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THE RUNDOWN
The first two episodes of Taylor Swift's The End of an Era docuseries gave a behind-the-scenes at the singer during her August 2024 London shows.
Travis Kelce made a phone cameo appearance, while Ed Sheeran and Florence Welch joined Swift and spoke about their preparation for their Eras Tour performances.
The singer also revealed her private struggle after the thwarted Vienna terrorist attack and the Southport, U.K. stabbing, where three children in a Taylor Swift dancing class were killed.
The first two episodes of Taylor Swift'sThe End of an Eradocuseries arenow streaming on Disney+, detailing just how much hard work went into preparing the Eras Tour—and how Swift privately dealt with the nonstop performances.
The series' first two episodes show the European leg of her tour in the summer of 2024 with a focus on her August shows at London's Wembley Stadium. While her fiancé,Travis Kelce, has a more limited presence in just the first episode (we only hear his voice in two phone calls), Eras Tour guests Ed Sheeran and Florence Welch make extended appearances, offering an inside look into their friendships with the singer.
In the episodes' most vulnerable moments, Swift grieves the three childrenwho were killed in an attackat a Taylor Swift dancing class in Southport, U.K. She also shared how she was deeply affected bythe thwarted Vienna terrorist attackthat led to her canceling her August shows there. She said she carries a deep fear of any harm happening to her fans.
The contrast between Swift the person and Swift the pop star is laid bare in the docuseries, and there's a lot for Swifties to take in. Here, the key takeaways from the first two episodes.
Swift did indeed enter the stadium in a cleaning cart.
Swift has long been rumored to travel in unconventional ways to get into places without being seen. In the docuseries, she confirmed that she traveled to the Eras Tour stage in a cleaning cart as crew members rolled her in. At one point, a camera showed her inside the cart, mentally preparing to begin a show.
Travis Kelce makes a cameo over the phone.
The teaser for the Eras Tour docuseries showed a glimpse of Swift on the phone with Kelce. In the first episode, the call's exact timing was revealed. Swift was talking to Kelce ahead of her first London show, which would mark her first performance since she canceled her Vienna concerts.
Swift and Kelce compared their careers and respective teams, with Swift quipping that he has coach Andy Reid, and she has her mother, Andrea Swift. "I love you," she told him before touching on how rejuvenating the calls with him are: "Some people get a vitamin drip; I get this." Kelce expressed how much he wished he could've been there, and Swift jokingly lamented if only he didn't have the NFL and its commitments. (Kelcehad joined her onstageduring a London show in June.)
She called Kelce again after she finished her first London concert, saying it went incredibly well and the optimism of the crowd helped her get through the first performance. It was just what she needed. "We're back!" she said.
We see how Swift was affected by terrorist attacks targeting her fans.
Swift revealed the docuseries crew was supposed to begin filming her in Vienna, but the shows were canceled due to an attempted terrorist attack. She was shaken by what happened and, in a teary confessional interview, detailed how she felt the need to be publicly composed and a source of hope for her fans. She also broke down in tears discussing the young children who died in the Southport, U.K. stabbings last summer. She shared that she met with the victims' families before her shows in London. Cameras weren't rolling during those private meetings, but footage showed Swift sobbing afterwards and then having to prepare herself to get onstage.
She spoke about how she couldn't allow herself to cry in front of fans; she had to get it all out backstage so that the concert could provide a safe space for her audiences. Still, she appeared more nervous than usual before getting in front of the crowd. She's seen listening to a meditation and talking to her mother about feeling "shaky."
The segment gave a raw look at Swift's most human side and private struggles, even if she appeared composed in public.
She got a choreographer recommendation from Emma Stone.
Swift worked with Mandy Moore on the Eras Tour and revealed her longtime friend Emma Stone, who worked with Moore onLa La Land, gave her the recommendation.
