Taylor Swift Hangs With A-Listers and Celebrates a Triumphant Run of Shows at ‘Eras Tour’ Movie Premiere

The premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was the kind of glimmery spectacle only a superstar like Swift can create. From Swifties exchanging friendship bracelets with Taylor’s mom Andrea (by “Swifties,” we mean the writer typing this) to Beyoncé, yes, Beyoncé, posing for photos with Taylor on the red carpet, Thursday’s event proved to be nearly as magical as any of the Swift’s tour stops.

Outside of the venue, helicopters roamed, streets closed, and fans without tickets surrounded The Grove, the outdoor shopping mall in L.A., anxiously attempting to get a glimpse of the singer. Swift‚ dressed in a strapless, 1989-themed dress, was so excited to attend that she walked the red carpet early, posing for photos with fans she hand-packed to attend the premiere.

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Swift took photos with her dancers and singers in front of the theater as Swifties watched in awe, and while no one was looking, snapped pictures alongside Beyoncé inside the movie theater and on the red carpet. (“I’m so glad I’ll never know what my life would’ve been like without @beyonce‘s influence,” Swift later gushed on Instagram.)

At the premiere, attendees — many who came dressed in album-themed costumes and “great gowns, beautiful gowns,” as Aretha Franklin once said — were greeted with numerous photo-ops, a Willy Wonka-caliber wall of candy, and endless amounts of popcorn in Eras Tour-themed tins that fans could take home.

Celebrities such as Adam Sandler, Simu Liu, Julia Garner, Maren Morris, Karamo Brown and Hayley Kiyoko, and Becca Tilley mingled and greeted each other. “We should get dinner sometime,” Morris told Tilley and Kiyoko after a short conversation. Fashionably late, the woman of the night arrived for a three-minute speech, as she thanked her fans and friends, along with all of the folks that put the Eras Tour together.

“This is a core memory for me and this tour? I’ve always had fun doing this. I can’t believe music is my career. That’s crazy to me,” Swift said. “I’ve always loved it. I’ve never had a fraction of the amount of fun on the Eras Tour before, ever.”

“Regardless of what was going on in our lives, we pranced on that stage grinning because of what met on the other side, and that was you and how much you cared about it,” she added. “That was absolutely everything. I think you’ll see that you absolutely are the main characters in this film because that’s what made this tour magical.”

Swift took a seat in the middle of the room alongside her backing vocalists, and throughout the entire film, she emulated her hand motions and choreo in songs like “Willow,” shared singalong moments with Garner throughout the screening, and even did the “One, two, three, let’s go bitch” countdown during “Delicate.”

It felt like the Eras Tour all over again as the theater sang along to literally every single track. Kiyoko and Tilley — Gen Z’s lesbian first couple, if you will — cozied up in the theater and sang along. (Earlier in the night, Kiyoko told Rolling Stone that she was “having a Reputation moment right now.”) And Karamo smiled and danced to Lover‘s “You Need to Calm Down.” (Remember, he was in the music video? Slay, king.) Meanwhile, Sandler sat alongside his daughters Sadie and Sunny. And after the film ended, he earned the title of Number One Dad, as he took a pic of his girls with Swift.

As for what was missing at the premiere? Not much, except that Travis Kelce guy. (To be fair, his Kansas City Chiefs have a game tonight against Denver.) Oh, and in the film, we’re not sure if we can forgive Swift for cutting out “Long Live,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Cardigan.” (Seriously? She left out “Cardigan”??) Okay, fine, we’ll let it slide. The premiere, and the film itself, served as the ultimate celebration of one of the defining pop stars of our time, during what was perhaps the defining moment of her career.

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