TSS August 2024
TSS August 2024
Recapping Taylor's first public appearance following Vienna, a new Eras Tour costume, and the music video for "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart"
Continuing the monthly recap series is August, the highlight being a new candid in London, a new costume addition to the Midnights section of the Eras Tour, and the release of the “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” music video. August also brought us to the end of the European leg of the Eras Tour and Taylor returning stateside for a much-deserved break before she kicks off the final (*sob*) string of dates across the U.S. and Canada in the fall/winter.
Obviously not covered here will be the invasive balcony photos snapped of Taylor and her closest crew while relaxing at Holiday House in Rhode Island. Though it’s comforting to know she had a last chance to take in the salt air and rusty doors before this month slipped away into a moment in time. This is August 2024.
August 12, 2024 / London, England: This occasion marked Taylor’s first public appearance since the tragic cancellation of the Eras Tour dates in Vienna. At the time, this outing predated Taylor’s official public statement which she brought to Instagram following the conclusion of the European leg of the tour. Naturally, it evoked a lot of charged feelings. I empathised with disappointed fans who were looking for a place to vocalise their frustrations and sadness at seemingly feeling left behind when they were already grieving the loss of what was meant to be a bright spot in their year of seeing this magical production (and human) in person. It was hard to see fans discourage them from airing out their pain. It was upsetting to see the confluence of those emotions unfairly aimed at someone who was trying to abstain from stoking further terrorist action and simply adhering to the demands of an international security investigation. All while very likely shouldering the guilt and the weight of keeping millions of people safe every weekend for the last year.
It was a lot. In my coverage of it, I kept my commentary strictly to the ‘fit which I thought was a fun shoulder season look for Taylor. The colour and cut of her Vivienne Westwood ensemble felt bright and summery, while the longer, crisp white of her button up shirt and socks nodded towards coming chillier temps and the need to layer.
August 16, 2024 / Eras Tour / London, England: During last month’s recap, I had noted that I frequently get asked if I think Taylor will continue to break out new costumes on the Eras Tour stage, even as we near the end of its run. To which my reply has always been yes! Expect the unexpected at any given time. Take this completely stunning new addition to the Midnights costume options by Zuhair Murad (bringing that bodysuit tally up to five). I really love how this plays double duty as evoking the star-strewn visuals of the Midnights era while also feeling cheekily star spangled a la “little did you know your home’s really only a town you’re just a guest in”. This easily catapulted to near the top of my Midnights bodysuit rankings.
August 20, 2024 / “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart Music Video”: When we received news that the next single off Tortured Poets would be “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” my gut instinct was that it would be accompanied by a tour music video. Not only because there’s precedent for every era to have one, but that the meta quality of a tour music video for a song inspired by her being on tour felt obvious. Additionally, the logistical availability of Taylor’s time being another consideration. When on the road, carving out time to film and produce a music video can be tough to squeeze in. A clip video comprised of live performance footage from the present day tour is a low-budget and low-lift way of ticking a box. I assumed “Broken Heart” would join the likes of “Should’ve Said No”, “Fearless”, “Sparks Fly”, “Red”, and “New Romantics”. The problem was that the lyric video already sort of ticked that box. So how to differentiate it? By leaning on an old Taylor trick of course with home movie footage that showcases the more personal, tender, and behind-the-scenes intimacy that fans love to latch onto. It was a genius move that required minimal effort on Taylor’s side with maximum sentimental feels for fans to glance at the more rarely seen human side of her that so many of us first grew attached to. Mwah!
What were your favourite moments from August?