Fresh from the American leg of her record-shattering greatest hits-esque tour, and filmed over three nights as the shows concluded in LA, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour has been granted the big screen treatment for fans who are still waiting for the tour to arrive in their city, were unable to get tickets, or audiences who simply want to relive the magic all over again. A stadium production celebrating the discography of pop’s finest export, The Eras Tour is essential viewing for anyone who considers themselves a music fan.
A victory lap through seventeen years of music, as Swift looks at wrapping up her re-recording project - which continued with the release of 1989 (Taylor's Version), the fourth of six such releases in a bid to reclaim her music - The Eras Tour traverses her ten studio albums for a 169-minute spectacle (cut down from the original show’s three and a quarter hour run). As definitive proof as possible as to why Ms Swift is the music industry, The Eras Tour consolidates her position at the very pinnacle of the game.
From the very opening moments of The Eras Tour, as a montage highlighting the ten projects - Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights - that will serve as the foundation for the ten-act show, there is a palpable sense that all has been leading to this. The show, launching with Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, whose central refrain “It’s been a long time coming” not only reflects Swift's return to touring life for the first time since 2018 but that her artistry is finally being recognised for its unparalleled brilliance after her non-stop, record-breaking success of the past three years in particular, Swift has no one to prove herself to. Free from those restraints, this tour (and by extension, The Eras Tour film) solidifies her place in the history books that no kicking or screaming from the naysayers can prevent any more.
A whistle-stop tour through the albums, no expense has been spared in bringing Swift's vision to life. Utilising the 'Lover House' concept introduced by the music video of the album's titular song, each section is colour-coded, rendered with such detail that they could easily stand as a show in its own right. As a result, we get ten for the price of one, and we cycle through the albums, honouring each of the projects which have all strengthened Swift's longevity over the years.
Specific albums suit the stadium setting better than others: Reputation, the album I have long considered the weakest in Swift’s sturdy discography, is given an electric treatment, kinetically directed by Sam Wrench, whose jaw-dropping camerawork breathes such life into Swift’s sixth (and soon to be re-recorded) album. Likewise, 1989’s back-to-back hits serve as another highlight in a show not remotely short of them, Style into Blank Space reminding audiences why the album stands in the echelons of the century's finest pop pieces, while her most recent new album, Midnights, is an uplifting conclusion to the show. The structuring of the eras is especially strong, emphasising the richness and depth of her evolving sound over the years, and further demonstrates the keen attention to detail the entire show has been produced with.
Folklore and Evermore, tied not only as my favourite of Swift’s albums, but each ranking exceptionally high on my all-time list, are not quite as well-suited to the mammoth scale of a stadium. In particular, the former is somewhat limited by its upper-stage cabin positioning, never really coming to life until Swift enters the main stage for the powerhouse performances of August, Illicit Affairs and My Tears Ricochet, which close the set on a stunning high. While a project like Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions undoubtedly suits the more intimate, storytelling lore of the sister albums a little better, it would be amiss to omit the music from a set like this.
To its absolute credit, the Evermore sequence, in particular, depicts Swift at her most personal: tens of thousands of people in the stadium and millions more watching on cinema screens across the world, yet her emotional connection to her audience in the standing ovation-worthy Champagne Problems and her own family in Marjorie is a powerful moment for anyone who has invested themselves in Swift's music. While it is certainly a shame we lost Tis The Damn Season as the Evermore's opener to the edit, as well as a handful of others, including (most disappointingly) Wildest Dreams and Cardigan, it never disrupts the pacing of the show too drastically, executed with a slickness that can be found throughout the entire show.
As I have long said, Swift’s most significant weakness as an artist is an inability to pick singles to front her albums, and this is quite apparent in a set catered towards the big hits: The Man and You Need To Calm Down assuming the place of more worthy album tracks on Lover is frustrating, while Getaway Car's absence from the Reputation is deeply felt. Red’s solid but unspectacular run of singles means the superior vault tracks do not get a look in, while Speak Now's unjustifiably short set is endlessly disappointing. But if anything, this only emphasises the vividity of her discography, and how good of a show she can put on: you would happily watch for another two, three, four hours, lapping up how wonderful it is to see Swift on the stage, doing what she does best - even if some of her stronger songs are not given the live treatment they deserve.
No moment proves that better than the surprise song choices. For context, Swift has, almost unwaveringly, performed two different songs on every date of the US leg of the tour - one on piano, one on guitar, if only to further demonstrate the impeccable dedication to her craft. For this recorded show, Our Song is the sole representative of her debut album, a wonderfully fun throwback and singalong that really deserved a place on the main setlist. But it is You're On Your Own Kid, from Midnights, whose piano rendition captures what it is all about: "So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it" she sings, so gleefully beaming towards a room full of people so enraptured by her presence who will ensure that her legacy is in safe hands as she continues on this portion of her career and look forward to was happens post Taylor's Versions.
Taylor Swift is the music industry, and this decade-spanning victory lap is conclusive proof to anyone foolish enough to be left in any doubt that popstars do not get any bigger, or better, than this. Showcasing Swift's diverse discography, packed to the rafters with radio hits and fan favourites, this non-stop voyage throughout one of the most impressive discographies modern music has to offer, all stunningly brought to life with a sense of well-earned celebration, The Eras Tour is both essential viewing for Swifties and any who calls themselves a fan of music in general. To quote a Midnights song that unfortunately didn't make the cut here: "That's a real fucking legacy to leave"."