Are you ready for it? Because I am! The most anticipated concert and now a concert film are finally here in the Philippines, and it’s the latest trend. After the success of Taylor Swift’s surprise drop during the pandemic ‘Folklore’ to her re-releases of old albums, then comes the 10th mega hit album ‘Midnights’, it’s a no-brainer for Taylor to not go on tour since her last was 2018’s ‘Reputation Tour’ then the postponed ‘Lover Fest’. The Eras Tour is a perfect opportunity for her to celebrate her entire music catalog and career, which made her where she is now.
She is literally everywhere. The patron saint of music and storytelling.
Sadly, us Filipino Swifties won’t be able to witness her acclaimed Eras Tour in person as the Philippines isn’t included in the list of countries she’ll be touring outside North America. Only Singapore’s the country she’ll ever visit in Southeast Asia, while the other Asian country is Japan.
When the news broke out, I personally was devastated. As a Swiftie since 2008, I was really hoping to see her perform live. I guess I share the same sentiments with other Swifties. But one night, days before the deadline for ticket pre-registration, I tried my luck and registered for her Singapore show, and I was lucky enough to get one code out of the five SIM cards I registered. That was just the first step, and that doesn’t guarantee any tickets, but Mother Taylor and the Gods answered my prayers, and I was lucky enough to secure 4 tickets for me and my friends. Despite securing those tickets, I got a little sad because I won’t be able to watch the Eras Tour live with the other half of my friend group, where we promised that one day we’d see Taylor in person, but unfortunately they have personal conflicts like the expenses of plane tickets and the accommodation. That’s why a concert film would be a perfect gift for the fans who don’t have the means of traveling outside the country.
Realtalk, duh.
Blondie’s era
Then, as the North American leg was nearing an end, many things happened. From the announcement of Speak Now TV to 1989 TV, some Swifties were speculating that there would be a concert film as per her last show in So-Fi Stadium. Professional cameras were seen, and the Swifties were correct.
Little did we know on August 31st, Taylor announced that she’ll be releasing the Eras Tour Concert Film in cinemas, where AMC Theaters will be the distributor. Another bossy move from Taylor, as Hollywood is currently in turmoil because of the writer-actor strike against the big studios in Hollywood. This move of hers just proves that she is a ‘Mastermind’ and knows that she is capable of doing her own thing, which is very admirable. But another roadblock for us Filipino Swifties came; there were no sure dates nor news if the concert film was going to be shown outside the United States since the tour hasn’t left the States.
It would be some sort of spoiler for countries where she has yet to perform and will spoil the fun and excitement, but Swifties will take everything Taylor releases, so a concert film is a need for us, especially for Filipino Swifties.
I was losing hope as it’s been weeks or a month and there’s still no news about a Philippine release. Then one night on September 13, Taylor announced on her social media that she’s bringing The Eras Tour Film worldwide on the same day as the US! Everyone cheered and crashed movie ticketing sites here in the Philippines, like SM Cinemas and Sureseats. That alone made the hype of the Eras Tour so alive again for Filipino Swifties. We treated it like the real Taylor was coming to perform for us; it just shows how passionate Filipino Swifties are. Of course I had to get tickets on the day they dropped. I told my friends who weren’t attending the Singapore show that this concert film was a once-in-a lifetime experience for us, as we promised each other back in high school that we’d see her whatever happened. May it be a concert film or anything.
If this was a cult, count me in for worship
Fast forward to D-DAY! The Eras Tour film is finally here in the Philippines! Me and my friends arrived at the perfect time, just a few minutes before the concert film started.
Everyone was looking their best, dressing up in their inspired Eras Tour outfit. I myself was wearing an Evermore-inspired outfit.
Photo from Miguel Macaro
I was admiring how this is like another cinematic event like Barbenheimer, where everyone is also dressed up in pink. It shows how this will definitely be part of movie history.
Then the lights finally turned off, everyone screamed, then the screen lit up and showed a drone shot of So-Fi Stadium with clouds covering it, slowly showing a 3D ‘The Eras Tour Concert Film’ title card. Man, my heart was racing. It felt like I was there; I was hooting and shouting, as were my friends and the crowd too. It felt like we were really about to witness her in person, also because of how good the sound design is; they made every scream of the So-Fi stadium crowd heard. The movie had an iconic opening with visuals of dancers having these big petals behind their backs, along with the iconic mashup of Taylor’s title tracks. It gave everyone goosebumps as they were leading up to the extended stage where Taylor will be coming out.
It’s been a long time coming, but!
As the crescendo hits, she blooms like a flower, then sings the line “It’s been a long time coming, but…” and, oh my god, there goes the chills. Everyone screamed and jumped on their seats. Seeing her up close as she performed Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince was a perfect opening. Then it transitioned into Cruel Summer, the song of the summer.
We’re only a few minutes in, and it’s already approaching one of the highlights of the concert, which is shouting the words of the songs’ iconic bridge. I had to take a moment and absorb all of what’s happening because it’s my first time being surrounded by a crowd of Swifties because I never had the opportunity to attend her past concerts here in the Philippines, so having this opportunity was amazing. TBH, it actually made me tear up.
