The lights slowly dim on a crowded theater, leaving viewers in an anticipating silence. Suddenly, a clock counting down from the number 13 appears on the screen. It reaches zero and viewers are whisked away to Los Angeles, California where they are greeted by a full SoFi stadium, a roaring crowd and the woman everyone is there to see: Taylor Swift.
Following the run of her record breaking Eras Tour, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, a professionally recorded movie version of her concert to premiere in theaters across the nation.
This came as a surprise and delight to fans who were not able to attend and those looking to relive their experience at the concert. But now, the question is: did the movie live up to expectations? My answer is yes.
The movie showcases all 10 of her albums, also referred to as her eras. On tour, there is a set for nine of her albums, and two ‘surprise songs’. In order to include all 10 albums, one of the surprise songs included in the movie is from her self-titled debut album, which did not get its own set.
As someone who was very upset to see her debut album not get a full set on tour, I am very happy with the decision to include Our Song as one of the surprise songs in the film alongside You’re On Your Own, Kid from her most recent album Midnights.
Apart from her self-titled album, every single era got its own unique costumes and set pieces that look just as magical on screen as they do live.
The best and most memorable set piece was one from her 8th studio album, folklore. The folklore set included an entire house built out of wood that was covered with moss on the roof which Swift utilized throughout the era.
When you talk about Taylor Swift live, you have to talk about costume changes. In two hours and 48 minutes, Swift manages to pull off an amazing 16 costume changes all while singing through 17 years worth of music in 40 songs.
My personal favorite is the light purple ball gown she wears while she sings Enchanted from her third studio album, Speak Now.
The only dissatisfaction I have comes from the decision made to cut five songs from the movie that were featured in the live shows. These include The Archer, no body, no crime (featuring Haim), Long Live, Wildest Dreams and cardigan.
These were likely cut in order to shorten the runtime for the film, but it is still upsetting to see some of my favorite songs removed. Apart from this small disappointment, the film was amazing.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is more than just a simple concert film. The artistry in costume, set design, choreography, cinematography and music has simply not been topped by anything of this generation or even those past.
If you have not already, I highly recommend taking a few hours and a friend to spend an evening with Taylor Swift at Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
