Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
After tonight, when you hear these songs out and about in the world, my dream is that you're gonna think about tonight and the memories we made here together...
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In last week’s newsletter, I expressed my excitement that the SAG-AFTRA strikes might soon be coming to an end, and I would go back to covering studio films. Unfortunately, the AMPTP walked out of negotiations, and the strikes continued. Luckily, this week’s film was distributed by AMC Theatres and is unaffected by the strikes as I’m writing about the biggest movie of the moment and the highest-grossing concert film of all time, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. I went to the Eras Tour in May at MetLife Stadium for the first show, where she performed “Getaway Car” as one of the surprise songs, premiered the “Karma” music video, and invited Ice Spice out on stage to perform the “Karma” remix. Going to see the film in theaters was like reliving the experience all over again.
Sadly, some of the best songs were cut from the film since the concert was a three-and-a-half-hour set, including “Long Live.” I still enjoyed the others from my comfortable movie seat as everyone in the theater screamed the lyrics back at Taylor. I’ve never had a movie experience quite like that, so this week, I’m through my favorite song in the film from each era.
Lover-Cruel Summer
This was the easiest choice of all the eras. "Cruel Summer" is track two on Taylor's seventh album, Lover, and it's the era she decided to open the tour with. Though she never confirmed how she chose the order of the eras, it seems most likely she started with Lover since her original Lover tour was canceled due to the pandemic. One thing Taylor Swift has a history of doing is never releasing her best songs as lead singles off her albums. Artists who do this typically leave their fans underwhelmed when the full album is released. Taylor's always put out the most fun pop radio hits first. While fans weren't thrilled with "ME!" or "You Need To Calm Down" when they hit play on Lover, they were mesmerized by songs like "Cruel Summer," "Cornelia Street," and "Death By A Thousand Cuts."
However, "Cruel Summer" was an immediate fan favorite, and it finally got its moment when Taylor sang it as the first full song on the Eras Tour setlist. With lyrics like "Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes what doesn't kill me makes me want you more" and "Cut the headlights, summer's a knife I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone," it's undeniable that it's one of the best songs on Lover. However, the best part of hearing "Cruel Summer" live and then singing along again in the theater was screaming the lyrics to the bridge. As Taylor sang in her opening number, "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince," it certainly had been a long time coming.
Fearless-Fearless
For me, the most nostalgic era is the Fearless era. Though I became a fan of Taylor during her first album, which was self-titled, I have the most memories of Fearless because it was when she really started to rise in Hollywood. What I remember most about being a fan of Taylor during this time was that all the other songs on the radio were about partying and drinking. I’m sure this was a blast for anyone old enough to go to a club in 2008, but I was still a child, and what I wanted was someone singing about things I could understand. Taylor’s first album was full of songs about not fitting in at school and dreaming about finding a place where she might someday belong. While Fearless was more mature than her first album, she carried this essence into her second era.
“You pull me in, and I’m a little more brave, it’s the first kiss, it’s flawless, really something, it’s Fearless,”-Taylor Swift, “Fearless
Taylor has evolved a lot throughout her career, but one of the best things about the Eras Tour is her dedication to recreating these iconic moments that I remember all too well. For Fearless, she skipped out on stage in a sparkly fringe dress, boots, and holding her infamous sparkly guitar. Taylor twirled around and held up her hands in the shape of a heart like she was 18 again, despite the fact that she’ll be turning 34 on December 13th. “Fearless” was always my favorite track on the Fearless album, and getting to hear it live, followed by singing along to it in a theater full of swifties, brought me right back to the days I would listen to the album in my dad’s car or listen to the songs on my iPod on the bus ride home from school.
evermore-champagne problems
The next era Taylor transformed into was evermore, the folklore sister album that was released in December 2020. There was no way back then to know when it would be safe to go to a concert again, especially a Taylor Swift concert, knowing she plays for 70,000 people a night. "champagne problems," though a slow ballad, was the most fun song of the evermore set list, and fans brought the same enthusiasm to the movie theaters as they did to the stadium. Taylor even admitted she was most excited to play the evermore track because she couldn't wait to hear us all screaming the lyrics to the bridge back to her.
