friends, like Beyonce.
On August 31st, Taylor posted the announcement of the movie. She said: “Tickets are on sale now. Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged 🫶 1, 2, 3 LGB!!!! (iykyk)”
Like many, Taylor’s music has been with me through different phases of my life.
The first time I came across Taylor Swift was in the fall of 2006 on the US iTunes chart. (Can you believe High School Musical and Hannah Montana came out that same year? It was Disney Channel’s golden era). Before streaming services were available, I remember I’d go on the US top music charts and see if I could discover any new emerging artists. One of them was a blonde, curly-haired girl named Taylor Swift. Back then I was a pop-rock girl through and through, and country music was not on my radar. But upon listening to Taylor’s album, I fell in love with the upbeat and incredibly catchy chorus of ‘Our Song’, the angsty revenge anthem ‘Picture to Burn’ and the beautiful guitar chords on ‘Tim McGraw’ and ‘Teardrops on My Guitar’. The album cover with the blue and green background playing on my iPod is still etched in my brain.
In 2011 (I refuse to believe this was 12 years ago), I saw Taylor live in Madrid during her Speak Now World Tour. She didn’t sell out the show, as pop country wasn’t very popular in Spain. She started to gain popularity there when Red came out in 2012. In 2024, she will perform at the brand new Bernabéu Stadium in a sold-out show.
When I saw her live, she was still as humble as she is today, but a little bit timid and slightly demure, which you can see in her interviews from that time.
Here’s a picture I took of Taylor looking at my section!
I paid less than 100 euros for the VIP section, which was very small and it didn’t sell out. I also remember that the price for the general admission pit didn’t surpass 60 euros. A far cry from The Eras tour, where nosebleed seats start at $800.
Seeing a 22-year-old Taylor Swift live versus a 34-year-old Taylor 12 years later made me respect her even more. Her presence, her moves, her command on the stage and her confidence were palpable.
When The Eras Tour kicked off in March 2023, like all Swifties, I found myself watching all the Youtube videos, Instagram reels, singing along to the songs and admiring the stage setups. Unfortunately, Taylor’s team have already wiped out most of them due to the movie coming out, but you can still find some snippets on Youtube. I thought the movie would have given us a sneak peek into a day in the life of Taylor, from the moment she gets up to the moment she goes on stage. But the movie is limited to the show only and some fun moments of Taylor and her crew in the credits.
I went to see the movie on October 13th at the Burbank AMC theater. I wanted to watch it at The Grove, but all the showtimes were sold out. Upon entry, you were given an 8”x14” Taylor poster. It looked like we were all getting ready for a concert because almost everyone that showed up was wearing shirts from The Eras Tour.
Yes, watching the movie is ten times cheaper than seeing her live, but obviously you still have to shell out some money if you want to get the full experience. The popcorn bucket and the cup were $30, and they were selling like hotcakes. Even on eBay, this movie merchandise is being sold for hundreds of dollars.
Previews
During the previews, almost every commercial featured Taylor in some way and was geared towards the Swifties: Capital One credit card, 1989 Taylor’s Version Target exclusive and Joann Fabrics. The latter is a craft store that promoted beads to create friendship bracelets to trade at the concert. According to USAToday.com, there’s been a big sale increase in bracelet materials since The Eras tour started.
It’s Taylor’s world and we’re just living in it.
Audience
At the end of this post, I included a few videos of different screenings of The Eras Tour concert film. My audience was not as rowdy as the one you’ll see in the videos below. Everyone was very composed in their seats, and it also looked like AMC purposefully turned up the volume because I was singing at the top of my lungs and I still couldn’t hear my own voice.
On the last song, ‘Karma’, we all got loose and stood up. Here’s a funny moment that took place during my session.
There was a girl behind me who brought LED bracelets and asked me if I wanted one. “Oh my god, it’s happening, it’s happening,” she said as she rubbed her hands together with a wide smile on her face.
Cinematography
The cinematography was amazing and it doesn’t compare to seeing it on Youtube via someone else’s phone.
