Date Night at the Taylor Swift Movie

Movies are not typically something I write a blog post about. I planned to write this post in October right after seeing the movie, instead it took me until almost Thanksgiving to write it. I made the date when we saw it rather than when it was written (just to add to the confusion).

Don and I are not Swifties. Ashley was never into her, although her best friend at the time was. I did not appreciate the hype when her concert tickets went on sale, though I did feel for the moms who promised their teens and pre-teens that they would buy them tickets to the concert and couldn't due to major glitches with Ticketmaster, resulting in sky high ticket prices. I really didn't understand her appeal until recently. Now that I have, I am hooked.

We booked tickets to see the movie version of her Eras Tour on opening weekend. As we got closer to the date and started reading about how theaters were actually encouraging dancing, singing along, and selfies, we did wonder what did we sign up for, and questioned our sanity.

When we arrived with the tickets we bought back in August, the ink was rubbing off the tickets because movie tickets are not designed to last and be scrapbooked, we told the ticket taker this was our first Taylor Swift event. He gave us each a small movie poster and pointed us to the selfie station, or maybe it is an "ussie" station. It was almost like being with Taylor herself.

For once we were early to the theater.  As we had assigned seats, we didn't have to get there that early. For about 30 minutes we sat in a completely empty theater watching the pre-movie entertainment. Then one pre-teen Swiftie arrived with her dad, who got her settled and ran out of the theater as quickly as possible as if the phenomenon was contagious! Just as the movie/concert was about to start, everyone else showed up. We knew the show was sold out, but still didn't expect everyone to arrive together (it was not one large group).

The movie is a slightly shorter version of her live concert. With a runtime of 2 hours and 40 minute, her concerts rival Springsteen with its length and energy. That's where the similarities end. I commented to Don that she outdoes Springsteen.

Unlike The Boss, she has costume and set changes. Other than an acoustic solo in the middle of the show, she puts on the same performance every. single. night. I have since learned, she did not repeat a solo number during her entire run and Swifties talk about which song they got on during their performance.

The audience was quieter than I was hoping for. Our little Swiftie sat in her seat the whole time, with her arm covered in friendship bracelets. There was a small group near the front who got up and danced, while their moms took their pictures. Some people sang along. I didn't see anyone swapping friendship bracelets or dressing like the star. It was probably the right level of enthusiasm for us.

The more I have read about her since that night, the more I respect her as a person and as a businesswoman. She is only 34 years old. She started her career at age 17. When she performs in smaller countries, it positively impacts their GDP. She is a powerhouse!

This past week I saw a post that resonated with me:

That's me. The girl who was not hated or taunted, but also not included. Not popular. Not invited to parties. As an adult, I'm still not part of a clique. I blend in with a bunch of different groups of people, but never feeling like an insider. Never having that best friend. Often feeling lonely.

Perhaps that is why I root for her. By all measures she has it all, and yet, is generous. At the end of our tour, she gave a $100,000 bonus to each of the drivers who were on her tour, and $55 million in bonuses overall to her team. That is life changing money, enough for a down payment on a home.

Every time I hear about her in the news my ears perk up and I listen. I root for her. I want her to continue to be a role model for girls everywhere. The world needs more genuinely good people. More people who want others to thrive, too.