"One for the money, two for the show. I never was ready, so I watch you go. Sometimes you just don't know the answer 'Til someone's on their knees and asks you, "She would've made such a lovely bride what a shame she's f•cked in the head," they said…"-Taylor Swift, “champagne problems,” bridge.
reputation-Don’t Blame Me/Look What You Made Me Do
Other than Taylor's debut era, reputation always felt like the most underrated, but to me, it's always been such a special era that I have fond memories of. Taylor Swift has been on top of the world almost every time she's released an album, but with reputation, she had fallen from the pedestal, her public image was a mess, and somehow, she ended up being blamed for everything that went wrong in the world. People had gone as far as to say she didn't deserve to be on the cover of Time Magazine's 2017 "The Silence Breakers" cover because her sexual assault case was significant enough.
This all began because Taylor was at the height of her career during her 1989 era until Kim Kardashian and Kanye West manipulated clips of a phone call she didn't know was being recorded to make it look like she agreed to the lyrics of Kanye's song which she publicly said she didn't agree too. It wasn't until 2020 that Kimye was exposed for lying when the full phone call leaked. Needless to say, Taylor wasn't everyone's favorite celebrity anymore, but after years of watching Kanye harass and belittle her, I was on Taylor's side the whole time.
“For you, I would cross the line. I would waste my time. I would lose my mind.
They say, "She's gone too far this time"-Taylor Swift, “Don’t Blame Me.”
Now that Taylor's back on top of the world, the public has finally begun to appreciate the reputation album, and I was surprised to see how excited people in the theater were when they realized it was time for the snake-filled reputation set. There are so many great songs on the reputation album, but the best part of the set was when Taylor performed "Don't Blame Me" and then transitioned into "Look What You Made Me Do." Fans who hadn't seen any tour spoilers online were mind-blown by the transition. It was genius and just goes to show how great Taylor is at her craft. The upcoming reputation (Taylor's Version) is bound to be a massive hit.
Speak Now-Enchanted
One of the biggest disappointments of the Eras Tour was that Taylor only included one song from Speak Now for the Speak Now set. She chose "Enchanted," likely because of its popularity on TikTok. She later added "Long Live" when she released Speak Now (Taylor's Version), but as I mentioned before, this was cut from Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. If it were up to me, I would have included "The Story of Us" and "Mean" in the setlist along with "Enchanted" and "Long Live." However, I guess we should all be grateful she included the era at all, which isn't the case for the Debut era.
Luckily, "Enchanted" is a beautiful song Taylor wrote about meeting a guy in New York City and then wishing later on that she'd made it more obvious that she liked him. My favorite part has always been the bridge where she begs, "Please don't be in love with someone else. Please don't have somebody waiting on you." She leaves out the high note that comes after these lyrics in the live Eras Tour version, but if I had to sing on stage for three and a half hours, I probably would, too. The swifties in my movie theater were excited to see Taylor grace the stage in her big, purple ballgown and belt the lyrics to "Enchanted," so I guess that's all that matters.
Red-All Too Well 10-Minute Version
I can't think of any other artist who could fit a ten-minute song on their set list and have everyone passionately singing along instead of wishing the song was over already. Like choosing "Cruel Summer," choosing my favorite song from the Red set was a no-brainer. "All Too Well" was an instant hit when the original Red was released, and when Taylor accidentally revealed the song was initially 10 minutes long, Swifites spent the next decade harassing her to release the longer version.
Finally, she put the song out into the world in 2021 when she released Red (Taylor's Version,) and it was exhilarating to hear it live. In my movie theater, the Red era was the moment a large group of people stood up and made their way to the front of the theater to dance along. I went up for "22" and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" before returning to my seat. Though, I enjoyed watching everyone sing and dance for the remainder of the movie. While "All Too Well" isn't the most upbeat song off Red, it's the most passionate and widely loved, which made it so much fun to experience with other swifties.
folklore-my tears ricochet
The folklore album was a game-changing era. After years of solidifying herself as a pop star, Taylor returned to her roots as a singer-songwriter, proving to the world that, yes, she's still got it. While "cardigan" was cut from Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, the other two songs in her fictional love triangle, "betty" and "august," were included. These were fun to watch, but I chose "my tears ricochet" because it's the one with the strongest message. I know Taylor wanted it on the tour setlist and in the film for a reason, and I completely understand.