Moore's background was primarily in film. While working on a tour for a pop star was relatively new territory for her, the choreographer admitted that the more she got into Swift's discography, the more she saw the cinematic links between each track. "Her songs are mini movies," Moore says in episode 2.
Dancer Amanda Balen, who also appears inLa La Land(she's the woman in the yellow dress during the traffic scene), worked on the Eras Tour with Moore too. In addition to appearing onstage, she assisted Moore with choreography and acted as a stand-in for Swift during rehearsals. She said it was always her dream to tour with a pop star. (She has previously danced with artists like Janet Jackson and Lady Gaga.
Ed Sheeran stopped by for a guest appearance.
Sheeranjoined Swift for her first London show, a performance she was nervous about doing after the thwarted Vienna terrorist attack. They were filmed practicing their duet backstage (a medley of their collabs "Everything Has Changed," "End Game," and Sheeran's song "Thinking Out Loud"), with Swift having a candid conversation about how she was feeling.
The scene showed how quickly Sheeran's surprise appearance came together. When he met Swift backstage, they practiced harmonies, he taught her guitar chords, and she talked through how she would introduce him onstage. Their rehearsal is followed by real concert footage of them performing together.
She and her dancers rehearsed Florence Welch's surprise appearance in secret.
Swift invited Welch to join her for the first live performance of"Florida!!!"during one of her London shows. The docuseries detailed the amount of effort that went into the choreography, which had to be done in secret, even though they were in an open-air stadium. The solution was playing the tracks for dancers on smaller, limited speakers so they could practice quietly. Welch, who was eager to learn choreography for the surprise set, practiced and performed barefoot. We see her learning the moves alongside Swift and using a lift for the first time to get onstage.
The series also gave a moving look at their friendship. Welch spoke about how Swift is a "huge" star but a "soft" woman, much like herself. She recalled how moving it was to watch the show and witness the energy among the fans, which evoked "so much joy and femininity"—a true celebration of girlhood.
Taylor hand-wrote all the letters for bonus day.
The documentary team shot Swift writing thank you notes by hand for every crew member of the show, from her dancers to truck drivers. She revealed that bonus day was one of her favorites, and her mother Andrea marveled over the fact that she applied a wax seal to each letter herself. Outletspreviously reportedthat Swift gave her crew bonuses worth $100,000. In the doc, she explained that if the tour grosses more, then the crew makes more too.
Dancer Kameron Saunders shared a sweet moment with his mom.
The series makes a point to highlight members of Swift's team, including one of her dancers, Kameron Saunders. In an interview, he discussed his dance career and recalled how past instructors or directors would criticize his weight. Dancing for Swift, however, was reaffirming and made him feel accepted, like there was still a space for him to dance.
He recalled being broke when he first heard about the audition (though he didn't know which artist it was for) and his supportive brother, NFL player Khalen Saunders, helped him out. Looking at his and his brother's parallel successes, Kameron said in the doc, "This feels like my Super Bowl." The second episode also includes an emotional conversation between him and his mother, as he thanks her for the sacrifices she made so he and his brother could achieve their dreams. On a more lighthearted note, we even get to see his mom dancing in the stands.
Swift added in theTortured Poetsset in between her tour dates in Asia and Europe.
In the second episode, Swift detailed how she and her team spent the two-month break between her Asian and European shows reworking the entire show to fit in herThe Tortured Poets Departmentset. (She recorded the new album during the tour, too.) The group worked in a "top-secret rehearsal facility;" sometimes they couldn't even play the tracks during practice because the songs weren't released yet.
By incorporating theTortured Poetstracks into the set list, Swift said they were essentially "relearning the entire show," with new blocking, choreography, and arrangements. Though she was excited, she admitted that if fans said online that they preferred the original show better, she would be so aghast, given all the work they put in.
She spoke about how she could do the original version of the show "in her sleep." While at first the idea of adding an entirely new set was a huge challenge, the team ultimately embraced the opportunity to push themselves.
Read our full episode watch guide forThe End of an Erahere.
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