The Biggest Differences Between 'The Eras Tour' Concert and Film
If you think you’ve seen this film before, think again, Swifties. The Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film, shot over the course of three concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, from August 3 to August 5, is a movie experience like none other — even if you’ve already attended one of her recent concerts. Having already attended "The Eras Tour" in Las Vegas in March and Los Angeles in August, including running a half marathon outside the stadium during the latter, I watched this high-demand film early on October 12 ahead of its October 13 release focused on pinpointing the differences in the movie versus the live shows.
The similarities between the two experiences were just as striking as the differences. Just like at the shows, my fellow moviegoers shouted the concert chants. When the movie got to Swift’s performance of “Delicate,” the theater was filled with chants of “1, 2, 3, let’s go b*tch.” They loudly sang along to fan-favorite lyrics like “f*ck the patriarchy” during the 10-minute “All Too Well.” They clapped after every song and danced to every beat.
“Fans trading friendship bracelets with the AMC staff made me feel like I was back at a real show,” Michael McGrew, 36, of New York City, told Men's Health at an IMAX showing at San Francisco’s AMC Metreon 16. Matt Fuller, 35, added, “If dancing is your thing, then you can dance; if it’s not, you can just relax and watch. Everyone was doing what felt right to them. Everyone was having a great time and added to the experience of the film."
From views of Taylor that most Swifties would empty their savings accounts for to disappointing but necessary omissions, here's how Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film compares with the actual live show.
How Does Taylor Switft's The Eras Tour Concert Film Differ From The Concerts?
Swifties will notice things they may have missed or don’t remember from the concerts because of where they sat, “post-concert amnesia," or how The Eras Tour concert film was edited. The film begins with a countdown clock starting at 13 seconds (13 is Swift’s favorite number). In contrast, the tour countdown clock in person starts at 2 minutes, which gives concertgoers extra time to get to their seats. The movie’s 2 hours and 48 minutes runtime is also nearly 30 to 45 minutes shorter than her live concert, meaning several songs didn’t make the cut (more on that later).
The transitions are also significantly condensed from era to era since that time during the concerts was used for Swift to change and for the stage sets to switch. That stalling isn’t needed in the film. Instead, Swift uses quicker 3D pop-up animations to transition into each new era and to set that established the era’s mood. The Reputation era starts with a giant 3D snake wrapping itself around the entire stage, and the Red era starts with 3D red balloons covering the entire movie screen before floating away to reveal the stage again.
Imagine having a front-row seat — at movie ticket pricing — to the pricey "The Eras Tour." Now, imagine being onstage and watching the new Kansas City Chiefs fan perform from there. That’s how viewing this concert film feels like. The jaw-dropping difference between the film and the concerts is the detail my eyes consumed on the silver screen. The impressive camerawork captured close-up footage of 33-year-old Swift’s face, a view concertgoers would’ve only achieved from the front row by stretching their iPhone camera zoom to its telescopic limit or being invited on stage by Swift herself. The detail of her artsy “tolerate it” table setting, the snake mic during the Reputation era, her bejeweled outfits, and the dancers’ facial expressions all added an unmatched level of intimacy to the theater experience versus the concert experience. You watched her perform on tour. In some ways, you were her on stage performing during the film.
One of the highlights of the film, and the tour, was how the late Kobe Bryant’s legacy was honored when the 12-time Grammy winner hugged and kissed the Lakers legend’s 6-year-old daughter Bianka Bryant while also giving her her hat while performing “22.” Swift’s tradition is to hand the hat to new young fans at every tour stop, but moviegoers will see the moment realized with Bianka Bryant instead of a rotating cast of young Swifties like on tour. The full-circle Kobe moment, filmed on August 3, comes eight years after the basketball star and self-described Swiftie surprised Swift at her "1989 World Tour" by coming on stage in Los Angeles and presenting her with a banner for breaking the Staples Center record for the most sold-out shows.
One major highlight during the live shows is “champagne problems.” After performing this song during the evermore era at every tour stop, Swift received a massive standing ovation. At one L.A. show, the ovation lasted more than eight minutes. While the film gives this concert highlight some time to shine, it doesn’t show the full extent of what happened at the live shows, cutting it down to help condense the film’s runtime.
Which Songs Were Cut From Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour Concert Filmour Film?
Swifties who attended "The Eras Tour," brace yourself because the concert film is not entirely what you have had on repeat in your head since you left your respective tour date. To condense the film to under three hours, Swift cut these songs from the tour’s original 45-song setlist: “The Archer,” “no body, no crime” featuring Haim, “Long Live” (though it’s used in the credits), “cardigan,” “seven” (the spoken interlude) and “Wildest Dreams.” And not everyone was happy with these exclusions.
JB Fuller, 35, of San Francisco, was “bummed” to see certain songs axed. “I was surprised and bummed when the film transitioned to the Fearless era right after the ‘Lover’ song,” J.B. said. “I squeezed Matt's hand tightly, gasped, and disappointedly told him, ‘They cut ‘The Archer'’?!” I also was surprised to see the exclusion of “The Archer.” It was one of Swift’s five fan-favorite Track 5s to be cut from the setlist, sparing “tolerate it,” “Delicate,” “All Too Well,” and “my tears ricochet.” She did, however, add in a bonus Track 5 — ”You’re on Your Own, Kid” — as part of her acoustic “secret songs” segment, where she picks two songs that aren’t on her setlist to perform exclusively for that specific concert. The other surprise song during the Inglewood shows these were shot at was her classic “Our Song.” That means these four surprise songs from these specific shows were also cut: “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “You Are in Love,” and “Death by a Thousand Cuts.”
Does The Eras Tour Concert Film Include Post or End-Credit Scenes?
Although the film took away renditions of many fan favorites, it wasn’t balanced out by the type of behind-the-scene footage commonplace for concert films. Likely to avoid cutting any more songs, The Eras Tour film does not include any of that footage until the end credits. Set to her song “Long Live,” the end credits show blink-and-you’ll-miss-them tour bloopers, including her trying to escape the “willow” cape that got stuck on her head, wiping rainwater off her soaked piano and untangling her Midnights era garter that was stuck to her shirt.
Additional footage in the credits highlights heartwarming moments of fans living their best lives and trading friendship bracelets. The film also does not incorporate any interviews with Swift, family, friends, celebrity guests, collaborators, background singers, or dancers. Even without these private looks into a celebrity whose every move usually makes front page news, The Eras Tour film and tour gave us Swifties once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Now, close your laptop, grab a ticket, and go watch this movie.
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