Hundreds of people chanting songs from their favorite artist or group. Laughter, screams, cries and hugs. Fans that look like stores merchandising walking, banners worthy of a high school project and shiny glitter faces. The scene that anyone could associate with the massive concert of the current idol in a packed stadium, now arrives in the darkness of the cinemas to occupy seats…and also to get up from them dancing to the rhythm of each medley.
There is no vow of silence or respect for the neighboring spectator that is worth it. Everything is permitted. The only rule is to enjoy the false live experience to the fullest. Fans like Bel Bárez explain it like this: “What I like most about sharing these moments with other people is make friends thanks to the admiration we feel for the same artists“. Bárez has been a follower of Taylor Swift since her adolescence, when she lived her obsession with the singer with shame. She remembers the laughter of her classmates when she showed them the folder full of photos and stickers with the letters Speak Now o Red.
Now, however, he shares movie afternoons with dozens of swifties, who meet in independent venues in Madrid to watch their idol’s concerts on loop, brought together by the founder of the Swiftie Club, Michelle Barroeta. The last screening, a couple of weeks ago, was the 1989 World Tour Live“and docu-conciertor that reflects everything about the musical era of 1989 (2014-2017) for celebrate the launch of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) By the end of october“explains Barroeta. “So far, I have organized these events only in Madrid and Barcelona, but the idea is to reach more cities in Spain in the future.”
Bárez and Barroeta, of course, already have tickets for what they themselves define as “the cinematographic event of the year”: the world premiere of the film-concert The Eras Tour, directed by Sam Wrench, last Friday, October 13. Two hours and 48 minutes of Taylor Swift’s performance at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles that caused the collapse of the Cinesa, Yelmo and Renoir websites as soon as the screening dates were announced. Bárez got seats for this first weekend at Cinesa Parquesur, in Leganés; Barroeta will enjoy the Eras Tour at the Cinesa de Diagonal Mar, in Barcelona.
“At Cinesa we have been screening documentaries and concert films by artists such as Billie Eilish, Coldplay, Metallica o los Backstreet Boys“, says Ramón Biarnes, general director of ODEON Cinemas Group in Northern and Southern Europe. “The most loyal fans experience this event as something unique and extraordinary and we are happy to be able to welcome them in our theaters.”