Some of you may recall that last summer I spent the better part of a morning and afternoon waiting outside in the beating sun hoping to score some Taylor Swift merch.
Truth is, I’d have loved to go to the show that night, but with both me and my husband being unemployed, it was…not feasible. The tickets were outrageously expensive — I even waited until AFTER the show started and tried to pick some up on StubHub and they were still $500 each (I lived only 20 minutes away via light rail).
I’m not like a gigantic Swiftie or anything. I’m not even sure that I could actually name the Eras™ even if there were a monetary prize involved. I do like her music, though! And I had so much fun waiting in line I really would have gone to the show if it was reasonable.
Anyway, I’ve been meaning to sit down and watch the concert movie, because it’s only $20 and I don’t have to miss anything if I need to go pee. So, I plopped down in front of the TV and watched 3 hours of Taylor Swift.
Here’s all the thoughts I had watching The Eras Tour Movie.
Lover
We’re less than 4 minutes in and I’ve seen my first fan crying in the audience, and now I’M crying. I am not particularly surprised, to be fair, because I will cry at almost anything — once I cried at a local news story because a cat fell out of a tree (it was fine) — but here we are.
Watching “The Man” I can imagine why some particularly “alpha” gentlemen are not a fan of Taylor.
Once we hit “Lover” itself, I’m starting to realize I actually know more Taylor Swift songs than I thought I did (or is it just the Lover era?? We shall see.).
Oh look at her different colored nails!! CUTE.
Fearless
When she’s singing “You Belong With Me” and the guitar on the LED floor turns gold, it looks like a matzah cracker.
I’m loving the middle aged band. You can’t blame her, these guys are obviously at the top of their game. Hell yeah!
Plus, they’re having the time of their lives up there. This guitar player is singing along to “Love Story” and having so much fucking fun.
Evermore
Okay this is definitely an album I never listened to, but holy SHIT these costumes.
Are these golden orbs the dancers have connected to the floor somehow? Like, it kind of seems like they are. I’m not sure you could choreograph lighting this well. And also some of the little loopty-loos aren’t perfect.
I need that fucking cape.
MOSS COVERED PIANO YES. She’s just playing the piano now, and sorry but THE RAW TALENT. I cannot deal. It’s disgusting!!
Now they’ve got a table out and this poor girl has to set up her own props. She’s a billionaire, can’t someone else do this? Oh, she’s knocking them down now. Okay.
Excuse me?! This dramatic dancer man across the table! He does not like her! He has had enough! How dare anyone deny Taylor on her OWN TOUR? No sir.
Reputation
WHAT IS THIS SNAKE I AM AFRAID oh I think this is just something they added in the movie.
Damn even the MIC has a snake! Loving this outfit.
Okay the stomping with the cracks is pretty rad. I think there are triggers on the LED floor she’s stepping on (I can kind of see them after I rewound it 3x).
“Look What You Made Me Do” is SO COOL.
I thought the people in the glass were part of the LED wall, but they like “raise” some of them up by actually raising pieces of the LED wall and pulling them back while making it LOOK like they’re going up on the screen. This is so wild! I can’t tell what’s actually happening up there.
Are the people in the glass cases wearing outfits that Taylor has worn for music videos or concerts before? I am asking because I actually do not know.
Pretty sweet how she went under the stage while the people she walked with kept moving!! Adds to the mystique.
Speak Now
HELLO purple sparkly jellyfish dress!!
Once again I’m amazed at how they’ve got her little mic/monitor pack hidden on the back of the outfit.
I think I’m noticing that her multicolored nails are meant to match each one of her dresses/outfits? Is that what all the different colors are for, so she has matching nail(s) throughout? Again, I do not know the answer to this.
Red
They definitely added these red balloons for the movie, too.
Heh, her shirt says “A lot going on at the moment.” Me too, Taylor. Me too.
Taylor Swift makes music for the girlies!!
Okay I’m starting to recognize some of the dancers now. It took me way too long.
OMG there is a dad in the audience that has very clearly brought his daughters to this and knows all the words to “22”. Thrilling.
Do her loafers have MOONS on them?? Are they old English T’s? I mean, that does make more sense, but moons would’ve been cool too. LOL I think they’re actually Louboutin logos. I have, uh, never seen a Louboutin in person in my life, so that explains me being completely unfamiliar. Haha.
I am "I Knew You Were Trouble" with added goat scream years old.
