Holy moly, what a year.
Our stans got the eras tour, Speak Now TV, 1989 TV [to come], and a film about the Eras Tour – which I’m really hoping gives some behind the scenes.
In June I went to Night One in Chicago! It was the perfect opening to my summer, and although Ticketmaster took away my golden seats because of its inability to reload their website – I ended up in fairly good seats. I wrote about my experience here while dissecting “You’re Losing Me.” Listen, that song still breaks me every time.
But it was amazing.
A week later Detroit came. I didn’t have tickets, but ticketmaster does do this unannounced drop for ANY shows they sell, the day before, unannounced. So I was on my computer all day, and did end up getting 50 dollar tickets to Night Two.
I ran into many of my swiftie friends from Twitter and Real Life – and although it wasn’t in front of the stage it was still a blast. Every show brings something new. I should have upgraded my phone for these concerts.
My surprise songs for Chicago were: The Lakes, and I wish you would. Bangers.
Detroit was: Haunted, and I Almost Do – which I cried about because it’s what I listened and played on my own guitar every day through college.
Fast forward a month and we got Speak Now TV. Insane how she is using her tour to promote her new work. She added Long Live to the set and when I tell you how much I screamed with some of her tour representations and covers looked like my Speak Now representations.
But these last ones [last 3] were actually fan based made images – which I feel like she actually took into consideration when creating some of her imagery.
So I went to Denver, Night 2, with some friends I had been talking with for at least 9 months. We all dressed up in different Eras – GOT NOTICED MY TN MULTIPLE TIMES, and I took photographs of them as well!
So 10/10. Vibing with people who are as insanely in love with Taylor and knew every word was something that just elevated the experience for me. We got the Koi guitar, and Long Live. Our surprise songs were Back to December, and Starlight. It was just a beautiful time.
Her speak now outfits are incredible.
Then, as some of us thought – she announced her version of 1989 is coming October.
By wearing blue all night and giving us clues through Taylor Nation, it happened. An interesting thing that she is doing this year, is utilizing her tour for promotion. It’s a VERY smart move. She has found a way to make people want to chime in to every single night she preforms. Typically fans will see a show and only their show, but because she adds surprise songs, and because we know her versions are coming, it literally makes the stans log on every single night she is live to see if anything is new, if any new albums are being dropped, and to hear the variant in the set list. We know she has Debut and Rep still to release but I’m not sure if she’ll release them all in a row.
Typically Taylor puts out a new record every 2 years, meaning 2024 around October would be another one. So far she has released two old albums, a new one, two old ones, and ?? Will we get REP next, or will it be something new. We know she is writing and recording right now because of her constant visit to her studios – but what is it?
At the moment Taylor Nation is in 1989 era, but Taylor is still in Midnights. All of her PFP and her own personal layouts are still midnights. Which tell us a few things. 1. She has stated she doesn’t really care how her re-releases do commercially. She isn’t doing this for money, she’s doing it for ownership. IT IS smart of her to release 1989 ASAP because it does stream 30% more than any of other stolen albums. Financially, if she doesn’t want the other companies to profit from her work, she needs to override that immediately. Which she will. 1989 had the most engagement yet when it’s announcement came.
2. She has released variants of Midnights.
Midnights
Midnights with Hits Different
Midnights 3 AM Version
Midnights Late Night Version [More Lana, and Ice Spice on Karma]
Midnights with You’re Losing Me [6 AM version]
We still have nothing labeled 9 [pm or am], and she keeps mentioning clock, its a clock. Which makes me feel like we may get ONE more variant before something new. So she hasn’t changed her PFP – and she only briefly did for Speak Now.
But it isn’t getting good now, she’s still the problem.. Taylor Nation sees the light though.
So the real theory of speculation is, are we going to get Debut and REP.. are we going to get these albums before tour ends next November… are we going to get MORE drop dates since she STILL HAS NOT POSTED ABOUT LA – LIKE SHE HAS FOR EVERY OTHER CITY even though she spent 6 nights in a row there??? OR are we going to get. a new album first.
Some people have speculated that the ‘clock’ in the man is reversed.
Meaning, we got Fearless, Red, Speak Now [was announced MAY 26th but came out July 7] – and then the clock is reset to Midnights.
Back to Karma with Ice Spice, Variants of Midnights, which premiered May 27th.
Then we got 1989 announcement on August 9th– which will come out October 27th.
Taylor is on a break from tour this month, and the next time she preforms 1989 she will own the album [in November].
The question is, is Reputation next, Debut, or something new?
She recorded both albums, we know that just due to what she has said on tour. Rep has it’s own challenges because it had so many producers that varied in that album that she can’t work with again but also because that album is generally pretty new. It’s harder to get fans to commit to a NEW album that has been redone rather than old albums with a younger voice that could be made better. Reputation is a pretty damn hard album to top. Her sound, voice and attitude during the initial record is already sonically pretty incredible. So will there be any changes? Who knows, but again… this is about ownership.
Vault tracks are definitely how she is getting people engaged with this as well. Again, genius. I am surprised that 1989 only has 5 extra tracks. She had written so many songs for that album that I am generally surprised and kind of sad [though I am grateful]. I am pretty stoked for Rep vaults, too. But I hope her break up doesn’t hinder the stuff she wrote – we want to hear it all even if it doesn’t apply any more.
Debut is pretty low on her list i think to own. She doesn’t relate to the songs, if at all, any more – and it’s a whole different sound. Besides that, it doesn’t stream in the top charts – so not a ton of money is being lost. But – she will release it sometime.
Since Taylor always does what we think she wont, I have a feeling this will be the order:
October- 1989
March – Reputation
June – Debut
Oct/ November – New Album
She’s been using her tour as a marketing tactic, to get people to stream live performances, buy and prebuy albums as they are announced, avoid energy draining normal promoting tactics with intense roll outs, and when Debut is released she can wipe her hands of all of this and begin something new.
She NOW has October 13th preoccupied with her Eras tour film – which I read she herself paid for the filming in LA which costed 10-20 million, and 46% of the profit stays with the theaters. But it has already sold past the Avengers and faster than Spider Man: The way home. Insane.
Anyways. What a fun year it’s been to be a swiftie. She has kept us fed and entertained.
I get to see her in London with my mom next June. I’m very excited about that. Let’s see where October takes us!