I took my daughter to see Katy Perry for her 9th birthday; we went with my friend Laura and her 9 year old daughter. We had nosebleed seats at the Verizon Center, but I still felt we saw everything clearly, so I didn't mind. (Verizon center hold 18,000 people - it's an indoor stadium in the heart of DC.)
 |
| Ferras, Verizon Center, 6-25-14 |
We arrived at 7:10 and the first opener was already going strong: Ferras, who I have since learned is a Jordanian singer-songwriter based in LA and the first to sign onto Katy Perry's new label. He was a little to boy band/R&B-sounding for my taste, but he did have stage presence. He spent most of his time behind keyboards, so he didn't move around much on the huge stage, but he did have a pink neon sign of his name behind him. I give him a "meh".
 |
| Capital Cities, Verizon Center, 6-25-14 |
Capital Cities went on at 8 pm. I had previewed more of their music before attending this show, and it turns out I like a few of their songs, not just the famous one "Safe and Sound". Capital Cities is technically a duo from LA, but they brought a few other musicians on the tour with them. The trumpeter really stood out on stage, and I liked the band's neon jackets with the reflective stripes as costumes. They were better about using the whole stage than Ferras. They walked the catwalk sometimes and had a dance-party to a remix of Safe and Sound as their exit song where the band just danced and ran around like maniacs. It was adorable, and smart reinforcement of their hit single. (They also played the original version in the middle of the set.) The band was also savvy enough to remember to tell the crowd their name, unlike Ferras. (That is my #1 pet peeve with openers - it's marketing 101, musicians!)
Katy Perry went on right at 9 pm and was coming back for an encore at 11:15 when we left. I almost never see shows with 2 hour sets, so that was a bit of a shock to me, but honestly, she kept our attention the entire time. All the rumors I'd heard about her amazing stage shows were 100% true. She brought it. Elaborate video backdrops, huge props that came up through trapdoors in the floor of the stage, a giant V shaped runway with general admission standing room in the middle, conveyor belts as part of that runway, amazing laser lights (better light design than I've ever seen at an show), acrobats, amazing dancers, lots of costume changes - you name it, she did it. By the end of it, I could see why someone would shell out $175 for a floor seat to this show. (And a lot more for VIP "experiences" like meet and greets.)
Here's the set list: (with my notes of what happened when)
Katy Perry Prismatic intro, Verizon Center, 6-25-14 - Prismatic - glow tube costumes, gemstone background, best glitter effect ever from laser lights, arrived through floor that opened like gem facets, umbrellas and glowing spears
-
-
-
-
 |
| Katy Perry Prismatic intro, Verizon Center, 6-25-14 |
- Egyptian - rode an oversized gold puppet horse, hunks in chest straps, a rapper as the sphinx in a cartoon video, twisty platform rose high in the air with Katy on it.
-
-
-
-
- Cat-Oure - a long, funny kitty meme cartoon video for set change (does she EVER know her audience!), cat costumes, reference to "Katy Kats" fan club, cat couture runway show to Vogue, oversized cat scratching posts with carpet perches
-
-
(Contains elements of 'Vogue' by Madonna)
- Acoustic - sunflower set, fairy princess costume, selfie photo, gave a pizza to a kid, talked to all the kids in the audience in a way that connected well
-
-
-
- Throwback - harness flying, silk over the audience pit, cloud effects, platform and crazy 1-story-high bell skirt yin-yang dress, giant puppet butterflies.
-
-
-
- Hyper Heon - neon 80s clothes, neon floating parade float balloons in audience (including Cover Girl marketing tie-in lipstick), inflatable full sized pink convertible that dancers rode in, moving neon letters that spelled out various words, Katy wore a bra made of 2 big smiley faces with a third big one on her butt
-
-
-
 |
| Katy Perry Hyper Neon closeout, Verizon Center, 6-25-14 |
- Encore:(We missed this)
-
No comments:
Post a Comment