AMC Theatres
It genuinely felt like you were on stage with her. I got major goosebumps in the beginning when the camera cut to her facing the sea of fans in front of her. Imagine having 70k people wrapped around your finger, praising your every move.
Below are some pictures of Taylor performing the Lover setlist at other arenas, where it was still day time.
What goes through her head? How does it feel to hold this much power? At one point, Taylor points to different sections of the stadium. As she’s moving her finger, the crowd yells back creating a sonic version of the wave. She said, “Ok, now this is getting to my head.”
The close-ups of her on the stage, the aerial shots, the CGI visuals, like the snake wrapping around the stage were amazing (this didn’t happen live).
I also loved the transition titles of the different eras.
Location
The Eras Tour film was released worldwide, but it is extra special for the LA audiences that it was filmed in Los Angeles. It genuinely felt like you were there. “Are you enjoying the show, Los Angeles?” she asked, to which we all yelled YEEES!
Outfits
The costume designers for this tour deserve an award. Besides the music and Taylor’s dance moves, the outfits were an integral part of the show and made me immerse myself in The Eras setlist even more. I loved the sparkling bodysuits from Versace, the one-legged jumpsuit and gold-fringed dress from Roberto Cavalli, and the ruffled red dress from Jessica Jones. You don’t need to know about fashion to appreciate the impeccable craftmanship that went into each outfit.
Taylor’s outfits slightly vary from show to show. For the Midnights setlist, she can be seen wearing a blue custom bodysuit from either Oscar de la Renta or Zuhair Murad. In the 1989 era, she rotates her Roberto Cavalli two-piece set with three colors.
The white tiered dress from Alberta Ferreti was also another one of my favorites. Although the Folklore era is my least favorite era, seeing her twirling across the stage with voluminous sleeves made Taylor so ethereal and fairy-like. Even if there was a song I didn’t enjoy as much, it was hard to take my eyes off of the screen.
Kevin Winter Getty Images TAS Right Management
TAYLOR HILL/TAS23//GETTY IMAGES
Taylor during the Speak Now eras setlist. Photo credit: TAS Rights Management
If you compare her previous tour outfits to The Eras Tour, you’ll see a big difference. Even on her ‘Reputation’ tour, her outfits didn’t make me stop dead in my tracks, but the outfits on The Eras Tour are couture fashion heaven.
Are you a fan of sparkly things? then this movie will be a feast for your eyes, from her shimmery Pat McGrath eyeshadow to the outfits. She really makes the whole place shimmer (pun intended).
Dancers
The dancers on this tour are top-notch. Some people make fun of Taylor’s awkward dances at award shows, but her dance skills are actually really good, especially in high-tempo songs. You could also feel the camaraderie between her, the dancers, the band and backup singers. They felt like characters in the film and you could see the joy on everyone’s faces. Since the beginning of her career, Taylor has always shared the spotlight with her team. She’s also been with the same band since 2007, like her lead-guitarist Paul Sidoti. The Starlights are Taylor’s four back-up singers and have been on the road with Taylor since the Red tour in 2012. The fact that these people have been with Taylor for over a decade speaks volumes about her character.
Copyright: 2023 TAS Rights Management
Acoustic set
My heart exploded with joy when she sang ‘Our Song’ in the acoustic set. This was the song that made me fall in love with Taylor’s music back in 2006. As someone who has followed her since the very beginning, I was a little bummed that she didn’t give this Era the shine it deserves. Understandably, it’s hard to please every fan in a 3-hour concert when you have 17 years of music under your belt.
I also think ‘Sparks Fly’ should have been included in the Speak Now Era setlist. In my opinion, that’s one the best songs of her career. Can you believe that she wrote that at 16? The intro on her Speak Now Tour with the buildup when she appeared on stage was iconic. 😭😭😭
On the upside, I’m glad ‘Cruel Summer’ finally got its moment. When I first listened to it when Lover was released, I found myself wondering why it wasn’t released as the first or the second single. But given her announcement of her political views for the first time in 2019, coinciding with the release of her documentary Miss Americana, it makes sense that she chose ‘You Need To Calm Down’ as the third single. I was also slightly disappointed when I found out that ‘Maroon’ didn’t make the cut to the Midnights setlist…
But, given the massive success of her two indie-folk pandemic albums and how it captivated a new fanbase, it’s understandable that the setlists of Evermore and Folkmore were longer.
