Swifties by the sea: Taylor's Pakistani fans come together in sparkled outfits, friendship bracelets

Several hundred fans found their seats (hardly) to watch their favourite crooner sing to them albeit from the screen

KARACHI:

It was nothing short of a wildest dream. The October rains had splattered here and there but not enough for the city to be drenched in bad odour and broken dreams. But we were by the sea, where usually things are sorted and calm until there's a storm, and a storm did arrive that night as a sea of Swifties stormed the Cinepax cinema in the city by the sea.

Dressed in sparked outfits, graphic t-shirts and friendship bracelets, several hundred fans of Taylor Swift found their seats (hardly) to watch their favourite crooner sing to them albeit from the screen.

Clear from the high they had just experienced in that cinema, I spotted a crowd from afar while I waited patiently at the Cinepax counter to secure six tickets for Swift's latest film on her magnanimous 146-show tour, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. Initially planning to get seats for the 3pm slot, I was met with disappointment of the show being sold out. Surely, that couldn't be true. There were 10 shows Cinepax had scheduled for the much-awaited film, most of which were booked weeks in advance, the salesperson behind the counter informed me.

"We had so much demand for the film, we added another four shows for the film just today!" the ticket agent told me. "The seats have been booked two, three weeks in advance. It's been a while since we had this sort of response for a film." And I'd agree. Cinepax, as of now, is the only cinema to have screened the Enchanted singer's film, and fans from all over the metropolis have come in to enjoy the concert they had missed. I finally managed to get the 7pm show.

Around 6:45pm, loud gasps, insistent chattering and a sea of purple, pink and glitter moved past me. The Swifties had arrived. Fans of the singer had just come out from one of the cinemas. "How epic was that!" I overheard an excited fan, gushing with her friends. "God, that was therapeutic, wasn't!?" awed another one. It just couldn't be fizzy pop confection sugar high; there's more to the excitement exuding from these groups that seem to have witnessed some sort of enchantment.

What do you mean, I asked a group of girls. "We have never experienced anything like this!" Upon asking her to elaborate on her experience, the fan shared, "Earth-shattering, mindnumbing, groundbreaking!" she commented wide-eyed. "We've never seen anything like this. Us Swifties deserved this; we deserve to see her perform some of her biggest hits on a stage like this." She added, "It was the best thing I have ever attended. The fans, girls or boys, just came together to celebrate their favourite artist. The energy was addictive and it was all just so safe, comfortable."

The fan explained the usual cinematic disciplines of not recording the movie, or making a ruckus were foregone and everyone in the theatre was up on their feet, dancing and singing to some memorable hits Swift had ever produced. I frowned at the thought, I believe, because the fan added, "No, no! You have to watch it. It's such an experience. We are so glad that we just went to the second-best offer we had on the table."

Perplexed at the idea of not having a quiet cinema, I spotted a guy wearing an adorable Taylor Swift shirt. "You know, Taylor Swift has such an ample fanbase here in Pakistan, as I am sure you can tell," he commented gesturing around the crowd. "But we never have such concerts in Pakistan, which is just incredibly sad. However, I am glad that we have The Eras Tour releasing here so we can see all of her discography in a three-hour film." Just as I was about to walk away, he called on me. "Just do not take any snacks with you when you're going in!"

A seemingly exhausted mom with a group of seven teenagers, I assumed, warned, "It's three hours! Make sure you pee first." Never having attended a concert film prior to this, I'll admit - I was getting confused by the second.

Another fan, who had adorned his hands with friendship bracelets and Taylor's lucky number 13 (which was almost rubbed off of sweat, I believe) told me this was his third show in three days. "So, I obviously had to see it the day it was released," he told me, laughing. "But I also came for the morning show today, and now I am watching a show again at 7pm!"

At five to seven, fans started gathering around to enter the cinema. Upon expressing their disappointment for not having the merchandised popcorn cans and soda cups, they were treated with The Eras Tour bracelets and that brought their excitement right up. The cinema, once entered, was filled with fans waiting for the first glimpse of their superstar. I sat comfortably in my corner seat, waiting for the promised magic to happen. It was the moment Swift came on screen and greeted her fans with an 'Oh, hi,' that all hell broke loose!

The Swifties were up on their feet, their cellphones out and dancing to the first song of the night, Miss Americana. What went on for the next 165 minutes was, indeed, pure magic. Swift performed hits from all of her 10 album discography. In exception to several runs for water and soda, Swifties were right at the front, singing their hearts out, experiencing what their favourite had promised - an experience of a lifetime. Much to my surprise, I found myself grooving to the 1989 era when I joined the thrilled fans in singing Blank Space, Style, Bad Blood as well as other hits.

The Eras Tour comprised Swift's elaborate career and turning it into a film gave a chance for her international fans to participate in the phenomenon of her live stint. This is a great thing for movie theatres, which should be places of communal celebration. It’s also a way to share the thrill of live music with audiences who can’t afford the increasingly obscene price of concert tickets. But for her fans in Pakistan, this could be the next best thing. Earth-shattering, mindnumbing, groundbreaking, they said? Indeed. 

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.