Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Concert Review: Katy Perry at EnergySolutions Arena
Posted By Chris Borgione on July 26, 2011, 11:15 AM
Her fans obviously knew ahead of time how flamboyant of a performer she is: twenty-something guys were decked head to toe in skin-tight sequin pants, too-tight-to-breathe shirts and faces full of glitter and eye liner, out-dressing the majority of the girls in the audience. And the parents dragged to the show by their nine-year-old daughters and their friends had to quickly come up with a kid-friendly alternative of what Perry was talking about during the song "Peacock," when her lyrics demand “I wanna see your peacock cock cock, your peacock cock.”
Straight out of her "California Gurls" music video, Perry’s set was CandyLand-themed, with massive suckers, cupcakes and other desserts making up the majority of what audience members saw on stage. Her backup dancers did a great job taking charge during Perry’s brief interludes for costume changes that had her decked head to toe in Vegas-style costumes and makeup.
Perry herself is a damned-good performer. Extremely theatrical with a strong sense of humor, she paraded the stage wearing costumes ranging from a CatWoman suit to a bright pink mini prom dress. Poking fun at the fact that she was performing the same night as Pioneer Day celebrations were coming to a close, Perry beamed to the audience, “That’s why I love Salt Lake, they make their own holidays, dang it!”
Her voice sounded just as good as it does on the radio as she sang and danced through hit after hit, but when Perry takes a breather and belts through the ballads "Not Like the Movies" or "Thinking of You," the audience was treated to the raw, vulnerable and stunning voice that Perry is packing.
During what she deemed as “Katy’s Karaoke,” Perry’s sense of humor came out in full force, taking on Rihanna’s hit, "Only Girl in the World" and rapping through Jay-Z’s "Big Pimpin'." She then got emotional, saying, “This song has helped me through so much!” before singing through a few verses of Rebecca Black’s "Friday."
One of the highlights of the show happened just as it was winding down, when Perry invited a throng of fans onstage with her to dance as Perry sang Whitney Houston’s "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."
Perry’s performance was littered with lasers, fireworks, acrobatics and out-of-this-world costumes, taking the audience through this CandyLand world of glitter and glamour that Perry has made her own. Acknowledging that for many in attendance it was their first time seeing her live, Perry asked, “I know sometimes, first impressions are pretty important … How am I doing?” Her fans responded with adoring screams loud enough to break glass, and to answer her question, she did extremely well.
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