Blogmas 2023: Day Twenty Eight/Day Four Of The Twelve Days Of Christmas: Performing The Eras Tour (Ally's Version)...

 Blogmas Day Twenty Eight:

Alright y'all, today I decided to do what a few people on YouTube have done and that is PERFORM THE ENTIRE ERAS TOUR!

   I normally play real performances that are between five and fifteen minutes long, but my jam sessions with little to no audiences go on for much longer (sometimes an hour)!

   Today I was in my house looking for something to do, so I decided "why not? Let's try to sing, screech and crack our way through The Eras Tour!" (As I mentioned a couple days back, I have a cold that I've had off and on since before Thanksgiving)...

   Anyway, I tried it. I sat down with my Jasmine Acoustic Guitar at about 3:30 PM and started playing the intro version of Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince.

   Cruel Summer was kinda a hot mess, but fun as always.

   I was halfway through the Fearless act when I realized I had inadvertently skipped Lover (I know, I know, I ought to have my Swiftie Indentification Card revoked) and had to circle back before going on with the evermore act.

   I made the executive decision to play Tis The (we're family friendly on here, come on people) Season instead of No Body, No Crime because A, it's only on the setlist at certain shows and B, I like Tis The Season better.

   I STRUGGLED through Willow and other parts of this act. The low notes were simply NOT low noting. That's the thing; I've heard so many people say they can't sing high notes when they're sick but for me it's the other way. I'm a Mezzo Soprano with something close to a four octave range and the lower side of my voice gets attacked worst.

   I included Long Live and played through the RED act (cutting Nothing New) and right after All Too Well (Taylor's Version) (Ten Minute Version) (From The Vault) (I NEVER tire of saying all that) I took a break for supper. It was about 5:15 by then.

   At about 6:10 I resumed with the folklore set. Now if ya care to recollect, this is my favorite part of the tour as I said in this post. I played The 1 instead Invisible String and included Cardigan, which was cut from the film. Aside from the whole "sad to sadder to saddest" August/Illicit Affairs/My Tears Ricochet situation, my favorite song in this is the delightfully unhinged and unapologetically poetic The Last Great American Dynasty.

   After all that sadness, we got to Style, a welcomed but somehow almost not fitting change of pacing. The "take me home" high notes sounded like nails on a chalkboard (calling me out when I'm wounded) as usual but who cares.

   Changing the key of Blank Space and Wildest Dreams (they're both way to high for me) and shortening Shake It Off (is repeating "I shake it off" umpteen times REALLY necessary)?

   For my Surprise Songs, I selected a pair from the list of played Surprise Songs, which just so happened to be You're On Your Own, Kid from Midnights and Coney Island from evermore.

   And then, here we go to the Midnights set. This one I FEARED!

   Lavender Haze went semi-well, other than my struggling with the low notes to high notes transition and the fact that until today I've never played Anti-Hero on Guitar. Luckily it's one of the easier ones.

   Karma was definitely the hardest song on the setlist, and dare I say my least favorite. (It and Anti-Hero are my least favorites from Midnights and two of my least favorites throughout the discog, JSYK)...

   Playing through the Eras Tour was definitely a job, but it was fun! I can play somewhere around fifty Taylor Swift songs from memory with no thought at all and know all the words to all of them (aside from just a handful of my least favorites), but it was still a lot of brainwork.

   And I was sitting in a chair or on my couch through all of it! Dancing and being as active as Taylor is on the tour would wear me plumb out!

   Also, my fingers hurt! I've played Guitar for several years and they still started hurting!

   Anyway, maybe one day I'll play all the surprise songs or all the songs in album order! Who knows?

   Bye y'all! 😎