In Nov. 2022, I, like many others, did not survive the Ticketmaster Great War and failed to purchase Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour tickets for one of the Pittsburgh, Pa. dates. I have been a fan of Swift since the early days of my childhood, and although I saw her during her Reputation Stadium Tour, it was a devastating loss. Thus, when Swift announced on Sept. 26 that the filmed version of the Eras tour would be arriving in theaters, I did not hesitate to buy tickets.
On Oct. 13, I and my friend, senior International Business major Meghan Murray, traveled to the AMC in Camphill, Pa. for a late-night showing. I wore my prized “Folklore” cardigan, and Murray dressed in the spirit of the “Red” era. Others were also dressed in theme, and it felt like Halloween had come early.
On Swift’s 10th studio album, “Midnights,” there is a song called “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” and Swift sings, “make the friendship bracelets.” This cute line, meant to represent appreciating the small moments in life, took the world by storm. Fans who attended the Eras Tour made bracelets upon bracelets to trade. So, for the film, it only felt natural to participate in the trend to match the real experience of the concert. During the show, I traded bracelets, and I proudly wear my “Fearless” one every day.
The show runs for two hours and forty-five minutes, and originally, the idea of sitting in a theater for that amount of time felt daunting. I remember watching the similarly timed “Avengers: Endgame” and how antsy I felt after that movie. I’m happy to say that wasn’t the case! As Swift takes viewers on a journey throughout her delightful musical career, it’s hard to not find yourself captivated by her talent and stage presence. By the time the show ended, I was actually disappointed that it didn’t last longer.
As I mentioned, I did not attend the Eras Tour, but I have seen enough TikToks to feel like I have. While I knew from my social media feeds that Swift cut songs, I was still disappointed when hits like “Wildest Dreams” and “Long Live” did not make the setlist. These two are widely popular songs, and I am perplexed about why these were chosen as the sacrificial lambs, especially since “Long alive” was featured in the trailer.
One of my favorite parts of the show is how engaging it is. At my theater, everyone stayed in their seats, but we danced and sang at a reasonable level. The energy around some songs, especially “You Belong With Me” and the 10 minute version of “All Too Well,” increased tenfold, but it was still a relaxed atmosphere. Members of the crowd, myself and Murray included, even did the iconic chants for the tour like Kendrick Lamar’s line during “Bad Blood,” “You forgive, you forget, but you never let it go.”
Although I will forever be disappointed that I didn’t get to physically attend the Eras Tour, this experience definitely helped make up for it. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is still showing in theaters, so if you have an extra couple hours to spare, I highly recommend grabbing a friend and going!
