Didn’t make the Ticketmaster rush for the Eras Tour? Don’t worry — for $19.89 (or $22.53 at the Cranford Theater), you can secure a seat at your local theater and see the final leg of Taylor Swift’s U.S. tour at SoFi stadium, complete with the atmosphere of a real concert. Bring your friendship bracelets and get ready for a two-hour-and-forty-nine minute long journey through Swift’s discography, spanning seventeen years of music. (Yes, there’s surprise songs during the acoustic set.)
Through sixteen outfit changes and stage props that pertain to each era, the concert is not just an auditory experience, but a visual one too. Each one of her eras swiftly (pun intended) flow into one another, every song one hit after another. Swift controversially cut “cardigan,” “The Archer,” “Wildest Dreams,” “tis the damn season,” “seven” (interlude) and banished “Long Live” to the credits, but we honestly didn’t miss them due to our excitement.
If you can tolerate the abundance of thirteen-year-old girls screaming, “We love you Taylor!” and “Mother is mothering!” after nearly every single song, you’ll be just fine. We were too focused on her performance, harmonizing with her, and making up our own ad-libs to really care.
Swift kicked off the performance with songs from Lover, which is my favorite album of hers. Sophia was waiting for reputation and folklore, but we still chanted the bridge of “Cruel Summer” and serenaded the theater with “Lover.”
The energy in the theater during “22” and “Shake it Off” was unmatched; most of the kids there, obviously, knew the words by heart, as did we.
I was ecstatic when reputation flashed across the screen, signaling the start of the next era. It’s not Abby’s favorite album, but it’s undeniable that the transition from “Don’t Blame Me” into “Look What You Made Me Do” was magical, with the beams of light from the stage shining like beacons in the sky.
Unlike Sophia, I’m not a huge evermore listener, but seeing “willow” live was incredible. Everything from the lanterns to the pine trees engulfed in a misty haze gives it a rather Twilight-esque autumn feel, as she floats across the stage in a lush green cloak. I also adored the mossy piano she played for “champagne problems.”
We are both, however, huge proponents of evermore’s sister album, folklore, and screamed our hearts out to “illicit affairs” like we’d been estranged from our imaginary lovers. We also acted like Jake Gyllenhaal had mortally wounded us during the ten-minute rendition of “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version).” If there’s something Abby and I can agree on, it’s performing Swift’s songs as if we can relate to them in any capacity.
Whether you’re a long time fan or being forced to go by a Swiftie in your life, the Eras Tour film is nothing short of an entertaining and lively experience that everyone can enjoy given the forty-song long setlist.