As a newly converted Swiftie, I absolutely had to seize my opportunity to see Taylor Swift’s newest movie, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” on opening night. Upon hearing that tickets were up for sale on Aug. 31, I bought opening night tickets, alongside friends, during my first period an hour after the movie’s release was announced. Tickets sold out in a matter of minutes for opening night, given that it was an AMC theater exclusive movie.

Released Oct. 13, Swift’s lucky number, the movie documents the majority of her first night performing in Los Angeles, California at SoFi Stadium in early August of this year. Los Angeles was Swift’s last city on the United States leg of her international tour, The Eras Tour. 

Given that Swifties are one of the most influential fanbases of my generation, the queue to order tickets was a nightmare. I was desperate to get tickets due to the fact that I, regrettably, did not attend any of her three concerts in April of this year when she came to Arlington. I wanted to be able to experience the concert to some extent, even if it was just in front of a giant theater screen.

I purchased most of the merchandise available in the promotion of the movie, which included a light-up baton, a large popcorn tin and a reusable cup. Unfortunately, the tote bag was already sold out by the time I arrived — I was devastated. However, I consider myself lucky that I snagged what I could due to the fact that all merchandise, with the exception of a few cups, were completely sold out at all local theaters the very next day. 

I attended the movie alongside my boyfriend, who sat down inside the theater, preparing to pay the ‘boyfriend tax’ for two hours and 48 minutes. However, I was shocked to catch him enjoying himself, singing along with me to Swift’s hit songs, such as “Lavender Haze,” “my tears ricochet,” and “Love Story,” as the movie progressed. The cinematography was brilliant. There were panoramic shots that offered different angles that fans seated inside of the stadium would never be able to see at the ground level. 

The atmosphere within the audience during the movie was phenomenal. A sense of sisterhood was evident in my theater as we all sang our favorite songs written by Swift. Friendship bracelets were exchanged in my theater before the movie, even with AMC staff. 

I saw girls bonding with others seated near them, exchanging contact information to become new friends simply because they liked the same singer. Numerous attendees were decked out in different sparkly, colorful outfits that all represented different eras of Swift’s musical career — all of which are included in her tour’s setlist. It was a beautiful, feminine experience that only a handful of people can genuinely appreciate. 

I felt as if I was seated inside of SoFi, watching her in real time. Swift has a creative talent that is incredibly rare and a generational treasure. There is most certainly a reason why nearly all of her concerts, and now movie tickets are sold out — Swift is a brilliant artist, and “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” perfectly documents her sheer talent as a musician.