“Swifties” unite as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert video hits movie theaters

“Swifties” unite as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert video hits movie theaters

By: Kevin Vickery

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year, or don’t have any tween-agers in your house, you’re probably familiar with Taylor Swift’s current “Eras” tour which is selling out stadiums across the world for shows over a year in advance at record breaking rates and prices.  Demand is so high that the pop star has brought a video version of her live concert performance to movie theaters nationwide.  The concert video debuted on Friday, October 13th so since the “Swifies” at my house were on Fall Break, I decided to call my friend and fellow Courier Times columnist, Blaise the Baker and head to AMC Theater in Muncie with my daughters to check out the hype.

As a man of a certain age, I’ll admit that even though I’ve been aware of Swift’s success throughout the last seventeen years, I hadn’t really been paying attention to her work or her fan base. Suffice to say; I learned a lot that night.

First I learned about Swift’s superstition for certain numbers. She was born on December 13th, 1989, and therefore turned thirteen on Friday the 13th.  This was her reasoning for the concert film premiering on Friday the 13th with tickets for the show priced at $13.00 for kids and $19.89 for adults.

Next I learned about the importance of friendship bracelets to Swift’s supporters.  The bracelets are not only handmade and worn by all her fans but also traded between them as a symbol of their loyalty and bond with each other.  On our way to the theater, we made an unrelated stop at Target where I learned that her dedicated fans even place these bracelets on her records (Yes, vinyl records) in stores as a free gift to other fans passing by. There was even one there that was big enough to fit over my ham-hands so with bracelets loaded, we were then all properly clad and off to the show.

The theater lobby was buzzing with excitement as the crowd traded bracelets, and bought the commemorative merchandise like special popcorn buckets and drink cups with Taylor Swift’s name and pictures on them.

At first I wasn’t sure what to think about watching a concert in a movie theater on the big screen but I must admit the show was excellent and the diehard “Swifties” in the theater made it feel like an actual concert experience.  They danced in the aisles, sang along with every word at the top of their lungs, and applauded after every song.

The concert itself is a huge production and fans who get the opportunity to actually see it live in person will get their money’s worth, even though tickets are as much as $500 and into the thousands of dollars on resale sites. The Taylor Swift three-night stint at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis scheduled from November first through November third of 2024 sold out within minutes. 

The theater version of the concert is two hours and forty-eight minutes long which is edited from the over three hour and fifteen minute live show.  It features her music catalog broken down into the different eras of her career, thus the tour’s title and features forty of her most popular songs. Personally, I prefer her earlier music like, “Our Song” which is from the earliest time in her musical journey when she was marketed as a country artist. Her live version of this hit features just her with a guitar, which I believe best showcases her skills as a musician as well as a singer/songwriter. Be warned though, that song is a real earworm and everyone in my house has been singing it nonstop ever since hearing her perform it.  Another crowd favorite is Taylor’s, “Shake it Off” from her “1989” album released in October of 2014 which also included her mega-hits, “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood”.  It’s another favorite around our house and we’ve been enthusiastically shaking it off ever since that tune was featured in Pixar’s animated film, “Sing” in 2016.

Her massive stage show includes elaborate set pieces, sixteen costume changes, giant video backdrops and even the stage itself is made of video screens where various special effects and pre-filmed sequences are added to the production. Her on stage team includes fourteen dancers, four backing vocalists, and six instrumentalists, all of whom perform in a way so well rehearsed and animated that it almost gives the feeling of being at a musical on Broadway.

My daughters were smiling from ear to ear as we left and both thoroughly enjoyed the experience, despite being in a movie theater for nearly three hours…. I’m guessing the big reclining seats offered at this particular AMC theater helped with that. When asked what she liked most about the show, my twelve-year-old daughter, Alice Vickery said, “My favorite part was getting to see other people who liked her music and trading bracelets with them.  I also loved all her outfits.” 

Taylor Swift has said that she wants her show to be more than a concert… for it to be a “experience” and I would say she’s accomplished that.  Even this old Dad enjoyed the show and the overall experience. With any luck, maybe someday if I win the lottery, we can go see Taylor Swift in person but until then, the movie theater version is still pretty cool and worth the price of admission.

Do you know of any local entertainment events that you would like to have covered here in my new entertainment column? If so, I would love to hear from you! Please email me at kevin.makesomenoise@yahoo.com

Henry County resident and Ball State alum, Kevin Vickery, is bassist and lead vocalist for The Cousin Brothers. He spent several years working in Nashville for some of the biggest names in Country Music before taking over the reins at his family business. If you have a story idea or an event that you think Kevin should cover, contact him at kevin.makesomenoise@yahoo.com