When junior business major Ellie Donovan woke up on a random Thursday morning in late September, she didn’t know she would soon be enchanted to meet her favorite musician. The Panther spoke with Donovan about her whirlwind experience meeting Taylor Swift at the premiere of the superstar’s concert film, which puts her latest tour on the big screen.

“She walked down the entire red carpet, stopped with as many fans as she could, just kept grabbing phones and taking pictures,” Donovan told The Panther. “She walks up to us and goes ‘Hi guys!’... She’s so nice, she just has the warmest aura.” 

“The Eras Tour” is a celebration of Taylor Swift’s 17-year career in the music industry. Since March of this year, Swift has been taking fans through each of her ‘eras’ (albums) in a three-hour show, replete with her most popular hits (including Swift’s re-recordings, coined ‘Taylor’s Versions’) and those from her newest album “Midnights.” While the Eras Tour is currently on pause, with international shows resuming Nov. 9, that hasn’t stopped the artist from entertaining her ‘Swifties.’

Her movie “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” which opened to $123.5 million globally, has already become the highest-grossing concert film in the United States. It utilizes footage from three of Swift’s six Los Angeles shows and gives fans the chance to get a better look at impressive production details they may have missed even if they were present.

Donovan went on to explain how Swift made sure to meet as many fans as possible at the premiere, stopping to chat, take pictures, sign autographs and even compliment tattoos. The artist seemed overjoyed to be there and grateful for all who came out to support her latest endeavor. Despite having seen the concert twice in-person, Donovan was thrilled to get the chance to relive that feeling during the movie.

“The concert itself was such a core memory and a joyful night both times… I was like ‘Okay, well that’s it, I never get to go see it again,’ and then I got to see it again with the same crowd energy,” Donovan told The Panther. “The entire theater was singing, the entire theater was doing the crowd chants. It was just joyful and fun. This girl I met 20 minutes beforehand and I were singing to each other in our seats. It was so cute… We just didn’t want to leave after.” 

A big draw of the film for fans was the chance to be invited to the premiere, which included a surprise appearance from Beyoncé. Donovan was one of the lucky few ‘handpicked’ by Swift herself, as was senior psychology major Valentyna Simon.

“As she started to get closer to where we were standing, I was in shock, like I didn’t know how to act,” Simon told The Panther. “It was like God was right in front of me. … And then she took my phone, spammed like 15 photos on my phone with me and my best friend, gave the phone back and said ‘Love you guys, thanks for coming!’ and then continued on.” 

Swift seems to have chosen people who are very active in the fanbase, as Donovan and Simon were both vetted by her official team, ‘Taylor Nation.’ Other fans were invited by Spotify based on their listening stats. 

Another aspect that makes the film — and the tour itself — so impactful is the feeling of being surrounded by fellow Swifties who were all there for the same reason: a shared love of an artist. Simon commented on the physical representation of that solidarity between fans. 

“I like the friendship bracelets,” Simon said. “The whole aspect of going to this tour (and) bonding together as a fanbase, and just being so open to go and talk to people… You go to every other concert (and) nobody really talks to each other unless you’re in the pit, but here, it was like you’re turning around to talk to people behind you, even if you’re in the nosebleed seats. You’re trading friendship bracelets with the workers who are working at the stadiums. It’s just so fan-oriented at the end of the day.”

Junior psychology major Giovanna Hamed was also moved by the sense of community and urges superfans and casual enjoyers alike to go experience the film for themselves. 

“No artist is like her,” Hamed said. “She can’t be replicated. (‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ is) just like a peek into this dazzling, glittery landscape of songwriting and fun and artistry that you just have to see for yourself.” 

Something all the attendees seem to be in agreement on is that the The Eras Tour is catered to her fans. As the credits roll, moviegoers are treated to videos of funny mistakes and goofs from different performances, as well as fans putting their love for Taylor Swift on display. 

The enjoyment and admiration Swift has received is not limited to fans and fellow musicians, though. Swift is getting a lot of praise from big names in the film industry as well, such as director Christopher Nolan, who commented on her ability to bring fans into theaters without the help of a major film studio. The filmmaker behind “Oppenheimer” also speculated about how this unconventional rollout could potentially bring about change in the industry. 

“Taylor Swift is about to show the studios because her concert film is not being distributed by the studios,” Nolan said in an Oct. 11 interview with Kai Bird. “It’s being distributed by a theater owner, AMC, and it’s going to make an enormous amount of money. And this is the thing, this is a format, this is a way of seeing things and sharing stories, or sharing experiences, that’s incredibly valuable.”

It’s worth noting that the artist has been able to go toe to toe — or ticket to ticket — with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, breaking the single-day presale record previously held by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and making Swift a superhero in her own right. She certainly is no stranger to taking on supervillains, as seen by her infamous battle for her masters with Scooter Braun. 

Simon, who has already seen the film twice, explains why any fans on the fence about visiting their local AMC should go for it.  

“I saw it twice in a row because I really loved being able to just sit down and focus on her music in a way I don’t get to in daily life,” Simon said. “This is an experience where you can go watch (Swift) be her(self) and immerse yourself in a musical experience even if you’re not at a concert.” 

“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is playing at AMC Theaters now every Thursday-Sunday (as she wants fans to have time to do their homework!). The film will remain in theaters until Dec. 31.