Taylor Swift finished the first U.S. leg of her record-obliterating, economy-boosting, discography-spanning Eras Tour with six nights in Los Angeles in early August. By the end of that month, she had announced Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — a filmed version of the 40-plus song setlist planned for global theatrical release in October. To call it an unprecedented move would simply echo the countless pop-culture writers who have been tracking Swift’s ascension since her Former Label Who Shall Not Be Named took a risk on a 15-year-old country singer-songwriter in 2005.
Helmed by Sam Wrench and made with no studio involvement under a union contract with an official thumbs-up from SAG-AFTRA as a non-AMPTP production, The Eras Tour arrives during a break in between Swift’s international tour dates. Whether you scored tickets to a North American date amid the Ticketmaster debacle, have a seat secured for an upcoming date in 2024, congregated outside their nearest venue to sing along from a distance, or got shut out of the live experience entirely, The Eras Tour gives a new perspective on the landmark event that doesn’t impose on the feeling of actually being there.
It’s nearly as visceral, though — especially on a large-format screen with a packed auditorium of excitable (but not obnoxious) fans. No matter how good (or, in this critic’s case, how high up and obstructed) a seat one had at the concert, The Eras Tour provides the kind of close-up view of Swift, her dancers, and the band that only a member of the crew could have seen. From the initial countdown to every era that follows, Wrench’s cameras are tapped into the kineticism of the show. Hopping from the highest nosebleeds to mere inches away from Swift’s face, it’s a thoroughly original view of the performance that no one in the audience can say they’ve seen before.
Wrench’s coverage never settles into a bland sequence of shots. He consistently finds interesting ways to frame a performer on a huge stage in an enormous arena, which isn’t an easy thing to do. Not one inch of the screen goes to waste, whether during the big numbers or the acoustic sets. It looks gorgeous, too — despite being shot digitally and edited together from just a few nights of filming with a Marvel-worthy hard deadline. The post-production team took special care to color-grade and texture the already artful footage, further bolstering frames that look jaw-dropping on the movie screen. (It’s a refreshing change of pace for those who had to stomach the abrasive editing of 2015’s The 1989 World Tour Live.)
Cut down from more than three-and-a-half hours in real time to less than two hours and 50 minutes on screen, the film was bound to require some excisions. Ultimately, about a half-dozen songs are left out — including fan favorites “Long Live” (which appears later in a different context) and “Wildest Dreams,” as well as some more mellow B-sides that only the most zealous devotees will miss. The intent is obvious and twofold: keep the runtime palatable while also sustaining a high energy level for the non-obsessives in the audience who might tune out during the less familiar tracks.
By the time The Eras Tour reaches the 10th and final act, the Midnights era, a couple of things have become abundantly clear. For one, there’s a fresh appreciation for what the artist was able to do two to three nights in a row for five months straight. (And what she will continue to do with this show throughout the remainder of 2023 and into 2024.) What’s more, there’s a reminder of why Swift is as culturally, emotionally, artistically (and, of course, financially) impactful as she is. She’s performing to sold-out stadiums while maintaining a level of intimacy that makes it feel like it’s all being done specifically for the viewer. This feeling translates remarkably well to the screen, especially when she gives a sly smile to the camera twirling around her. The announcement of The Eras Tour’s multiplex rollout may have brought plenty of scoffs from the unlearned and the unconverted, but let there be no doubt: With this documentary, Swift has reaffirmed her right to her superstar status and consecrated the communal experience of going to the movies.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is now playing in select theaters.
