Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

I am hardly what I would consider to be in the "Taylor Swift" demographic. A man past 70. But a female friend of mine liked it, and I like music so I went to see it tonight.

This is called the "Eras Tour" because the 3 hour show is divided into the various eras of her songwriting, with different stage sets and dress for each "era".

I read a few weeks ago, in the WSJ of all places, a bit about her tour - requiring 50 semis to carry all of the stage equipment from city to city. I was thinking just of the logistics and of all the people "behind the scenes" who put all of this together.

When you see the show, you wonder how they could do all of this in 50 trucks.

This was filmed at the last stop of her tour, the Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.

It was sold out.

The visuals are spectacular, the costumes, sets, and of course her music.

And you are right on stage with her.

It isn't simply a recording of the show with 2 or 3 cameras angles but a very well thought out production and with a mystery to me, not an external camera in sight as you see various angles of the massive stage.

Very well done in all respects.

The theater I went to encouraged the audience to dance and sing along, which was unique for me since this was the first time I didn't have to sit silently in the movie theater.

Overall, The Eras Tour concert film is an enjoyable and entertaining experience for any music fan, but it will especially be a blast for Taylor Swift's fans. It is a well-made film that captures the essence and excitement of Swift's live shows. The film has good camera work, editing, and sound design that make the viewer feel like they are part of the concert.

However, at the end of the day, this is targeted at Swift's fans, so I think you have to be familiar with Taylor's catalogs to some degree to fully enjoy this. I noticed some viewers who seemingly just tagged along with their loved ones/friends losing enthusiasm and interest after a while since the film runs for almost three hours.

I'd never really paid attention to Taylor Swift until I saw a documentary about the album she recorded during the pandemic. Her thoughtfulness and talent were a revelation.

And then ... I watched this! Just an amazing display of talent by everyone involved. The stage production had, for me, the same feeling as evoked by those amazing opening night spectacles they always put on at the Olympics.

I utterly enjoyed the whole film and never felt impatient for the entire 3 hours (in itself an accomplishment!) The music everyone else seems to have memorized was mostly brand-new to me, and thoroughly enjoyable. What a musician and lyricist!

In short: Taylor Swift blew me away.

I didn't know what to expect as I am an older guy out on a date with my wife. We first noted that every girl was dressed up and was just so happy. When the film started, there was an excitement I've never experienced. Everyone was so happy. The film started and we soon realized this would be different than anything we've experienced. As soon as the music started, every girl in the theater started to sing. And, I mean sing loud. We looked at each other and wondered if it was just the first song. Nope. It wasn't the first song as it would be every single song after that. I've never experienced anything like this in a theater. It was so much fun and highly recommended.

Not only were Swift's tickets expensive as hell (700+ for a VIP. What?) but I would have had to travel to a different city and stay the night in a hotel to see the concert.

Not worth it.

So I was really pleased when Swift announced a movie of her 3 hour long concert for theaters.

And boy was this amazing.

The sets, the costumes, the lighting, the props and the videos were absolutely sublime and gorgeous to look at. The dancers and the backup singers gave it their all in their choreography and singing.

And then there's Taylor herself.

Her goofy, lovable personality was on full display, as well as her prowess and blooming confidence as she strutted the stage in hella sparkly costumes crooning out all of her best hits from all her albums.

Had I been there, no doubt my bank account would have been empty and I would have ended up being squeezed with a bunch of Swifties, barely catching a glimpse of the songstress. Instead, the camera focuses lovingly on Taylor from all angles throughout the show. And no extra charge for a pair of glasses. Plus I giggled as the ardent Swifties in the cinema got up from their seats to dance and form circles in front of their beloved.

Great choice to film and to share it in the cinema. :)