The song is very metaphorical because without digging into the lyrics, it sounds like it's about a funeral from the perspective of the woman who died watching her abusive husband mourn her. However, lyrics like "when you can't sleep at night, you hear my stolen lullabies" reveal the song is a metaphor for the greatest loss in Taylor's life, the loss of her music. In 2019, Taylor's entire catalog fell into the hands of Scooter Braun after the founder of her former record label, Big Machine Records, sold the label.
Taylor was devastated and went on her rerecording journey so she could own all the songs she's ever released, from the ones she wrote on her bedroom floor to the ones she woke up in the middle of the night to record into her iPhone. Seeing the pain in Taylor's eyes live and on the big screen is a reminder that "my tears ricochet" had to be on the set list because the Eras Tour, no matter how fun it's been, is a direct result of Taylor losing her life's work.
1989-Style
Before Midnights and before the Eras Tour, I thought 1989 was Taylor’s career peak, and from things she’s said in the past, I think she thought this too. The album will soon be rereleased on October 27th, but for now, the closest thing we have to reliving the album is watching it on the big screen. I chose “Style” as my favorite because it’s the song she opens the set with, and it’s a true pop masterpiece.
With 1989, Taylor officially left country music behind and made a name for herself as the biggest pop star of the moment. The catchy pop hit proved just how much Taylor fit into the pop scene, and getting to see her strut down the runway of her stage with a crowd of swifties screaming, “you’ve got that James Dean daydream look in your eyes,” back at her made me even more excited to hear Taylor's version of the song.
Debut Era/Surprise Song Set-Our Song
Taylor goes back to her roots again during the acoustic set. Each night, she plays two surprise songs, one on the guitar and the other on the piano. As I mentioned before, my first surprise song was "Getaway Car," but after that, Taylor played a piano rendition of "Maroon" from her Midnights album. Luckily, for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Taylor used footage from the LA show where she performed "Our Song" as one of the surprise songs. Like the Fearless era, there's so much nostalgia here.
While a lot of Taylor's current fan base joined years after her first album came out (some fans weren't even born yet!), the power of streaming has allowed anyone to hear any song they want at any moment they want to hear it, meaning Taylor's first album is easily accessible for anyone who wasn't a swiftie in 2006. No matter when anyone joined the fan base, the theater was excited to take things back to 2006 and sing along to "Our Song," which Taylor says in the film is for the fans who have been with her since she was a teenager.
Midnights-Mastermind
This one was tough because part of me wanted to go with "Vigilante Sh*t." The iconic choreography proved after all these years that Taylor Swift actually can dance if she really puts her mind to it. However, since Midnights came out last October, I've always loved "Mastermind." I was excited Taylor included it in the Eras Tour and left it in for the movie, where I could really see the impressive stage design up close. The best part of the song for me is the bridge, where she sings, "No one wanted to play with me as a little kid, so I've been scheming like a criminal ever since to make them love me and make it feel effortless."
I watched a spiritual interpretation on the Eras Tour from Leeor Alexandra, and she mentioned a different perspective on "Mastermind" that I hadn't seen before. While "Mastermind" sounds like a song about Taylor convincing a lover to fall in love with her by scheming and, well, masterminding him, Leeor has a different understanding. In Miss Americana, Taylor opened up about her desire to be loved and how, her whole life, she's done her best to be a good person in order to make other people love and adore her.
Leeor believes Taylor isn't just confessing to masterminding her lover but is confessing that everything she's done in her entire career has been to make the world love her since, as a child, she never felt accepted by her peers. Ever since I watched Leeor's video, I've thought differently about the song, and it only made me admire it more, which is why I chose it as my favorite from the Midnights set.
Tour movies perform very well in theaters; that was especially clear throughout the 2000s when everyone from Hannah Montana to Micahel Jackson released on (fun fact: Michael’s is technically considered a documentary, not a tour film, and remains the highest-grossing documentary of all time!) However, even as other artists inevitably follow in Taylor’s footsteps by transforming their tours into movies for the big screen, it’s unlikely anyone will come close to creating what Taylor accomplished with Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.