October 27, 2023
Taylor Swift was only 16 years old when she released her first self-titled album in 2006, led off by the single "Tim McGraw," which hit #40 on the Billboard 100 chart. 17 years, 10 albums and 9 #1 hit singles later, Swift has moved leaps and bounds from her humble country roots to become one of the biggest and most influential pop stars in the world now.
"The Eras Tour" is her sixth and biggest all-stadium concert tour to date, with a setlist of 44 songs in 10 distinct acts representing her albums. It has more than 140 dates scheduled, to be played on five continents for almost two years, from March 2023 to November 2024. Needless to say, the tour is critically-acclaimed and a massive box-office phenomenon.
This film version of the concert brings to tour to many of her fans who would not be able to watch the concert live, be it because of distance or financial constraints. Directed by Sam Wrench, it runs for 169 minutes, trimmed down from the usual 3-1/2 hours of the actual concert. Song numbers which were cut out from the set list included 'The Archer,' 'No Body, No Crime,' 'Long Live,' 'Cardigan,' and 'Wildest Dreams.'
The show opened with the "Lover" (her 7th album, 2019) era. Dancers walked the stage with huge silk sails behind them, At one point, the sails converge on the diamond mid-catwalk stage, and Swift appeared from under them, wearing a shiny silver leotard with blue and pink trimmings, and knee-high white boots. Set included: "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince," current #1 hit "Cruel Summer," the feministic "The Man" set in an office structure, #2 hit "You Need to Calm Down" and #10 hit "Lover" had a house with colorful rooms behind her.
With a shower of sparks, the "Fearless" (her 2nd album, 2008) era began. Taylor skips in wearing a shimmering gold dress with multi-level fringe, playing her guitar and singing the title song. The whole catwalk stage was lit up to look like a giant guitar. She then invited her fans to go back to high school with her with "You Belong With Me," sung on raised platforms in the central diamond, and finally "Love Story," sung on the smaller rectangular stage at the end.
With a pine forest backdrop, the mood on the stage turned mysterious with the "Evermore" (her 9th album, 2020) era. In the #1 hit "Willow," Taylor entered wearing dark yellow floor-length dress with a dark green cloak, as her dancers carried orange spherical lanterns. This was followed by "Marjorie," then "Champagne Problems," which she playing on a moss-covered piano. She ended the set with "Tolerate It," while acting out an argument with her male partner on opposite ends of a long dinner table.
The image of giant snake slithering around and squeezing the whole catwalk opened the "Reputation" (her 6th album, 2017) era. Taylor came in singing the #4 hit "... Ready for It?" wearing in a black full body suit with red snake designs, with her left arm and leg left bare. The next songs were the #12 hit "Delicate," "Don't Blame Me" and finally, the syncopated beats of #1 hit "Look What You Made Me Do" (with the dancers inside boxes on the stage behind her).
The was a brief segue into the "Speak Now" (her 3rd album, 2010) era, with Taylor wearing a lavender ballgown singing singing "Enchanted" with a field of flowers on the big screen.
Then the lights turned red to announce the "Red" (the 4th album, 2012) era. Taylor sang a rousing set that included the #20 hit "22," the #2 hit "I Knew You Were Trouble" and her very first #1 hit "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." Throwing on a red-black overcoat over her red sleeveless top and short black shorts, she sang the 10 minute version of "All Too Well (10 Minute re-recorded Taylor's Version of which reached #1 in 2021) to end this set.
The mood turned somber again in the "Folklore" (her 8th album, 2020) era. Taylor in a long white dress flowy sleeves and skirt, singing "The 1" on the mossy roof of a cabin with a smoking chimney. She then told the story of a teenage love triangle in "Betty." The screen showed a running train in "The Last American Dynasty," autumn colors in "August," and dark swirling clouds in "Illicit Affairs." In pitch dark and the lone spotlight on her, the atmosphere turned ghostly in her final song of this set, "My Tears Ricochet."
The tempo turned upbeat again in the "1989" (her 5th album, 2014) era. Wearing a hot pink crop top and skirt, Taylor sang the #6 hit "Style" strutting up and down the catwalk like models. Then she sang #1 hit "Blank Space" on the raised stage in the diamond stage, with her dancers riding glowing bicycles and Taylor wielding a glowing hockey stick. The light show and party atmosphere became more pulsating and spellbinding in the last two songs of the set, both very popular #1 hits, "Shake It Off" and "Bad Blood."
There was another interlude where Taylor would sing a couple of "Surprise Songs" which change with each concert date. She came out in a red long gown and guitar, and dedicated her first song to fans "who liked me when I was a little teenager writing songs for my 9th grade family show." This was her first Country #1 hit "Our Song," the only song from her very first album "Taylor Swift" (2006) on this setlist. For her second song, she transferred to an old wooden piano with flowers painted on it, and performed the seemingly autobiographical song "You’re on Your Own, Kid" from the Midnight album.
After this, it looked as if Taylor "dove into water" on one end of the stage and "swam" to the other end, rose out of the water and climbed onto a cloud. This began the "Midnights" (10th album, 2022) era. It started with #2 hit "Lavender Haze" with giant cotton clouds wheeled around by the dancers. The next song was the #1 hit "Anti-Hero" which had a giant Taylor on the big screen walking across a cityscape. She then performed "Midnight Rain," "Vigilante Shit," "Bejeweled" and "Mastermind" before her grand finale song, the #2 hit "Karma."
While seeing the spectacularly huge stage requirements of this concert tour, it was clear why there was no venue in this country which can support a show like this. Taylor Swift came across as friendly, accommodating, and very sincere. Personally, my favorite eras were the older ones "Fearless," "Red" and "1989." I only knew one song each from "Folklore," "Evermore" and "Midnights," which had songs that tended to be very moody and melancholy, but Taylor certainly made up for this unfamiliarity with her awesome showmanship. 8/10
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