Oh my god these three girls in the audience — one of them brought her own fake mic to sing in to and she’s going ham. I LOVE SEEING WOMEN HAVING FUN!! Maybe this is part of what makes the whole thing emotional? Like, this is very clearly for the ladies to go and have a good time.
Oooh now it’s time for the 10 minute “All Too Well” — I haven’t listened to this!
When she says “leaves” there’s like real leaves floating around!
WELP I’m crying again. This song is just too fucking good. I mean, obviously, she’s poetic, she’s a songwriter. But I’m not sure if anything quite compares to this one.
And then “real” snow and snow on the LEDs comes on when she says “snow” — Fantastic.
All songs should be 10 minutes long.
Folklore
Uh oh, this entrance is clearly designed to give me vertigo.
More moss!!
Glad to confirm that they had her strapped in on top of that big mossy house set. I was thinking, “she’s gotta have a belt or something on, right?” And she did. Phew.
She mentions she wrote this album while pretending to be a Victorian lady with a candlestick. Is this like…Sgt Pepper’s?
Man what a gorgeous guitar. I love the pick guard!!
“Betty” is very cute and I like it a lot.
They’re doing a close up on Taylor now, and I’m not sure she has a single pore. Unfair.
I’m now obsessed with the transition from 3rd to 1st person in “The Last Great American Dynasty.”
ILLUMINATIS ARE COMING Taylor watch out!! Oh I think they’re supposed to be mourners or something. My bad.
1989
Love that they took these dancers down in the front stage and let them do their costume change there.
Oh no. She’s back at odds with the gentleman from the table again! Oh never mind they made up.
The boxes are back for “Blank Space”!! But they’re like…not-Taylors? Are they Taylor? They’re Taylor.
The bikes are definitely leaving lines on the floor. Like, from their tires or something.
Very cool how they are like pretend beating up this LED car. How does this work? I can’t figure it out.
Can you see the LEDs on the top of SoFi Stadium from the inside?
Acoustic Set
She’s changed costumes again, this time to the one that I know for sure dives under the stage. Can’t wait to rewind that 50x.
Oh I see, it’s just a wrap dress that’s over the other costume.
This flowered piano isn’t just paint! It’s like fabric or paint or something too?? (Oh, apparently this changed at the LA show!) It’s incredibly beautiful. Also the gold mic is so pretty, maybe she should just use that one the whole time.
HERE’S SHE GOES SHE’S IN THE STAGE YAHOO!!
Midnights
OKAY. I have watched the transition with the clouds twice now so I have a slightly better feel for what’s going on. It’s wild because it does look like she’s gone all the way to the other side of the stage, but it looks like it’s all LEDs and video.
I wonder if this big comfy t-shirt dress goes over the top of her other outfit.
Okay “Anti-Hero” is just a fun song.
Check out this lady Godzilla on the screen! “Monster on a hill,” you know. I wonder if these are dancers in the videos or actors hired separately.
Oh shit, that’s Taylor. Never mind. Hahahah.
We have hit an album I know absolutely no songs from.
I am enjoying the umbrella dancing, and my god the dancers in this show are so incredibly talented it’s ridiculous. They manage to perfectly toe the line between being interesting and fun to watch but not distracting from Taylor and also never making a fucking mistake (at least not one I can see).
COSTUME CHANGE. She did have something under that t-shirt dress!! Where is the dress?! Is it under one of these guys suits or did they dump it under the stage??
Now after I watched this TikTok I think one of the guys that left must’ve carried it off.
Lot of songs I don’t know at all here. 🤷🏼♀️
Her hair is a disaster and I’m feeling very seen. I can get the best blowout of all time and if I sweat AT ALL it turns into a half curly disaster.
Wow, she’s saying there’s only one more song. That was fast.
OKAY HELLO “KARMA” HERE’S ONE I KNOW!!
HAHAH she petted a dancer who was pretending to be a cat??
The curtain call has arrived!!!
Were the fireworks part of the video or did they really shoot those off outside of SoFi?
Extra Performances
Okay so I guess these are some of the “surprise songs” I’ve heard about. (Well, the ones in LA, I guess.)
Did I miss the blue koi guitar earlier?? I’m obsessed with this one! Gorgeous.
WOW. I’d never heard “Long Live” before but I love it now. Perfect time to get one more cry in before the credits roll.
In conclusion: This was incredible, I wish it had been affordable for me to see in person, and I will probably be listening to more of Taylor’s music.
Anyone actually go to this thing live? Did you watch the movie? Did you love it?
K