After consuming clips of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour online for months, I assumed I knew the full experience. Seeing the concert film in theaters proved how wrong I was.
As a veteran Swiftie, I didn’t try to become a fan — it just happened organically. So when her tour movie premiered, I rushed to see it on the big screen.
Like many, I lost out getting Eras Tour tickets during the infamous Ticketmaster debacle. But through my work covering internet culture, I’d watched countless clips of the show on TikTok for months. I documented setlists, surprise songs, and fan reactions. I felt like I’d seen it already.
Sitting in the theater, the opening notes of “Fearless” immediately told me I had seen nothing yet. The internet convinced me certain moments mattered, but stripped of that noise, it was just Swift and I sharing her musical journey.
The movie’s scale and sound enveloped me in concert magic no phone video could replicate. I dissolved into the experience. When Swift asked if we were willing to revisit high school, I cheered as if she’d heard me.
Each era collided with memories. Fearless transported me to adolescence. I was stunned that the dazzling Evermore woods locale never went viral. These nuances got lost on TikTok.
Seeing Reputation Stadium Tour live was a highlight. The fiery mashup of “…Ready for It?” and “Look What You Made Me Do” blew me away. Folklore’s quieter moments shone on an IMAX screen.
TikTok’s focus on Swift obscured the spectacular staging. Lavish set pieces like the gold orb dance in Evermore stunned me. Only seeing the full panoramic production revealed her vision.
Clips also failed to capture how Swift’s storytelling fosters an intimate bond spanning eras. I felt that relationship watching the movie’s epic arc in order.
While I eagerly awaited 1989, the Folklore segment lagged slightly. But Swift knows what fans crave — when “Style” began shaking the theater, she had me again. The Bad Blood rap took the bass to ecstatic levels.
A young fan dancing in the aisle during “Lavender Haze” embodied the communal joy. These moments create new Swifties, but can’t be replicated virtually.
Despite knowing every song, seeing the Eras Tour film was a revelation. Through relentless online exposure, I thought I’d already viewed it. But experiencing its scale and artistry was a whole new emotional journey.
No fragmented social media snippet could compare. For this veteran Swiftie, the movie was seeing it for the first time.
