Are you ready for it? The time has come! We’ve made it to March, which means only one thing: The Eras Tour is here! Finally, after months of waiting, our time has come, and now we get to see Taylor Swift live in the flesh. I know the topic of the Great War can be a sour topic for some of you, especially if you were an unfortunate victim. However, given that it’s Swiftie season in Singapore, you will be relieved to discover that there have been tons of Taylor Swift-inspired events! The most recent of which was, beJEWELed, a two-hour singalong held at Jewel Changi on 1 March 2024!
I had the utmost pleasure of attending the event, and I only have one word to describe it: wholesome. For two hours, fans sang their hearts out to their favourite Taylor Swift songs, and it was an absolute dream! beJEWELed served one of two purposes. It was either a practice session for fans who were lucky enough to snag themselves tickets, or it was a nicotine patch of sorts for those who were not as fortunate during the ticket wars. However, regardless of whether they had tickets or not, beJEWELed was a ball of a time.
Now, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, allow me to give you a recap of the night, with every nitty-gritty detail and highlight!
Ambience
beJEWELed was held at the Shiseido Forest Valley, right in the heart of Jewel Changi, just outside the arrival halls. Jewel, as we know, is usually unbelievably packed, and the event did not help with keeping people away. When we arrived at the event, we were greeted by a gorgeous sight. The stage was surrounded by the amazing greenery in front of the rain vortex!
And as the night went on, I found myself being the most envious of the people who got the chance to sit in the skytrains as they slowly made their way past the event. With a momentary bird’s eye view, I’m sure they would’ve been able to appreciate the lights and the way hundreds of fans moved in sync to their favourite Taylor Swift songs.
Although a section was cordoned off just for the event, there were screens set up throughout Jewel, specially for mall-goers to soak in the incredible atmosphere and join in the fun! With a set-up similar to that of an actual concert, Jewel pulled out all the stops so that everyone could have as much fun as they possibly could! We were told that we could climb the stairs and watch the event from different levels, which was a great idea. The higher we went up, the more of the event we could see. Throughout the night, we witnessed hundreds of Swifties jumping, dancing and just having fun, which was extremely heartwarming to watch!
Outfits
The Eras Tour is more than just a concert. It’s an experience. And part of that experience is dolling yourself up in your best Taylor Swift-inspired outfit! One thing I noticed was just how creative everyone is! My concert date is days away, and I’m still scrambling to find what to wear. But it seems like I might be the only one with this issue because the fans who went down were decked out in the cutest outfits! Allow me to show you some of my absolute favourites!
Meanwhile, this family outfit was so adorable! It references the iconic red heart glasses, black hat and white tee that Taylor wore in the music video for 22, from her Red album! The best part about this was that they got their father in on the outfit as well, with his “A lot going on at the moment” shirt!
This father-daughter matching get-up reminded me of when I was younger, forcing my father to listen to the entire Fearless album with me. I’m sure that night was a memory that this family would treasure forever.
Next up is this willow-inspired outfit! I might be reading too much into it, but if there’s one thing Taylor Swift has taught us, it’s that we should never take anything at face value!
These two girls had the signature green velvet cape that Taylor wore in her music video for willow. The beige dress is reminiscent of the dress that Taylor wore as she was locked up in the glass box – simple yet so effective! The orange dress, coupled with the cape, reminds me of the scene in the video where they perform a ritual of sorts and summon those glowing orange orbs of light – she’s a mastermind! I don’t know about you, but these two are absolutely friendship goals!
Every Taylor Swift fan knows the fandom’s tradition surrounding friendship bracelets, but some people have taken it to the next level – this girl included! She upgraded her friendship bracelet into a sash to wear across her body! It’s never been a competition, but she easily takes home the crown for this one!
Gifts
While we’re on the topic of friendship bracelets, each attendee was given a limited-edition friendship bracelet courtesy of CAG, and an additional pack of beads to make their own bracelets! Throughout the entirety of the event, I bore witness to the trading of hundreds of these bracelets! Every attendee left the event with a wrist full of beads that other fans had handcrafted and gifted to them. In her song “You’re on Your Own, Kid”, she sings “Make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.”. That’s exactly what her fans did!
Given the meaning behind the song, I found it incredibly heartwarming to see countless older fans trading with and including younger fans! It felt like I was watching older sisters take care of their younger siblings – no matter your age, you’re always welcome!
Main Event
As soon as the clock struck 8pm, local band 53A and singer Joie Tan took their places on stage and opened the show with Cruel Summer! The crowd went ballistic as soon as those first notes were played, and that energy carried on for the rest of the night. Something was in the air that night. Hundreds of fans were belting out the lyrics to every song, and the fan chants were never off-beat! Can you imagine that? There was no dip in enthusiasm throughout the two hours!
The band brought the energy and kept the audience entertained for the entirety of their set. Performing iconic songs like Fearless and Style to newer songs like Anti-Hero, the band took us through Taylor’s entire discography, ensuring everyone was satisfied, no matter what album they preferred! The sets were punctuated into three different parts, with host Joakim Gomez taking over now and then to play games with the audience!
My absolute favourite performance by the band and Joie was when they played Illicit Affairs. I was half hoping for Joie to perform the adlib-ed version of the song like Taylor did in her iconic live version. Even though that did not happen, the emotions and pain in Joie’s voice mirrored that of Taylor’s all too well. Speaking of All Too Well, the band even performed the extended version – all 10 minutes and 13 seconds! They really spoiled us, didn’t they?
Sadly, all things have to come to an end. I couldn’t have thought of a better song to end the event than Long Live! Everyone had their phones up with their flashlights on, lighting up the venue like stars in the night sky. I saw people dancing with strangers and others soaking in the magnificent sights. Standing among them with goosebumps on my arms, I knew this would be a night I’d never forget.
And that’s it! That’s beJEWELed in a nutshell! As we were shuffling out of the venue, I looked forward to the day I would be shoulder-to-shoulder shuffling into the National Stadium! Of course, since it’s D-day, we must be prepared for anything, so check out our guide for the ultimate Eras Tour experience! See you there!
Photos by Brandon Neo of the DANAMIC Team.
