I Just Can’t Shake It Off

On dealing with some fatal flaws in Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour Live

While you were out watching Star Wars this weekend, something rather remarkable happened: Taylor Swift released the concert film for the 1989 World Tour, 1989 World Tour Live, on Apple Music. Just look at that sentence: Taylor Swift, 1989 World Tour concert film, and Apple. Those are some pretty heavy hitters in today’s pop culture universe. But as much as I want to just stream and enjoy the film, I can’t shake this feeling that the film is just a little much. It seems Taylor, her team, and Apple might have gone a little too far in selling their product this time.

Don’t get me wrong though; I am no TayTay hater. I love Taylor and was super excited when I heard that I would get to spend a non-Star Wars part of my weekend watching what is certainly the biggest and most hyped concert film in years. And for much of the two hours I spent watching Taylor sing, dance, and play the guitar, I was completely satisfied. You simply cannot go wrong giving the people what they want and playing the hits and acting like you love every moment of it, which is exactly what Taylor does for much of the film.

But, a problem arises from two of the editing choices for the film. First, the documentary bits sprinkled throughout feel completely disjointed. It feels like they took an interview with Taylor, cut it up, and randomly sprinkled the pieces throughout the concert. We repeatedly get Taylor talking about some of her guests, saying that she had no idea the person would come, but that she would do whatever it took to accommodate them and give her fans the best possible show. If we heard this bit once and spent a portion watching the best guest performances or a montage of guest performances, I think we all would have been happy. Instead, we cut away repeatedly to hear Taylor offer the same recycled platitudes.

Making it worse, the cutaways don’t just focus on the special guests. Some of the cutaways are simply reflections on putting on the tour, the people involved, etc. These little acknowledgements and stories are nice, except for the fact that they are used to break up the stories about Taylor’s friends and idols.

Why do I care so much that these stories about Taylor’s guests are so broken up? They are actually not about the concert featured in 1989 World Tour Live; they are added entirely to add to the mystique and character of Taylor Swift. If we heard all these stories in the build up to Taylor’s guest arriving in the film, there would be a nice finality to the whole bit. Instead, we get no finality, and the bit turns into an extended opportunity for Taylor to humble brag, that is remind us of how in awe she is that she, ever-so-normal Taylor Swift, gets to share the stage of her world tour and be friends with some of the most famous and successful individuals alive. Because we get no real payoff, this thinly veiled blip of self-promotion is all we are left with, and it is rather disappointing.

Adding to the frustration of being pulled away from Taylor’s concert is the repeated editing in order to allow Taylor, the small town girl character, to break through the fourth wall. Taylor is a masterful performer and is a wildly successful musician. It is off putting to me to see her continue to play out this role of simple or bewildered Taylor, which appears to be the goal of the repeated miming and looks of bewilderment tossed to the camera. She wants us to see her not just as a superstar, but also as a girl who cannot believe she is a superstar. Now, thanks to social media and a slew of other changes in how we follow celebrities, we know this is not true. Today’s Taylor is a New York City socialite who dates other celebrities and socializes with super models.

And that is ok! We should embrace Taylor the celebrity, the same way Taylor appears to embrace this change in her life on 1989. From the very beginning of the album when Taylor welcomes us to New York, her new home, we know that she has changed and is proud of that change. She appears to be telling us that she has found a new identity for herself, one that exudes confidence and power. That identity is not overcome by or disbelieving of her blessed life.

So, why then does the Taylor we see in the concert movie insist on making it seem that way? This is a good question and one that has no clear answer. Very likely, it has more to do with some less than stellar editing choices by the people managing Taylor’s appearance. Most likely, these people wanted to try and maintain the sense that Taylor is that same small town girl that she was when her first album came out; they want us to believe that the fame hasn’t changed her. But, why do we need that lie? Let’s acknowledge that fame and celebrity do change people, and sometimes for the better. Taylor is a more confidant and masterful artist today than she was in 2006 when she released Taylor Swift. Let’s celebrate that. Let’s accept that change happens.

Moreover, let’s hope that Taylor and the people guiding her career can accept that too. Maybe then the artist attempting to be the most genuine in her industry, will actually be allowed to be herself and not a version of herself that her marketing team feels will sell more records.