There have been times in the career of Katy Perry when she’s perhaps not been taken as seriously as she should. Those early years of candy-coloured wigs, tongue-in-cheek humour and bubblegum pop sometimes invited unflattering comparisons to the likes of Taylor Swift or Lana Del Rey – artists seen as somehow more “authentic” or “worthy.”.
Yet, having seen Perry wrap up the UK leg of the Lifetimes Tour in London last night, it’s clear those critics were missing something. She has made a career of wearing her heart on her sleeve, but instead of angsty hand-wringing compositions, she’s expressed herself through insanely catchy pop tunes. Upbeat, radio friendly they may be, but ultimately they’re accessible to so many of the KatyCats – a fandom as colourful and enduring as Perry’s own career.
Leaning fully into spectacle has always been her superpower, and that’s exactly what the O2 crowd came for. Look around and you’ll see Perry-inspired outfits from across her eras — pockets of Teenage Dream pinks and sparkles here, jungle cats from Roar there (more on that shortly).
The production is huge. From the first moment, it’s a night to remember. The back of the stage is adorned with a chaos of video screens which, right up to the start of the show, have been showing clips from Katy’s music videos, already teeing up the journey we’re about to go on. When the lights drop, Katy emerges from the centre of the “infinity” runway that is a spectacular centrepiece to the set, floating high above the crowd to deliver the throbbing ARTIFICIAL, from her latest album 143.
High above the crowd, you could argue this sets the tone for the night as it seems that about 50% of the show involves Katy soaring over the audience on wires, in cages, on the back of mystical creatures. Perry has a unique capability to fill an arena, not just with staging, lights, confetti cannons (although there are plenty of these elements) but through her genuine connection with the crowd. While she’s on her feet, she completes laps and laps of the infinity runway. When she’s in the air, she’s transported from the back to the front of the arena, from the stage to the top tier during NIRVANA, making sure everyone feels like they get their moment in the gaze of their idol.
As we reach Act 3.5 Choose Your Own Adventure I’ll circle back to those “Roar” costumes. Katy selects 3 fans from the crowd based on those outfits to join her on stage for a stripped back version of Unconditionally. Each has created their look for the night, but none better than Amy who has come to London in a full tiger outfit. 8 year-old Arielle gets to sing with her hero in a truly gorgeous moment, living her dream and smashing out the chorus to Roar in front of 20,000 fans.
The stage is cleared for a posse of alien creatures to stalk around the stage with beautifully angular choreography, before Katy emerges half way down the arena to fight them – part pop star, part superhero. More spectacular wire performances to a thumping arrangement of E.T., turn this into an even more epic performance, like super-charged capoeira but with lightsabers.
There’s huge anticipation as the intro to ACT 5: END GAME comes to life on the screens. Even if spoilers are circulating online, it’s hard to avoid the sense of awe as a huge butterfly emerges from the centre of the room, with Katy riding on its back.
It’s a huge moment, a massive emotional peak as the crowd belt out the life-affirming lyrics “You’re gonna hear me roar!” There’s merely a short descent before we’re launched skyward once more with Firework closing out the show spectacularly. The butterfly hovers over the stage while below, it turns into a haze of colour, butterfly-shaped confetti fluttering down across the arena floor.
The video game motif returns to close the show, flickering on the video backdrop, but it couldn’t be further from “Game Over” from Katy Perry. Say what you like about her, but this entertainment in its purest form – an authentic artist, putting it all out there for her fans in what must surely be one of the shows of the year.
