Whether you love her or you hate her, the impact of Taylor Swift’s music is inescapable. You’ve heard at least one of her songs (probably more than you’d like), and you might not call yourself a fan, but you can respect her musical talents (even if this isn’t something you’d share with too many people.) I’ve listened to Taylor Swift since she was strictly on the country stations, but I didn’t become a "Swiftie" until the release of her “pandemic albums”, Folklore and Evermore, in 2020. I did give Fearless and 1989 a lot of play time when they were released, but I would always say “I like Taylor Swift, but I can’t call myself a ‘fan’”. I wasn’t ashamed or anything. I just didn’t know enough of her music.
I can’t say I’m a superfan. I only know some of the lore behind her songs because I stumble across it on the internet, and I’m sorry, I really don’t understand the “Easter eggs” thing and often think it’s reaching, but then I see how some fans seem to call what Taylor Swift will do next according to these clues and I think there really is something to that. I love super-fandom in general though so I’m not judging anyone. I care more about her musical qualities rather than her personal life, and that’s just me.
When I got a text from my brother asking if my husband and I were down for an Eras Tour watch party I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I wanted to see the film and I knew I would eventually. I really loved The Long Pond Sessions and was curious to see what a Taylor Swift concert would look like. What I didn’t expect was to thoroughly enjoy it, and not only that, I would say I was enchanted by it.
I’m going to break it down by era. My biggest takeaway was how the evolution of Swift’s music dated itself both lyrically and musically to what is and was popular (and I would even say “needed” in the world of pop music) at the time of each of her albums’ releases. The live versions of all of the songs were really incredible as well. Lightning-quick costume changes, amazing set design, impressive and fitting choreography, and the stage presence of Taylor Swift kept my eyes glued to the screen. I was sitting in a living room, but the way this concert was filmed was so perfect, it really gave you as close a feel as you can get to actually being there.
Lover Era
I was very happy the concert opened with this album. Lover has been getting a lot of play from me lately and it was one I slept on upon its release. I didn’t expect the cotton candy swirls on the screen to make me feel so excited, but there I was anticipating Taylor taking the stage. What will she play? What kind of wild outfits will she be wearing? I’m finally going to see what all the hype is about! Confession time: Taylor rose up from the floor on a platform and started singing and my eyes filled with tears. I was fully into this and there was no turning back. Three and a half hours were about to be spent watching this and I already knew every minute was going to be worth it.
Fearless Era
The color schemes were starting to become apparent. The appearance of gold meant Fearless was upon us. I played this album to death when it first came out because I was crushing badly on a boy and every track made me think of him. Some “non-fans” at the watch party recognized some of these songs from the radio and many started to sing along. The energy was picking up. Close-ups of fans in tears were increasing. “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” brought us all back to certain times in our lives. This was when Taylor Swift became a pop star, and back then I started to worry that her music just wouldn’t be good to me anymore since I was a fan of her country songs. I was wrong. This era of the concert was fun and the nostalgia was palpable.
Evermore Era
The stage darkened and then a coven in green capes entered a forest scene. They danced with glowing orange orbs and I even said aloud “I’m getting Stevie Nicks meets Enya vibes big time right now.” Evermore is my second favorite album of Taylor Swift’s and “Willow” was so delightful as an opening to this era. “Witchcore”, “Fairycore”, “Enyacore”, call it what you will, this set was gorgeous to me and hit on all of my favorite aesthetics. This era was also very theatrical. “Tolerate It” especially. I loved Swift’s performances during this set the best and her dancers really got to shine here.
Reputation Era
This was the first of many perfect transitions throughout the show. Giant serpents were taking over the stylings of the set and the beat turned powerful. Reputation has always been Taylor’s “hardest” album to me. It’s got a lot of anger in it and when it first dropped in 2017 I thought it really matched the “electropop” sound that was growing in popularity. “Look What You Made Me Do” was the most memorable. This performance was a testament to Swift’s ability to absolutely slay an audience. T Swift shows her darkest side here musically, and this is no exaggeration, she slithers across the stage perfectly, totally embodying the vibe of the whole album.
Speak Now Era
Purple lighting overtook SoFi Stadium and it was time for the Speak Now era to begin. Swift took the stage in an absolutely gorgeous lavender gown and sang “Enchanted” surrounded by a fairy ring of dancers wearing less extravagant versions of her sparkling ensemble. I loved this moment. I can’t find any other word to describe it other than “pretty”. It was so gentle compared to what we saw in the previous era and I teared up again during “Long Live”. I also noticed the obvious chemistry that exists between Swift, her dancers, back-up singers, and band. Guitar players were singing along with her, and they all exchanged looks of genuine friendship and camaraderie with each other. You could tell everyone on stage was having a good time and the audience responded accordingly.
The movie was about halfway through and although some at the watch party wandered off, they would pop their heads in occasionally and always positively remark about how amazing Taylor was performing. For us diehard “Swifties” on the sofa though, we were immersed, and felt the concert was just getting started.
Stay Tuned for Part II tomorrow!
You can stream Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour on Disney+.
Jennifer Patino lives in Traverse City and loves music. Visit her blog at thistlethoughts.com