One and half plates of dumplings down and a big bowl of noodle soup arrives. I'm not somebody who leaves food and I did manage most of it but the soup did get a little boring after a bit. I'd recommend it if you were going to share it as the bacon and soy sauce make it quite salty, over powering the prawns and the noodles and broth didn't really excite but I'm yet to be wowed by any Japanese noodles so maybe that is just me. I'm definitely going back, even if it is just for the dumplings and the noughties throw-back soundtrack, maybe I need to sample the sushi. I was full but good full, not that full where it is uncomfortable when you are tired and have a gig to deal with.
The first point of call at the 'Motorpoint' Arena was the merch stand, If anybody is going to have good merch it is going to be Katy... There was several t-shirt designs, not the plain boring ones that you expect to see, there were hoodies, jackets, pants, glasses, bags, neon lights, bags, posters, everything, from cheap to pretty costly, they had it all covered. Obvs I chose the most expensive tee, forty quid, crazy price but it is tie dye with silver details, I did toy with the idea of a cheaper, plainer, boring one but I knew I'd regret it.
Icona Pop came on half hour late, for a Friday night the crowd were pretty subdued and their half set didn't help. I Love It is a huge tune but it was a long thirty minutes, auto-tuned Euro-trash crap, the two Swedes came across desperate, tame and tacky. Cheesy dance moves, awful banter, shouting 'Katy Perry' doesn't justify a cheer, it was bleak. There was nothing enjoyable about out-dated beats, they even nicked the chorus from Jay Z's Bonnie and Clyde for one song and Lesley Gore's It's My Party for another, weird. Then they brought out a kazoo for a Blink 182 rip off, it was so bad it was funny. Just when I thought all my excitement for KP had been drained away they ended with the Charlie XCX written, I Love It a modern day classic. What Icona Pop proved was that all you need is one great song, written by somebody else to have some diminishing success.
Thirty five minutes later... The lights went down, screams filled the arena, two hours of neon, acrobatics, party atmosphere, colour, joy, cats and massive pop tunes were on the horizon. I hadn't been this excited for a show in ages!
It began with Roar, anthem. Although Katy shows are visually brilliant (saying that, I saw her on her first UK tour at Shepherds Bush, it wasn't anything like the level she is at now, then it was verging on tacky as she threw inflatable fruit around, singing out of tune but potential was obvious, her imagination strong, as was her songwriting but the budget wasn't at the same level, now it is and boy did she blow it) her vocals have never been great live, she has always struggled with the big notes, not anymore, Roar was delivered well, guitarists flew in the air whilst dancers flung themselves over triangular scaffolding (the whole set-up was triangle centric, it is the Prismatic tour after all) and Katy marched up and down the run way in a neon dress which lit up when the lights went down before breaking into a colourful skipping session, it was mesmerising, I didn't know where to put my eyes, lasers beamed all around, it felt trippy. This was all in the first five minutes!
A remixed Wide Awake descended into a rave where she danced away on a raised platform before the emotional duo of This Moment and Love Me bringing part one to an end, the first of eight costume changes happened. It wasn't just the clothes that were replaced, the whole stage transformed into a luxurious Egyptian-themed world, every detail had been well thought out from the videos on huge screens to every dancer and prop was there for a reason, it really was a spectacle, I imagine this is something like a Cirque Du Soleil show is like. The Californian Girl returned to stage on the back of a huge, mechanical, gold horse, coated in jewels to perform Dark Horse, Juicy J wasn't missed as his face was beamed on the pyramid shaped screens, linked seamlessly into Kanye's verse on E.T. his mush, also projected.
The breakthrough hit I Kissed A Girl saw guitarists battle in the air with flames whilst the singer was surrounded by dancers in big boob, big bum costumes, a bit bizarre but it was about to get weirder when a mini movie of cartoon cats in Hollywood played on screen before a tap dancing cat (person dressed as a cat, not an actual cat, that would have gone too far, even for this...) popped out from the runway, more cat dancers turned up on stage before Katy, as a cat performed a swing version of Hot 'n' Cold, it was all very elaborate and crazy, more animals and huge props made their way around the stage, this is not a concert, it is theatre!
It was then all stripped back following the next costume change, a classy affair, donning a couture dress she did one of those cringe-worthy 'I wouldn't be here it wasn't for my fans' speeches before picking up an acoustic guitar that grew from the floor having 'watered' it with glitter and surrealism underneath a huge daisy printed thing that suddenly popped out from the ceiling for the heartbreak anthem By The Grace Of God, it was all a bit emo but showed the chart topper at her most vulnerable. Chilled out The One That Got Away caused a sing-along but the pace was back up during another change when dancers dressed in neon bounced around to a DJ playing nineties throw-backs which went on a little too long for my liking but it was mixed seamlessly into Walking On Air where she literally did, walk on air, hoisted above some canvas, casual. Her 'rave' get up was briefly covered up as she then magically swept in to a huge monochrome dress which expanded as she was raised suddenly back up in the air for It Takes Two only to return back to earth for a medley of party vibes with This Is How We Do and Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) where color filled the stage and massive cars, faces and suitcases made their way over the crowd. Normal.
Now sporting a green wig, tutu and high socks KP took on Teenage Dreams and California Gurls as neon coated dancers set the stage a light before the rave turned into the most glorious of parties for Birthday where she dragged a lad from the crowd, sat him on a thrown, surrounded by more acrobatic dancers, before a seat arrived and the singer swung around the arena which was being covered in confetti, the mood could not have been more jubilant and just when you thought that was that she returned one last time for the epic Fireworks, it was pyrotechnic galore.
Blimey! This was an action packed two hours. I thought I had a vivid imagination but this really blew my mind. Every detail had been thought of, it was such a slick, crazy production that came straight from Katy's head, I haven't been that entertained, surprised, taken back, freaked out ever, just thinking back makes me smile. There was so much to take in but I will never forget it. Even if you don't like the music I would urge you to go this mesmerising spectacle.
If you know me you will understand why I love Katy Perry, in my eyes she does pop perfectly. This was my favorite dream, come to life.