Midnights is an album that has definitely grown on me. I didn’t love it when it first came out, but rather, after a many listens. I was surprised to see how much I enjoyed singing it, like ‘Karma’ and ‘Bejeweled’.
I realized that I was starting to get a little bit tired halfway through the concert. I can only imagine the people who attended the actual concert! When Taylor Swift did her Nashville show in the pouring rain, some people said that it took them three days to recover from exhaustion.
The day after, when I listened to Taylor’s songs, I kept thinking: “OMG, the concert last night was so good,” before realizing seconds after that it was actually just a movie I had watched. It genuinely felt like I had gone to a concert.
The Eras Tour film was also shortened for the sake of the viewer, like the 8-minute standing ovation after ‘Champagne Problems’. There were also a few songs that performed live that didn’t make the cut, like ‘Archer’ (from Lover), ‘Long Live’ (from Speak Now) and ‘No Body, No Crime’ (from Evermore). The latter is my favorite song off Evermore, and I love how well Taylor and the sister trio Haim harmonize together when they sing it.
So… after this experience, would I still pay $800 for nosebleed seats? It’s highly unlikely. Although nothing will compare to the live experience of being among thousands of Swifties with creative outfits, exchanging friendship bracelets and being part of the audience, I’m glad this movie gave us a peek behind the curtain of experiencing the Eras Tour.
I loved watching the concert on the big screen from the comfort of my seat, singing my heart out with Swifties. This was a more intimate experience and I felt a deeper connection with Taylor, rather than being at a massive arena and relying on a Jumbotron screen to see close-up shots of her. I also loved not having to walk miles to my car after the movie ended.
The day after watching the movie, I found myself going through some of the endless Youtube vlogs of people’s experiences going to The Eras Tour and reliving some of the songs. You know a show was good when you go back to relive it.
I also read online about people experiencing post-concert disorder. You plan out going to a concert for months, you have a great time, the adrenaline is at its full swing and then boom, in what feels like the blink of an eye, you go back to reality.
Moments before Taylor emerged on the platform to sing the opening song, ‘Miss Americana’, I looked back at the audience to see their reaction. There was a little girl squirming in her seat from excitement to see her. Everyone had a smile on their faces watching her. I remember telling my mom about Taylor when she was still singing pop country. She didn’t seem particularly excited about her and we never really bonded over that. Cut to more than a decade later, I told her that I saw the movie and she said joyfully, “Oh, I love Taylor!!! She’s so pretty and so down-to-earth. I remember you had her albums back home. I’m actually watching the movie tonight. Love her.”
Taylor Swift is massively successful in the Philippines. The last time she went there was on the Red Tour, but that didn’t stop Swifties from enjoying live concerts with Taylor Sheesh – a Filipino drag queen Taylor impersonator that has gone viral. Every time Taylor Sheesh makes an appearance, the public is overcome with joy, singing to the original Taylor lyrics.
After several years of retreat into her private persona and all the commotion since the Eras Tour started in March, Taylor is being photographed again living her best life. It’s no doubt that 2023 is Taylor’s year. I’m fascinated by how good of a businesswoman she is and how she’s carefully crafted her brand from the beginning of her career. But I’ll reserve this for another post!
People’s reaction to Taylor Swift reminds me of Santa Claus. It seems everywhere she goes, she brings joy and happiness. How could you not love her?
Overall, watching The Eras Tour movie was the best experience I’ve had in a movie theater. Everyone was having a blast. The visuals, the songs, the atmosphere, the cinematography, the nostalgia… The film did a remarkable job immersing us into what has now become a worldwide phenomenon — and I loved being a part of it!
If you’re not a Swiftie, but you’re curious to see if all this Taylormania commotion is worth the hype, this movie might convert you!
The two videos below are in the Philippines.
In August 2024, I travelled to Nashville for the first time! Read “A Guide to Nashville, TN (Taylor’s Version)” here.
