The movie theaters were taken over by something completely new this weekend. It can probably be most compared to when the Barbie movie was in theaters over the Summer, and this was due to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie(?) releasing. Just like for Barbie, crowds of people, especially girls/women, flocked to the theater, but it was not enough just to come and see it, but they also needed to dress nicely as well. Personally, I think it is awesome! Not quite as great as when I went and saw The Nun II, and there was a guy dressed up exactly like the Nun, but it is close. It is so cool to make movies all around events, and it should be something that happens more often. Regal even had a station, where people could make bracelets in the lobby. For those who are not familiar with the Eras tour, it was a big thing to make these homemade beaded bracelets and go and trade them with others that are also attending the show, which is pretty cool. Also great to see the theater fully delve into that. It makes me wonder how many people took advantage of it and traded with strangers.
I only have two gripes with this recorded concert at the theaters. The first one is the main one. I have the Regal movie pass, so I can go see as many movies as I want for $22, but they did not allow me to use this on the show. So I had to pay $21 for a regular ticket to go and see this, not even a discount! So I basically paid my movie subscription twice this month, and lets be real, it is not like Taylor needs my extra $20, she literally sold out all the football stadiums she graced with her presence. The other gripe was that this was long! I know it is as long as the actual show, and it helped to make the money more worth it, but with previews, three hours is a long time to be at the movies, and there were some slow parts, but again not a big deal. They had to show the full experience.
I am not sure, but I am guessing that they cut some time as well. When there was an end of an era, Taylor would disappear, and then she would pop back up in a different outfit, and sometimes there were some serious changes. So either she is the world’s fastest changer, her clothes are rip offable, or they cut a couple minutes as she changed. Of the many outfits that she wore, I think the first was my favorite. Multiple of them were one piece bathing suit type pieces, but the colors on the first one were the prettiest! I also liked the long dress she wore for the Folklore set, but those are two very different pieces of clothing. My least favorite was the one from the Bad Blood era. It had one pant leg and one arm sleeve, and they were both on the same side. I felt like for symmetry’s sake, the sleeves should be on opposite sides.
The production value for this show was off the charts. It makes sense that they would do three shows in each location, there is so much that needs to be set up and brought from place to place, might as well set up shop for a few days. It was like a theater production. They had a whole cabin for the Folklore set, they had a work office set up for one of the eras, they had a mossy piano, and they even decorated all the microphone stands, so that they fit in with the theme. The massive floor that she stood upon was also a huge part of the show. The coolest part was when she would stomp her foot, and a crack would show up, and then she went to another corner, and she stomped it, and another crack formed. The stage also had platforms that would rise up and down, which added some fun. The part I was most worried about was when the backup dancers came out on bikes, and they started to ride the bikes around the stage. There was not that much room there for all that.
The back up dancers were big players in the show, especially considering it was mainly just Taylor out there. The dancers were diverse as well. There were men and women of all shapes, sizes, and colors. There was one dude, who was tan, and he was ripped, and I think he had it in his contract, that if he was on the stage, his abs had to be showing, because they were almost always showing. The cool thing was that they each got one chance to shine as the star for a brief moment, whether it was a brief talking point or a dance solo. They also seemed to have great chemistry with one another.
I am not convinced that Taylor is a good dancer though. She did a few dance moves that made me laugh, but she did genuinely seem to be having a great time out there. There were a couple of times, when she would be like oh my gosh, I cannot believe that you are all clapping for me, which seemed funny as well considering this was the last stop on her tour, and all of her shows have been sold out, so the aw shucks attitude although endearing, had to be fake. It was also funny that anytime she announced a song, everyone at the show cheered, like she could have said she was going to play a Smash Mouth song, and everyone would have lost their mind. s
When they first announced that this was coming to theaters, tickets went on sale, and the showtimes that were announced mostly filled up, leaving a few open seats here and there in the front rows, but on opening day, I went back on Regal, and they had added multiple showings, and one worked perfectly for me to run after work, and then go straight to the theater after. My showing was surprisingly empty, there were like seven of us total, and there were no over the top super fans, the theater was quiet as the show progressed, and this was nice. It allowed me to fully experience the show, but I do feel like I missed out on something by not being in one of the packed theaters. It did allow me some room to spread out though, which was nice given the run time.
One part of the show that gave me anxiety was the lack of a watch on Taylor’s wrist. There were multiple times when she would look at her wrist as a dance move, and that is when I noticed something was missing. That means during her three-hour show, her steps are not being counted, and her calories are not being counted either. She could have a massive deal with Garmin, Apple, or Coros, and she could put her activity data out every night after a show. She must be taking at least 10,000 steps, and I would guess that she is burning a minimum of 500 calories, and she is doing it all in heels, or shoes with some kind of incline. It is like a three-hour dance class.
I did not know how I would feel about the show overall, but I ended up really enjoying it. I was surprised at how many songs I did not know. Most of which I think came from her pandemic albums, because from when I was in middle school, until I graduated college, I feel like I was pretty well versed in Taylor Swift songs. The older songs, back when she was more country are probably my favorites, so the one that I appreciated most and quietly sang to in the theater was “Our Song”. A true classic from her early carrier. From my college days, I was happy she played “Wildest Dreams.” I cannot tell you how many times, my friends and I listened to that. I was disappointed that she did not sing “Picture to Burn”. If you have any love for Taylor, and you did not have the chance to see her in person, you will probably love this! Go see it in a packed theater and with friends and enjoy the event that is sweeping the nation.
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