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The Grove was unusually quiet this past Wednesday evening. Surrounding streets were blocked off. Shops were closed and those aluminum barricades you so often see at concerts cordoned off the public (and fans) from strolling (or storming) the grounds.
I arrived at the outskirts with a barcode and bag of movie-appropriate snacks. I knew it would be a long night. I didn’t know it would be spectacular.
After passing through two security stations and flashing my barcode multiple times, I arrived at the heart of The Grove, and the glittering and glowing epicenter of one of the world’s most seismic musical acts.
There are a handful of people in my life for whom Taylor Swift, her music and mere existence, brings them absolute, unabashed joy. Until very recently, I would tell you I am not one of those people, but I’m so happy for you if you are and, as a deeply devoted Beyoncé fan, I absolutely, positively understand your zeal. Your Eras is my Renaissance. Your glitter is my chrome.
But see, this past Wednesday night, Oct. 11, 2023, I attended the world premiere of what has become one of the most anticipated fall films — Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour. Now, I’m no movie critic, and this isn’t a review. For that, you’ll have to listen to Amy Nicholson of LAist’s weekly film review program FilmWeek share her thoughts. However, as an attendee and lackluster fan at best, I can tell you it was a special evening for us…and very apparently, for Taylor as well.
In a rare partnership, Taylor side-stepped major studios to distribute her film and went directly to AMC. This may have allowed her to put her stamp on every facet of her fan’s movie-going experience. One of those stamps are ticket prices, which at $19.89 for adults reflects the title of her fifth studio album. For seniors and children, the $13.13 cost famously reflects her favorite number — 13.
With time to spare before the show, I floated through the grounds of The Grove awash in the soft light of dusk and the warm mezzo-soprano of Taylor’s voice which flowed out of speakers in hidden places. Amy (our FilmWeek critic) and I hadn’t synced up yet, so I asked a trio of young women to take my photo in front of one of the many photo-ready opportunities made available to us. As seems custom these days, the designated photographer took seven photos when one surely would have sufficed, and in the “live” viewing of my pictures I can hear her muttering “slayyyyyyy” under her breath. This is an exchange I’m all too familiar with after attending the Renaissance tour.
There is just a given in the orbit of your icon; you don’t just worship her, you worship each other.
The warmth and glow outside AMC’s The Grove 14 poured into the lobby where I snooped around for more snacks and souvenirs for the friends deeply invested in my evening. Guitar picks with Taylor’s face on it, mini-Eras posters, champagne and all the candy you can imagine were just some of the touches. The concessions counter was covered with pre-poured tins of popcorn, like mini-trash cans, with Era’s images all over it. Eager to get settled in my seat for the evening (I was misguided here, it would be a very long time before the film rolled), I grabbed a tin, for the popcorn of course, and headed to Auditorium 3.
I kicked my feet up and watched people stroll into the theater. I wondered about their relationship to the megastar, their proximity to her work, her influence on their life and the impact of her music.
When Amy arrived we surveyed the scene together. We got wide-eyed when Flava Flav walked into our theater with his signature time-keeping bling and bracelets, the Taylor kind, loaded onto both wrists. Then her parents walked in, first her mom, then her dad. They greeted the handful of fans selected to be there, exchanging bracelets and meaningful embraces. You could feel the exchange of love.
Finally, around 8:15 p.m., after an hour of humming anticipation in auditorium three, the threshold between our world and Taylor’s closed.
I can only assume the screening started an hour late because Taylor was trotting from theater to theater giving a “special introduction” with her signature candor and charm. Seconds before she appeared in a beautiful periwinkle gown, the theater fell silent. “Hellooooo!” she bellowed out from the walkway. She popped her head around the corner and we all cheered and hollered.
I would say that seeing Taylor up-close was the highlight of the night, but that’d be a lie. It was exhilarating, even as a not-yet-converted-fan. But truly it was the concert film that moved me most. Again, I’ll let Amy give the verified review below. But I’ll leave you with this: for almost three hours she invited me to feel a spectrum of colorful emotions that she mimicked on her face and in her tone of voice so you never felt alone, or maybe so that she never felt alone — each feeling equally as rich and fluid as the one before it. People clapped along, sang along, cried along and weirdly, so did I.
Swifties, don’t disown me for this, but I left early. I’m in my mid-thirties and not even Taylor’s world premiere trumps sleep. Plus, I parked illegally at CVS. But on my way out of the theater I grabbed another Era’s tin of popcorn, for the tin, naturally. As I drove home, my mini Taylor trashcans, posters, and guitar picks accompanying me in the passenger seat, I couldn’t stop playing more of her music. I actually wanted more. Why? Because listening to Taylor felt good.
Before Wednesday, sure I knew all the lyrics to “Enchanted” and “Midnight Rain,” but for whatever reason, I hadn’t given myself permission to fully enjoy her music. What other sources of joy and satisfaction needed my permission to be felt without any latent shame or embarrassment?
Maybe it’s a question we can all ask ourselves: What makes you feel good? What brings you unabashed joy? And have you given yourself permission to feel it all? Swifties have. And they want us to know, their Eras is our Eras.
Listen to Amy Nicholson’s review of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour here:
LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio
