As summer heat sets in, some dream of heading out to listen to their favorite bands perform. Concerts were the most missed when we were stuck in ascetic hermitage from a certain plague. My first major concert was during Septemberfest: Ramsey Lewis and his band. Those ethereal nights sitting on blankets under the stars. During the last four years, I have been more grateful for those memories than I ever had. A sense of community we all lost has slowly been creeping back in the intervening years. In college, rock shows were a staple of a Saturday night. After watching these two films, a spark of those times flickered in my joy.
Taylor Swift (and I know the weight of that name has an effect on some people) has become ubiquitous to pop stardom in the same four-year span. Releasing five separate albums in the time before the world opened up, some speculated what her next move was. Turned out, it was a three-hour concert where she incorporated songs over the course of her tenure. The Eras Tour, a juggernaut of a live show, became a film when it sailed into theaters last October. So it was no surprise that a streaming service like Disney Plus would snatch it up, with some slight tweaks from the Chairman herself. Taylorâs Version added a few more songs than the theatrical. A behemoth that this viewer spread over three nights; it was amazing to see how she visualized what was, primarily, an auditory experience.
Now I have a confession to make. I have only been a Swiftie since the release of Folklore, an album I hold dear, and Evermore, which contains a song to her grandmother who shares the name of my own. Visuals are my initial draw to those songs, something that her albums under Big Machine lacked dynamism in my opinion. But when I saw her eighth albumâs cover and heard the first single, I was hooked. The re-recordings have certainly taken that to heart, showing as much care to how they are presented as the songs themselves. And it was great to see her at that moss-covered piano, belting out âChampagne Problems.â Or the moments on the cabin singing âCardiganâ or âThe Last Great American Dynasty,â the viewer feels transported into Taylorâs world.
Sam Wrenchâs work as a director of music-related media really helps bring out what it must have felt like to be in that stadium, getting great crowd footage while maintaining focus on Swift and her musicians and dancers. These seamless transitions from one era to another, the scope of Swiftâs output becomes monumental. You feel as if you are communing in that space with her and those fans in the audience, something Hollywood has still not fully tapped back into. If they donât soon, the studios are in for a âCruel Summerâ indeed.
On the other side of the coin, HBO Max has just released Lady Gagaâs Chromatica Ball film. At a scant two hours in comparison, this is a very different presentation. We are not given as much visually despite Gagaâs penchant for fetish wear this side of a German bondage dungeon. True, they are works by Alexander McQueen and her own sister which feel like nostalgic nods to her intimations past. A huge fan of hers as well, in many ways she is the flip side to Swift especially in music criticsâ eyes. Whereas Taylor has honed her voice over the years, Gaga has been able to howl hers to the rafters from the beginning. Her pop songwriting skills are undisputed, despite her lack of distinct storytelling that makes Swift so great.
Set pieces that seem to be inspired by Klaus Nomi and Blade Runner bleed into others downright Lovecraftian. But when the concert really comes alive is when the bells and whistles are forsaken to Gaga and a piano. That is when you want to stand up and cheer. These are both some the most exciting concerts, perfect for any summer night.
