‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ provides immersive concert experience in theaters

Taylor Swift took the world by storm when she began her Eras Tour in March of 2023. It’s the highest-grossing tour from a female performer, spanning across five different continents. Even with 149 tour dates, tickets soon became impossible to find and prices soared. Many fans were disappointed that the tour was so out of reach, but it became more accessible when the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie hit theaters on Oct. 13. 

This concert experience wasn’t only for those who didn’t see the tour in person; Swifties who saw the live tour highly anticipated the film to relive their concert experience. 

SU sophomore Alix Berman saw the Eras Tour at Metlife Stadium on night two with her sister. But that didn’t stop her from seeing the movie with friends at the Regal Movie Theater back at school. Wearing her tour merch, Berman and her friends sang along in the theater as she reminisced the live concert. 

Berman said she enjoyed the film more because she had seen the concert. “I knew what was coming and I had that excitement,” Berman said. “If I didn’t see the concert and only saw the movie, it would’ve made me upset. I would’ve had FOMO.”

Newhouse graduate student Alex Caban-Echevarria saw the movie twice after her first viewing was cut short when the Destiny Mall had to evacuate mid-show. 

“I work for InclusiveU here at Syracuse and we ran an event where we took students to see the movie,” Caban-Echevarria said. “I was really upset about not finishing the movie – we were like two hours in.”

Despite being a newer member of the Swiftie fandom, Caban-Echevarria was determined to finish the Eras Tour experience, so she brought her mom to see the full movie when she went home over fall break. 

Her mom stepped into the theater unfamiliar with Taylor Swift, but left a true Swiftie. “When I went with my mom she was not into it, so I didn’t dress up,” Caban-Echevarria said. Once they saw fans dressed up, Caban-Echevarria’s mom changed her tune. 

“Why are they dressed up?” her mom asked. After an explanation, her mom swiftly responded, “We should have done that.”

Caban-Echevarria found the tour documentary to be worthwhile because the film is edited to give a memorable experience for all viewers. 

“It wasn’t just a concert movie, it was zooming in and showing the little details,” she said. “Even if I went in person, I wouldn’t be that close to [Taylor Swift’s] face or get those perfect shots.” 

Taylor Swift: Eras Tour proves to be a sought-after experience for Swifties whether they attended a live concert or experienced it for the first time in theaters. The movie is expected to leave theaters in December so both Swifties and non-fans alike have the opportunity to experience it until then.