After that, she continued to perform other hits from the Lover Era, like Lover, where everyone filmed themselves singing their hearts out. I also saw a couple of boyfriends singing to each other, and I simply said to myself “Sana all”. Then, as the Lover Era concludes, we sadly don’t get to finish it with The Archer, as it got the chop for unknown reasons, but it’s still a very good opening era.
Then, as she left the stage, the screen was filled with gold sparklers, and that’s the moment we knew we were about to go back in time.
It’s a love story baby just say yes!
Fearless is every OG Swifties favorite. There, I said it. Oh my God! This is the moment I’ve been waiting for (my reaction to every era) to scream the lyrics of every song in this era. I was bracing myself for this iconic set. Fearless was the era for the OGs. Everyone cheered when the title card showed, as before Taylor came out, they showed a CG title card of the era that she’s about to perform. This brought back so many memories when the intro to Fearless played. My friend beside me blurted how she suddenly misses high school, and I replied, “Same! “, as this era is usually where everyone started to be a fan of her. Hits after hits were performed from Fearless, Love Story, and You Belong With Me, where everyone screamed every word. Overall, this era was ICONIC (well, all of her eras are). It was pure madness (in a good way) of swifties screaming and dancing.
At this point in the film, I’m already losing my voice, feel overwhelmed, and think, Wow, Taylor Swift is really that artist. Thankfully, the next era was perfect for us audiences to sit down and listen as we entered.
I come back stronger than a 90s trend…
The witching hour and Evermore era are here, which was perfectly placed right after Fearless. I was really looking forward to this era because of ‘tis the damn season’ but Blondie decided not to include it sadly. She opened the performance with Willow, and wow, she is really a witch. That’s what I was thinking, the whole performance like a coven of witches summoning something; it was beautiful. It showcased the props and the LED stages with graphics; it was too mesmerizing. Then we get Champagne Problems, where everyone and their mamas shouted the bridge with feelings. This set was a good breather after the Fearless era, where everyone screamed and knew every word. Sadly, that’s not the case for Evermore; it’s the underrated child of Taylor, but hey, this portion of the concert showcased Taylor’s acting skills during Tolerate It, where I was just in awe at how great she is giving every lyric an emotional impact.
The performance ended beautifully dramatic, with Tolerate It leaving a bit of sadness. Then the arena turned dark, and a snake slithered its way throughout the stage, and that’s when.
Are You Ready For It?
I know reputation is my personal favorite, as it is different from the Taylor we all know.
So, her having this change was just proof of how she is a chameleon of the music industry. Not only that, she also wrote an amazing album that people thought was about revenge for the whole Kanye West thing, but instead it was a romantic album that deals with finding love through our darkest times.
She opened this set with the high-energy edm-trap track, Ready for It? And good God, goosebumps are all over my body. I was just so pumped up singing, and jumping on my seat made me throw my fist because of how intense it was. The whole reputation era was exactly what we expected from “Dark Taylor”. I was dancing on my seat, and I badly wanted to stand up but really wanted to be respectful to the people behind me.
All I can say at this point while watching this film is how Taylor is THE music industry, as we’re almost in the middle of the concert and she’s still performing non-stop hits after hits. I was just blown away.
My favorite part of this era was the transition from Don’t Blame Me to Look What You Made Me Do. It was too good from how the words connected and the meaning behind it, and then the camera work throughout the performance was insanely satisfying. Not only that, but also the back-up dancers trapped in a glass box wearing Taylor’s old costumes from her past music videos were a cool moment as she walked over them; it was epic! Then how would I forget the iconic part where it’s the last chorus of Look What You Made Me Do, where Taylor’s on the center stage belting it out while the camera circles her while the sea of Swifties is shown behind her? It was epic. Hands down the best set so far. It just gave me goosebumps and left me shouting, Oh, my God, the entire time. Pure Cinema.
This Night Is Sparkling…
After all that sass and badassery, we enter Speak Now. This era was another highlight as Enchanted, another viral song of hers this year, gained resurgence after viral Tik Tok edits. Plus, it’s the only song from Speak Now that she’ll be performing. When the song played with Taylor coming out of the smoke wearing a beautiful ball gown dress, everyone screamed their lungs out and sang every word from start to finish.
This is also the part where everyone had to bring out their phones and record themselves with flashes on at 0.5 angle, shouting every word of the iconic bridge.
It was pure bliss, and it felt therapeutic in some sort of way, blurring the famous lyric “Please don’t be in love with someone else; please don’t have somebody waiting on you.” Despite only having one song performed in that era, I think Enchanted was somehow enough, as we have more eras to relive.
Photo from Miguel Macaro
I remember it all too well…
At this point, the concert film wasn’t stopping. I was so overwhelmed that it felt like a rollercoaster ride, having all these hits back to back. It was non-stop euphoria, then red balloons popped up on screen, and we entered another ICONIC era, the Red Era.
