Following the U.S. leg of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, Swift announced a recorded version of the concert, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” set to release on Oct.13. With a run time of 2 hours and 49 minutes, the film boasts a total of 40 songs, in comparison to the 44 song setlist of the actual concert.
The Eras tour, which I attended back in April, has occupied my mind for the past six months. There was a combination of a straight adrenaline rush for three hours, and the comfort of being surrounded by 70,000 other people who were equally excited to be in the presence of Taylor. This, in addition to the fact that I had absolutely adored the “Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour” movie, made me all the more excited when word of the Eras tour film reached me. Now at first I was a bit skeptical because how could anything even begin to compare to the transformative experience that was the Eras Tour. However, after seeing a plethora of videos covering the “Swiftie experience,” including sing-alongs, dancing, and concert costumes, I was more inclined to attend, taking comfort in the fact that there was a collective effort by viewers to recreate the tour itself.
The viewing experience was slightly better than I was expecting. I anticipated that the theater would be mostly quiet, but instead people were dancing around and having a good time. I sat behind a group of elementary school girls who led the rest of the audience in breaking the initial awkwardness that comes with dancing and singing in a movie theater. About half the theater was bopping around having a good time, while others didn’t budge the entire three hour duration of the show. Most people wore their everyday clothes, except for a select few who wore Taylor Swift shirts and facial glitter. Concessions sold special Taylor Swift cups and popcorn buckets that were wildly overpriced, but there were also free Taylor Swift movie posters, so you could still take home a little souvenir even if you weren’t willing to pay.
In comparison to the actual Eras Tour, the movie did a fantastic job meeting expectations. As Taylor emerged from beneath the stage during the opening number “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince,” the same rush of anticipation and pure bliss that had overcome me during the actual concert hit me again, transporting me right back to my seat in NRG stadium. The Eras Tour itself was a rollercoaster of emotions, carrying me from a state of exhilaration as I chanted the bridge to “Cruel Summer” at the top of my lungs, to sinking to the shallow depths of grief during “My Tears Ricochet.” The concert movie mimicked this fluidity, and although it didn’t have quite as profound of an impact as experiencing it in person, it was enough to satisfy the hunger I had felt to relive the concert. During the actual concert we sat in limited view seats, so we had no view of the front of the stage, meaning we missed seeing the majority of the graphics that had been displayed as Taylor’s background. This included the lover house, and the “boxed Taylors” during “Look What You Made Me Do.” The concert film offered me a chance to re-experience the concert with the effects that my group had missed out on the first time. Furthermore, the recorded version allowed me to view Taylor and her backup dancers from a better and much closer perspective than we were able to see from the concert.
There were very few drawbacks of the movie, although, much to my surprise, I felt it dragged on a little too long. I adored the Eras tour, and the three hour run time felt almost too short when experiencing the concert in person; however, when watching the filmed version, I felt myself growing slightly bored by the end of the movie. Maybe it was because I had already seen the concert before, or maybe 3 hours is simply too long for me to sit in a movie theater, but it may have been more digestible had a few more songs been cut out.
This concert film provides Swifties, many of whom were not able to attend the Eras Tour due to a high demand for tickets, a chance to redeem themselves and share a part of the concert experience. The movie adds to the collective experience of being a Swiftie, which is part of what makes Taylor’s music so impactful. Whether you enjoy her earlier country days, or prefer the depth of Folklore and Evermore, the Eras tour has a little bit of everything, connecting fans from all stages of Taylor’s career. All in all, the film was an enchanting experience that will allow people to hold onto the memories of the Eras Tour for years to come.
