This week, the wheels of Taylor Swift’s much-ballyhooed private jet touched down on UK soil. In stadiums across the country, the American pop sensation will perform her Eras Tour show – a mammoth, career-spanning endeavour that encompasses music from all of her 11 albums, and lasts for three whole hours (on top of a 45-minute opening set from Paramore). Those unwilling or unable to shell out triple-digit fees for tickets can always make do by watching the filmed, unabridged version of the concert on Disney+; that one lasts for three and a half hours, and streams under the title The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version). It makes sense choosing that name – you couldn’t exactly call it the Swift Version.
But how long is too long, when it comes to live music? Twenty-two-year-old pop prodigy Billie Eilish recently described the prospect of a three-hour gig as “literally psychotic”, telling followers on social media: “Nobody wants that. You guys don’t want that. I don’t want that. I don’t even want that as a fan.” Of course, that’s easy enough for Eilish to say. If you listened to her entire three-album, two-EP discography back to back, it would still fall short of Swift’s marathon set times. But, while the “bad guy” singer-songwriter didn’t call out The Eras Tour by name, it certainly resonates with Swift’s current maximalist streak.
