By Mary Ann Zyglocke

The Eras Tour in Denver, Colorado. Photo credit: Mary Ann Zyglocke.

As I walked into the theater, I was instantly transported back to that warm July night in Denver, Colorado, back to Empower Field at Mile High, filled with 70,000 other enthusiastic fans waiting to see their favorite artist perform live for the first time in over four years. 

Since March, Taylor Swift has been touring the United States and South America on The Eras Tour. In the next year, Swift will also be touring Asia, Australia, Europe, and Canada, and she will return to the United States in Miami, Florida on October 18, 2024. This tour was highly anticipated, since this is Swift’s first tour since her Reputation Tour in 2018. Fans were eager to see Swift perform live, since she has released four albums since her last tour.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie poster. Photo credit: instagram @taylorswift.

On October 13, Swift released Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in theaters. The film is nearly three hours long and consists of a concert film from Swift’s shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California on August 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9. It was estimated that the film has earned over $130 million at the box office so far. In the film, viewers can see a performance almost identical to what they would see at a real concert. The film is almost the same as the concert, but a few songs were cut from the film due to time constraints. Fans can still, however, see Swift’s most popular songs, such as “Shake It Off,” “You Belong with Me,” and “22,” along with some of her lesser-known songs, such as “Marjorie,” “Mastermind,” and “The 1.”

The film’s release was highly anticipated by fans, and many treated it as though it were an actual Eras Tour concert. In theaters around the country, fans were dressing up for the film and singing along to their favorite songs in the theater. Upper School biology teacher Caroline Riina, said, “[Upper School science teacher] Ms. [Rachael] Barker and I were truly enchanted by the Eras Tour movie, and we were singing along the entire time.” Many fans even made friendship bracelets, which was a highlight of the Eras Tour experience. Inspired by a lyric in Swift’s song “You’re on Your Own Kid,” fans made bracelets that featured different song lyrics and titles. When fans arrived at the concert, they would trade their bracelets with other fans. 

Friendship bracelets. Photo credit: Mary Ann Zyglocke.

The process of getting tickets to The Eras Tour was difficult, and many fans were unable to secure tickets to the concert. Additionally, most tickets were very expensive, reaching over $1,000 and up. Creating a concert film allowed fans who could not get tickets to see Swift’s performance. It also gave fans who saw Swift live the opportunity to relive their experience. Riina said, “I sat in the nose bleeds at the concert, so it was nice to actually see her and the dancers on stage.”

I saw the film on October 15, two days after its release, at Regal Westchester Commons. I went with four of my friends, my mom, my grandmother, and one of my friend’s godmother. When I saw the film, I was reminded of my experience seeing Swift live in Denver. This experience was truly unmatched, and I do not think I will ever go to another concert like it. 

The quality of the film was also something that I admired. The video for the film was taken from the stage, so there are amazing views of each performance. My seats at the concert were behind the stage, so seeing a full, up-close view of the stage and the performers was something that I appreciated. I was able to see all the details of the sets and the costumes. Anne Randall Berkeyheiser (’25) felt similarly: “I thought the cinematography was really good. It really felt like you were in the presence of Taylor.” One thing I found interesting was the different microphones Swift uses. She has a different microphone for each era; her microphone for the Reputation era, for example, looked like it had a red snake wrapped around it. I found all these small details captivating, because I did not notice them when I went to the concert. 

Snapshot from the film. Photo credit: Instagram @taylornation.

In addition to the film quality, the sound quality of the film was also amazing. As a viewer, it feels like you are at the concert and hearing Swift sing live right in front of you. Berkeyheiser said, “You could hear her very clearly; the sound was done really well.” I think this is an important detail, because fans go to watch the film to see their favorite artist sing their favorite songs. 

This film has received mixed reviews from journalists around the country. Time Magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek said, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is 2 hours and 48 minutes of an irresistibly shiny, shimmering Taylor Swift. She’s the lure skimming through the water; we’re the gawping trout, dazzled to the point of transcendence. All that for less than 20 bucks.” The New Yorker’s Richard Brody, however, reported, “To get to the passion and the power of Taylor Swift would require a much better movie; the one she deserves would show not just how she shakes it off but how she shakes it up.” Although reviewers did not all have the same opinions on the film, the majority were able to find an appreciation for what Swift has created. The New York Times’s Wesley Morris said, “I know. ‘Eras’ wasn’t made to be art.” He goes on to say, “It was made for posterity. Oh — and for the hundreds of people in the parking lot at every Eras show who could sort of hear Swift and had to make do with seeing only each other. The movie is for them. And they’re gonna’ gape their faces off.” 

Swift has taken her wildly successful Eras Tour and made it into a film so that more fans across the country can witness the magic.

Featured image courtesy of instagram @taylorswift.