This week, I had a day of serendipity.
The universe had forced a change of plans that led to a perfectly aligned day.
My friend and I had made plans the previous week to see TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR. The concert film recorded at SoFi Stadium during a Californian tour stop on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour; a tour that has turned into a global phenomenon.
Unfortunately, something came up and my friend could no longer go on the date we’d chosen. So we rescheduled to this week.
It must have been a case of the universe working in mysterious ways. Our rescheduled date turned out to be the perfect night to see the film. It fell on the even of the “1989” re-release and an almost full moon.
It felt right. Indeed, it became a night wherein we could indulge in joyful girlhood.
We left work and took the subway to the theatre. We had some time before the show, so we stepped into the Sephora near the theatre (as one does, of course). We perused the aisles. My friend, who had donned a gorgeous red lip and defined liner a la Swift’s make-up look in the Eras Tour, suggested we put on glitter. It’s rumoured that Swift exclusively wears Pat McGrath cosmetics for her tour make-up look, which, after having seen the film, is a marvel. Her sharp, red lip and smouldering eye make-up stay put throughout a nearly 3 hour long concert that involved dancing, several costume changes, and even being submerged in water! So, we found the Pat McGrath section.
We found glitter shadow, grabbed the complimentary, disposable eye shadow applicators, and applied our best glitter eye looks. It was a grey, rainy day and I’d felt bad about not dressing up for the occasion as planned. After crafting my glitter eye look, I instantly felt more glam.
We made our way to theatre. We booked tickets for the VIP cinema. We enjoyed a drink and an appetizer in the lounge, then ran into the theatre as we heard the first few lyrics of the film. We were plunged into the cotton-candy-coloured daydream of the Lover era.
Sitting pretty (and, more importantly, comfy) in the large, plush recliner chairs in the VIP cinema, we were surrounded by a respectful and engaged audience.
The film’s cinematography, editing, and sound departments all out-did themselves. The film feels dazzlingly immersive. You feel at once part of the behemoth crowd, yet also up-close-and-personal with Taylor on stage. The sweeping pans and zooms of the camera leave you breathless and starry-eyed as if you’d been singing along at the top of your lungs with everyone else at the concert. Somehow even the sound design was able to translate the ear-tingling roar of the crowd.
Seeing the tour covering albums back-to-back puts into empathetic perspective how Taylor Swift has done so much across so many different genres – and has been able to excel in all of them. She also isn’t afraid to goad the folks who underestimated her and bullied her. I truly do believe that had Taylor Swift been a man, she’d be regarded with wide-spread respect for her ability to song-write for so many genres, her ability to play instruments, as well as her ability to change and adapt while remaining on all of the top played lists – not to mention her courageous decision to re-record her albums. Instead, people sadly tend to infantilize her, dismiss her music as catchy fluff, and seem to almost willfully disregard her level of talent. I didn’t necessarily come into the film as a “Swiftie” (I’ve always respected her for writing her own music, but I haven’t always been an avid listener), but I’ve certainly left as close to one!
We walked out of the theatre feeling buoyant. My friend looked up at the sky and pointed out how it was almost a full moon. She also pointed out that the re-release of “1989” would be coming out in just a few short hours. We both had unabashed smiles on our faces. My friend was dressed in her Taylor Swift “Red” cardigan, I in my plaid, red scarf. We walked into the night feeling as if we got to grasp those feelings of free, unencumbered girlhood – if for just a few hours that night. At one point, she said “I feel like I’m 14 again.” In the context in which she said it, I took it as a compliment of the highest order.
Have you seen TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR? Did you do anything special to mark the occasion (we had wanted to make friendship bracelets but didn’t have time)! Let me know in the comments!
Toronto Film Files 