I have been a fan of Taylor Swift since she released her debut album in 2008. But it wasn’t until the release of her second album, Fearless, did I really become a “Swiftie”, a term created to name her fanbase.
I remember the days when I was in my room, jamming out to “You Belong With Me” and asking my sister questions about why she’s getting a white dress in her song, “Love Story”. The older I got, the more I noticed the songs in her later albums would be more relevant to my life: “Enchanted” became the song I sang to myself when I had a new crush; “All Too Well” became an ode to my previous relationship, and “22” was the song I jammed out to when I turned 22.
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When I resided in Shanghai during my childhood and teen years, she came to promote Red and 1989. I made it a goal to see her on tour, but sadly, I never was able to as tickets sold out exceedingly fast.
I am now 23 years old. Even when she announced her Eras Tour, a tour where she would perform selected songs from all 10 of her albums, it was impossible to grab a ticket due to scalpers and bots quickly buying up tickets and selling them for crazy high prices. Eventually, I gave up, thinking that I should just wait until her next tour and try again.
A few months ago back in September, I found a trailer on Facebook, advertising for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. But it wasn’t to advertise the tour itself; it was a concert film for that tour itself. All of me yelled internally in excitement, realising that I could now experience the tour that I’ve wanted to attend but never could.
As quickly as I could, I reached out to all my friends and my partner to see if they wanted to go with me. Two of my friends said yes, and my partner, who wasn’t a big fan of Taylor Swift, also said yes.
When the day of watching the movie came, I was actually nervous, as if I was going to her actual tour. I gathered my two friends and my partner, and danced our ways into the cinema, knowing it was going to be a great experience out of it.
And what an experience it was. The entire concert film, which runs for two hours and 45 minutes, was truly an experience. Giving me a true front-row view of the concert, I was able to witness all the small details that made the film enjoyable.
I caught myself singing to all of the songs played, jamming in my seat, throwing my hands up in the air with excitement, but most of all, crying with nostalgia when songs like “Fearless”, “Love Story”, and “You Belong With Me” came on, bringing me back to my childhood days of singing those songs in my bedroom. I really did feel like I was at the concert, even though I was just sitting in the cinema.
The costumes that Swift wears to differentiate the different “eras” were well done. I could tell how much each designer she consulted with (which ranged from Atelier Versace, Oscar de la Renta, Etro and Elie Saab) made sure to fully embody the era that they were designing for.
I also appreciated the different designs on the microphones too, and how they correlated with each era. But most of all, I loved the set designs, from the Folklore cabin, to her diving into the stage as it transitions to the Midnights era, to her somewhat replicating the “Look What You Made Me Do” music video by having her backup dancers dress in popular outfits of hers.
So, if you’re a Swiftie like me, and you weren’t able to get tickets, don’t fret, as you can now experience the tour like no other at the concert film in the cinemas. I’m so glad to have experienced this, and I’m sure you will too, whether you’re a fan or not.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is currently playing in Singapore theatres.
