‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ as an enthralling second-hand serenade
"Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" concert film is a kaleidoscopic montage showcasing Swift's evolution as a singer-songwriter. The film invited us into the sweeping, mesmerising time machine that travels each impassioned chapter from Swift's artistic discography, all while maintaining sonic cohesiveness. It was shot throughout the three nights she performed at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Directed by Sam Wrench, the film transported us to the LA SoFi stadium and immersed us in the cacophony of the huge crowd. Everyone in the audience was singing along and cheering so loudly, sometimes I couldn't tell where the roar of the crowd in the theatre ended and the roar of the crowd on-screen began. The customary request to turn off phones during a movie was withdrawn in favour of Swift's directive that singing and dancing be permitted during the showing.
"The Eras Tour" encompasses 17 years' worth of music across 10 studio albums, making the concert over three hours long. Costume change breaks and a few songs were eliminated to reduce the film's runtime to 2 hours and 45 minutes. There was no behind-the-scenes footage or interviews either.
The pop star kicked off the concert with songs from the Lover album and from the very first note, we were all on our feet, applauding. Even though we have all seen clips of the concerts on social media, watching it as a whole was electrifying. Swift might have built her musical career on love songs, yet her truest love seems to not be any of her much-discussed celebrity boyfriends but her fans. In her song "Lover" the dancers couple up to sway to its rhythm as Swift stands on her own and makes the vow to "always be this close, forever and ever" and "be overdramatic and true to my lover." She smiles as she sings it, pointing her fingers directly at us.
During "Love Story", everybody poured in front of the screen to dance gleefully and get swept away by the nostalgia, it effortlessly evoked. Songs from her album Evermore were more subdued, rendering us to take our seats and catch our breath before another emotionally charged era begins. The Reputation album's era was the strongest part of the film, with brilliant choreography and consecutive bangers. The Speak Now album transported listeners back to the jovial and whimsical year it was released. Even though she only sang one song from it, she gave a nod to a second song by wearing a gown shaped like a pastry.
We were simultaneously happy, free, and confused during the "Red" album's period of the film – screaming the lyrics to each song at the top of our lungs. "All Too Well" allowed for Taylor Swift's universally intimate storytelling to shine through. The unrestrained emotional trajectory built by that song was transcendental.
During the interval, my friend and I exchanged friendship bracelets and paper rings with other swifties in the hall. The way Swifties, who have never even met before, seamlessly connect and have inside jokes is a testament to the 'cult' of Taylor Swift. As this was a rather sudden first screening, most of us had only a little time to wear an outfit that matched the "Eras Tour" themes. However, many people wore merchandise and cardigans and even wrote 13 on their hands.
The "Illicit Affairs" bridge elicited the loudest cheers from the audience, as Taylor sank to her knees and growled out the lyrics. The sadness of the atmospheric folk ballads that followed gradually faded as the stage prepared to commemorate the 1989 album. The pop classics like "Blank Space" and "Shake it Off" had us buzzing with excitement and unabashedly dancing.
Swift performed an acoustic concert with two surprise songs at each tour stop. In the film, she sang "Our Song" on an acoustic guitar, giving the otherwise underappreciated debut album some attention. Subsequently, she performs "You're on Your Own, Kid" on the piano. As an adult, Taylor looked back with empathy at the anxious and ambitious teenage Taylor, who often had to face the music on her own.
Towards the end, we were exhausted from the hotchpotch of sensory overload. In contrast, Swift's energy never trailed off as she effortlessly made her way through the vast setlist. You wouldn't realise that more than two hours of uninterrupted singing and dancing had passed in between if it weren't for the minuscule indicators of exhaustion; like her mascara smearing ever so slightly and her hair becoming frizzier from sweat and dancing. She closes the film with synth-pop songs from the Midnights album.
It was astounding to witness Swift make each era stand out like mini-concerts of their own, complete with discerning emotions and melodies, throughout the film. The pitch-perfect camera work also portrayed tender and candid moments which in turn conveyed not only Swift's bond with her fans but also her relentless pursuit of making a concert one of the best experiences of our lives.