Kaleidoscope Katy

PERRY (center) dazzled with bombastic numbers and showed a tender side, too. Photo by Arnold Almacen

BOCAUE, Bulacan—An array of light beams, bright and intensely colored, darted across the cavernous arena and blinked at a convulsive speed. The huge screen displayed a dizzying swirl of trippy animated imagery that took viewers to a fun, if befuddling, journey through space, ancient Egypt and Broadway.

Onstage, an army of well-sculpted dancers twirled and writhed in their phosphorescent outfits, as the rumbling bass rippled through the ground.

And in the middle of the chaos was Katy Perry, one of this generation’s most prolific and successful pop artists, with nine Billboard 100 No. 1 hits, and 11 million albums and 81 million singles sold under her sparkly belt.

On Thursday at the Philippine Arena, the recording artist celebrated the anniversary of her ongoing “The Prismatic World Tour,” which kicked off last year in support of her fourth album, “Prism.”

It was one of her biggest concerts ever, she related, with over 30,000 frenzied fans in attendance. And on that evening, Perry delivered a spectacle, throwing everything but the kitchen sink. Or maybe she did… but it got lost in the deluge of props, stunts, gimmicks, costumes and the heady dose of catchy dance-pop music.

PERRY, with her well-sculpted dancers, entertained over 30,000 frenzied concert-goers. Photo by Arnold Almacen

Perry emerged onstage in a cat-inspired, purple leotard, and, to deafening cheers and shrieks, opened the show with the bombastic “Roar.” Perry belted out the song as she shadowboxed; later on, she jumped rope, her ponytail lined with glowing lights flying every which way.

More outlandish

The concert had about six more theme changes, each one calling for a different, more outlandish wardrobe that had her looking like silly cartoon characters. In the Egypt section, the American pop star—channeling Cleopatra—entered the stage atop a golden horse, from which she began singing, well… “Dark Horse.” She then “vogued” and sashayed down the catwalk in a pink leopard suit, complete with cat ears and tail, in the “Cat-oure” act.

In the “Hyper Neon” and “Throwback” sections, Perry changed into something straight out of the futuristic cartoon show “The Jetsons,” and delighted the tween girls-heavy audience with “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls.”

Her outfit in the “Acoustic” part of the concert was perhaps the most subdued—a shiny green dress with sunflowers. But she once again turned on wattage for the encore, with a garish, voluminous gown.

Perry, who puts panache over everything else, has a penchant for the campy, wacky and senselessly funny, and she reveled in its excesses.

Where else would you see a row of mummies with oversized mammaries twerking in unison? An uproarious skit featuring cats dressed in sardine cans and fish bowls ganging up on a mouse? Or what about those balloons shaped like lipstick, tacos, champagne bottles and yes, a poo emoji that seemingly came out of nowhere, as she sang a mashup of “This is How We Do” and “Last Friday Night (TGIF).”

The show, no doubt, was visually stunning and frequently offered way more than what the eyes could process at a given second. But in all the razzle-dazzle in which Perry thrived, it could be easy to forget that she, too, is a singer—a passable one at that. But the direction and pace of the concert did not allow many opportunities to show that.

A PROLIFIC and successful pop artist, Katy Perry delivered a spectacle, putting panache over everything else. Photo by Arnold Almacen

Earnest performance

Perry, however, made the most out of the show’s “Acoustic” section—the quietest and most grounded part of the event. Here she strummed on a glittery acoustic guitar, and gave an earnest vocal performance in the very personal “By the Grace of God.”

Perry also dished out a bare bones performance of “The One That Got Away” and “Thinking of You.” Prior to the sentimental “Unconditionally,” she asked the fans to fire up their phones, turning the arena into a sea of lights.

She was likewise at her chattiest in this moment, bantering with the crowd, and even inviting a lucky fan onstage who got to goof around, embrace and take selfies with Perry. “How do you say ‘Hello’ in Tagalog?”

Perry asked the speechless fan. When told that Filipinos usually say “hello,” too, Perry jested: “I came all the way here and it’s just ‘hello!’”

Mounting a tour—especially one that’s as intricate as Perry’s—is no easy task. And thus it was impressive to know that in the 138 or so shows she was scheduled to do, not once did she cancel. “Some of us have been sick, tired, lonely and homesick. But we know how important it is to show up. And because we gave our word, we’re going to show up every time,” she said.

Perry added that the love and support of all the fans make her grateful that she does what she does—celebrate music. “Hopefully you had fun. Hopefully you leave here feeling uplifted. Hopefully you have a little more joy than what you had when you came!” she said. And, in return, the visibly uplifted audience roared.

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