Embarking on one final friendship bracelet-making journey brought joy to the cool fall wind. Placing the beads all in a line with “Dress” lyrics and adding shades of pink, August truly did slip away.
Memorialized on the big screen, Taylor Swift’s “The Eras” Tour brought back every itching emotion from summer along with new feelings of excitement seeing the production of a lifetime up close.
It all began with a clam.
The “Eras” Movie is more than just a revival of the music, it’s a rival of the feeling. Upon entering Dolby Cinema at Burbank 16, the line was packed with dresses, glitter, Eras merch and of course, bracelets.
Everyone was trading and taking photos, smiling and snagging Eras popcorn bowls.
“Do you want to trade?” An AMC employee came up the the counter to ask.
“Of course!”
Everyone was a friend because everyone was a Swiftie.
Once the lights went down in the theater and sound came up slowly, it felt like the cheers of 70,000 all in one room. It was no longer just a theater, it was a portal into the life that was the “Eras Tour.”
There was no bad seat as the layers of pink, orange and purple clam leaves revealed the singer. “Miss Americana” began while fans stood from their theater seats to jump and dance along. I was still in shock seeing Taylor Swift towering over the screen, she looked different from section 100 at Empower Stadium back in July.
It was around “Lover,” the fifth song of the night, when I began to cry. The camera panned to Swift’s face, she was wearing pink glitter eyeshadow and sweat started to form on her upper lip.
“Fearless” felt like high school.
The thing about the “Eras Tour” is that it all happened so fast. Three and a half hours passed in two seconds and after a few months that feeling of happiness fades. The radiating smiles from both the theater audience and the fans on screen along with the ache in my own smile during “You Belong With Me” was unlike anything else.
Nothing could’ve prepared the theater for “Tolerate It” though.
The Dolby cinema screen was a perfect medium to truly see the production of the Eras Tour. The costumes, makeup, dance, screens, set. The performance of “Tolerate It” sparked conversations immediately.
Swift made her way to the prop dining table next to the piano after “Champagne Problems” and began to set up the silverware. The song about not being appreciated for the love you give is gut wrenching to hear, but to see Swift act and throw the cups and plates, hit different.
Understandably so, there were a few songs cut out from the movie. The ones they picked to cut however, were shocking:
“The Archer,” “tis the damn season,” “no body, no crime,” “Wildest Dreams,” “cardigan” and …
“Long Live.”
The “Speak Now” song dedicated to her fans did not make the final cut. Although it did play at the end credits, out of all the songs that were cut, this one was the most heartbreaking.
The effects of the movie, transitioning every era, sent waves of theories during the “Reputation” transition. We definitely will be seeing that visual again (hopefully very soon).
The costuming was something that was a bit hard to see live, the theater screen brought on an entirely new appreciation for the patterns on the evermore dress, the reference costumes of Swift during “Look What You Made Me Do” and of course the (very queer) loafers during the “Red” set.
Being up in the “Folklore” cabin with Swift also brought a new sense of intimacy to the concert. The back shots and camera close ups to Swift during times in the tour when she can’t be seen by everyone made it feel like in a theater of a few dozen people, it was just me and her.
Now who can forget the surprise songs?
The maroon “1989″/surprise song outfit was always a personal favorite. The theater shouted the words to “Our Song” and lifted their arms in the air during the lyrics “make the friendship bracelets” from “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” We weren’t alone.
The essence of Taylor Swift came to life through the screen, music and fans.
By the time “Midnights” was introduced, there was a sort of peace in the crowd knowing that although the movie was coming to an end, the memories we all made (maybe for the first time for those who did not attend the tour) would stay forever.
As the credits started to roll with pictures from people across the U.S. in costume, smiling at the tour it felt like a scrapbook closing on an event that will never truly be gone. There’s glitter everywhere in the theater now, maybe even a bracelet hidden between seats.
That’s a real legacy.