Taylor opened it with 22. Everyone stood up and started dancing, holding out peace signs, and signing the number 22. It was so fun. The entire set was Taylor’s other set of hits, like I Knew You Were Trouble and We Are Never Getting It Back Together, where again everyone brought out their phones and filmed themselves. The era ended with the All Too Well 10-minute version. I personally am tired of this song, as I overplayed it during its release, but I still stood there and watched and mouthed all the words. But I felt a little underwhelmed but still had a great time with the era. After the upbeat tracks of Red and Reputation, we go back to the woods.
Salt air, and the rust on your door…
Another AWWWW and OMG moment for me, as this album was made for me. As a Piscean, I feel like folklore is the album for us fishies. With Taylor’s ‘Folklore’ at this point, I noticed some took this as the opportunity to go to the bathroom, but not me and my friends. We switched seats to a section where no one was seated, so it felt like we had the whole theater to ourselves. We spent the set with Taylor performing freely with a guitar in this beautiful treehouse setting, giving off a homey vibe in the woods as she performed The 1 and other of the album hits like August with the backup singers and guitarist sitting in front of the tree house porch.
The only thing that was a little disappointing was the cardigan being cut.
During this part of the movie, I was just standing there watching her perform in awe, silently mouthing some of the words, as I wanted to absorb everything from this era as it made me nostalgic since this came out during the pandemic and had tracks that resonated with me a lot, but it was a very underrated era from the crowd I went with; literally, everyone was doing the mute challenge except for me and my friends, but hey, we have our own different tastes in music.
Also, let’s not forget the Acoustic Set, where she performs two surprise songs. In the concert film, she performed Our Song, a classic, and You’re On Your Own Kid, where again, I almost teared up because I was watching it with my childhood friends, so yeah, I was being dramatic, connecting the lyrics to my life story.
After the acoustic sets, this is what we are mostly anticipating:
‘Cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream 😉
1989! The era that catapulted into mega-popstar success, changing concepts going into full pop. Me and my friends were standing up, waving our hands, and jumping when Style played. It was so nostalgic. This was basically the soundtrack of our teenage years, so basically it felt like I was transcending into another universe because every song in that album was too good, and Taylor strutting down the stage made me feel like “empowered.” It was that good. I feel like I blacked out most of the part because of the happiness those songs brought me. It was another hit by hit since 1989 was her magnum opus, so it’s a no-brainer. Everyone knew the words to the songs, plus the visuals were consistent. Despite being almost at the end of the concert, Taylor doesn’t show any sign of tiredness. I applaud her so much for that. She ended the era with Bad Blood, which was the best way to end it, but I would love it if it was New Romantics just to give a higher kick to us audiences, but nevertheless, Bad Blood is still iconic.
It’s me Hi! I’m the problem, it’s me.
The Midnights era opened with Lavender Haze, which already sets the atmosphere perfectly. After the dancing and singing from 1989, this makes the audience just dance like they’re in a club vibe. The dark and deep sounds with the costumes and props being Lavender colored with clouds make you feel like you’re up in the clouds. The entire Midnights set was, how do I put it, very seductive, as it’s another side of Taylor where she channels a more mature sound, lyrics, and visuals like Vigilante Shit, which showed a more sexy side of Taylor. But of course, how would I forget the smash hit Anti-Hero? Hearing that song inside the cinema and singing along was like therapy. It’s so nice to scream, “It’s me, hi! I’m the problem; it’s me,” plus Taylor just casually dancing and waving on the stage was a nice part. I even waved, acting like she was there in person. I swear, I’m not crazy, just preparing for my experience next year.
We end the show with Karma, a song that’s very upbeat yet melancholic. Taylor is seen to be wearing a glittery jacket as she danced the night away, and me and my friends were doing the same thing, shouting the words “Karma is my boyfriend, karma is a god.” It was again sort of therapeutic. Taylor ends the show with fireworks and has the instrumental of Karma still playing in the background while she thanks us fans and waves to the crowd, despite not being there in the crowd. Seeing her on screen waving at us made us feel part of the show. Props to everyone behind this film, from the director, Sam Wrench, for really making us moviegoers feel like we are part of the crowd, not only through the visuals but also the sound design.
As the concert came to an end, me and my friends held hands and mimicked Taylor bowing with her backup dancers, and it felt like an achievement to see a Taylor Swift concert. It made me really thankful and happy for what Taylor’s music brought us. A solid friendship and a musical artist we adore who makes good music with a good message.
TO WRAP THIS UP
My Eras Tour Film experience exceeded everything from what I imagined, and all I can say is WOW, imagine this in person. Thinking about it, I’d probably be crying once I pass the immigration. Swifties are really one passionate fandom! Everything was lit. Everyone danced, sang, and also dressed up despite just watching it in your local cinema, which really heightened the Eras Tour experience for us Filipino Swifties. We may not be there physically, but Taylor and the people behind the concert film made sure that we viewers got to experience this once-in-a lifetime event in Taylor Swift’s career.
Photo from Miguel Macaro
The Eras Tour is still playing in theaters nationwide until November 5, 2023.
