It was the end of an era, but the start of an age. On Thursday (Nov. 13), Taylor Swift revealed more from her behind-the-scenes documentary Taylor Swift: The End of an Era with a longer trailer that promises “an unprecedented look” at what made her earth-shattering Eras Tour tick.
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Fans can likely expect many easter eggs to decipher when it premieres – and perhaps some unanswered questions too (What exactly was the meaning of the gold Reputation suit? Why didn’t she wear certain 1989 outfits?). But the two-and-a-half-minute-long video does offer a few new insights.
In the preview, Swift – whose 12th studio album The Life of the Showgirl broke the modern-day record for equivalent album units sold in its first week with 4.002 million and has currently spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with its lead single “The Fate of Ophelia” also sitting on top of the Hot 100 for the same amount of time – and those around her share both personal revelations and technical aspects of working on the show.
“I’m very aware of mysterious forces at play that I will never have any control of,” she narrates. “This show created a bonding experience for like 70,000 people all at once. There’s something very special about that.”
The six-part series – which pairs with The Eras Tour: The Final Show that includes The Tortured Poets Department set – begins with its first two episodes on Disney+ on Dec. 12, just in time for Swift’s 36th birthday on Dec. 13. Below, read about the nine new things we learned from the freshly released footage.
Someone Sends Her a Clear Message
Before taking the stage for the Lover opener at one of her stops, Swift receives a computerized message of encouragement – in part, “Have as much fun as you can, we’ve got your back” – at her feet.
An Era Long in the Making
“I came up with the idea for the Eras Tour about two years before the tour started,” she says. “I wanted to overserve the fans in terms of the amount of songs they were going to hear and how far I was going to push myself. My main goal is to give something to the fans that they didn’t expect.” The Eras Tour began its reign on March 17, 2023. So working backward, Swift conceptualized the concert experience prior to the release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version) – which came out in April 2021 and November 2021, respectively
It Was an Eagles Sweatshirt Hanging on Her Door
In what appears to be an introductory meeting between Swift and her backup dancers, the superstar sports an Eagles crewneck. Back during the Philadelphia dates, she clarified that she did mean the football team in her “Gold Rush” lyrics and not the band, but clearly her NFL loyalties have shifted. (More on that later.)
She Plays It Cool With the Best of Them
Swift values talent. “All the dancers, the choreographers, the production designers, the crew, the entire band: every person is the best one in the entire industry,” she explains. Indeed, the doc features a plethora of behind-the-scenes personnel, including choreographer Mandy Moore, as well as those with her on stage. (Check out guitarist Amos Heller rehearsing in a bathroom.)
They Aren’t Dancing With Their Hands Tied (or Their Mouths Closed)
The dancers do actually speak now. “I’ve never seen the boss with this much passion about their job,” backup dancer Whyley Yoshimura says of Swift in an interview. Will we get to hear from all of them?
The Human Exclamation Point Is Ready for His Close-Up
“Travis Kelce, he brings a lot of happiness,” Swift’s mom Andrea reveals of her daughter’s now-fiancé. And Swift – who wears at least two different Kansas City Chiefs tops during the documentary and watches his game on TV – makes a cute phone call with the tight end while being driven around, where the two joke about how they have the same job. “You’ve got teammates, I’ve got teammates,” he says. “You’ve got Coach [Andy] Reid, I’ve got my mom,” she counters.
And He Waited by the Stage Door
“Tay Tay,” a crouching Kelce bellows from beneath the arena as Swift comes down from her Midnights closer, and the pair share a kiss and ride off together on the contraption that transports her under the set. (A far cry from “I couldn’t find you and I got so sad.”)
There Will Be ‘Red’ and ‘Reputation’
In the first trailer, released last October, home videos of Swift with her grandmother (and namesake inspiration behind the Evermore track) Marjorie surfaced. This time, videos of the Red Tour (an official movie never materialized) and the Reputation Tour (no longer available to stream) also make appearances.
All That’s Left Is the Manuscript (and Cleaning Up Bottles on New Year’s Day)
Since the Nov. 11, 2023, show in Argentina, Swift started incorporating mash-ups into the surprise acoustic sections – at that time, it was “Is It Over Now” combined with “Out of the Woods.” Once she hit the second of her Melbourne dates on Feb. 17, 2024, the combos became a staple. Here, the icon provides a peek into her mind when composing the final mash-up (in Vancouver on Dec. 8, 2024) of “Long Live,” “New Year’s Day” and “The Manuscript.” “So it goes ‘New Year’s Day’ verse and chorus. ‘Manuscript’ bridge into ‘Long Live’ bridge into the down verse of ‘Long Live.’ Into ‘hold onto the memories, they will hold onto you.’ Into ‘Long Live’ chorus, but slow it down to half-time, ‘New Year’s Day chords underneath it, into the last verse of ‘The Manuscript,” Swift explains to her mystified mother. “That’s complicated,” Andrea retorts.
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