Photo by Naseeb Thapa-Magar

The poster for The Eras Tour versus the photo taken by the Staff Writer, Julia Pierson

“This is the rainiest rain show that has ever rain showed, ever, ever, ever,” said Taylor Swift at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on May 20th 2023.

I was a very lucky attendee of this incredible concert. Swifties from all ages came despite the rain to see her perform. But not all were so lucky, as a quick sell out and high costs kept some from seeing her live. For them, and those who want to relive the experience, her concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” came out last month. Instead of crowded stadiums, it’s been crowded theaters week after week. As someone who experienced both, here’s my take.

At her concert, Swift took us through each era of her music from her opening song “Mrs Americana And The Heartbreaker Prince” from the Lover album, hours in the rain playing hits from here albums; Fearless, Evermore, Reputation, Speak Now, Red, Folklore, and 1989. After 1989 she played the long-awaited surprise songs. That night in Foxborough she played “Invisible” from her debut album and “Question?” from Midnights. She then went on to close the incredible show with songs from her Midnights album. 

The show was an unreal experience, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. She truly is captivating from any spot in the stadium. It didn’t matter age, gender, or quite frankly anything to see the joy and excitement she brought to her fans’ faces. Friendships were made, along with proposals to “Love Story” or “Lover”.

The movie has many similarities and was also a completely different experience from her   rainiest rain show. The show was recorded from night one in LA at Sofi Stadium and was a wonderful show to watch. 

I saw it at the AMC theater in Braintree and could not have loved it more. There were more local places to experience this film but we chose to travel a bit to be able to get the comfort of the reclining seats and to get the exclusive Eras film cups. There were various amounts of people in anything from costumes to just their favorite Taylor Swift merch. Tickets were $19.89 in honor of 1989 taylors version coming out 13 days later. Seniors and children were $13.13 in honor of her lucky number 13. 

The surprise songs from that show were “Your On Your Own Kid” played on the piano, from Midnights and “Our Song” played on the guitar, from her debut album. 

The atmosphere in the theater was incredible. There were people dancing in their elaborate costumes to just their cute swiftie merch. Friendship bracelets were traded and everyone was just having an incredible time. Everyone knew every word to every song. We did not miss one beat. 

During the film, specific songs were cut, and it was very disappointing for fans. “The Archer” from Lover was not played along with the Haim duet “No Body, No Crime”; “’Tis the Damn Season” from Evermore, “Long Live” from Speak Now, “Nothing New” from Red, “Wildest Dreams” from 1989 or “Cardigan” and “Invisible String” from Folklore all were missing. 

One main difference is that because of the pouring rain at the concert it made it difficult to trade friendship bracelets. We did not get any confetti or fireworks during “Karma” at the end of the show, like most shows get. Another difference was the merchandise. At the show we had to stand in long lines to get our Swiftie merch, while at the movie the lines were not long and it was not as crowded. At the show I had bought a long sleeve shirt, but they had all different sweatshirts and T-shirts. At the movie they had large cups with all of the eras on them. They also had different popcorn buckets and depending on what theater you went to there were different buckets. 

Both shows were absolutely incredible and were so enjoyable to watch. There is a specific charm she has about her and the way she performs. Swift will never go out of style.