Katy Perry At Madison Square Garden, Wednesday, November 16th, 2011
It was the 118th date on Katy Perry's California Dreaming Tour. I know that for certain because, standing on a pink cloud, held up by ropes, near the ceiling of Madison Square Garden, she told me. Katy also told me how much she loved New York and how crazy she gets when she is here. And I know that is true because I just read about it in "Just Jared".
And I know she's one of the girls because… in the pinky blue, girly whirly, fairy tale world of her live performance ,she goes from poor girl through to an Oz of her own making and then a proto Cinderalla ending and… isn't that what girls do?
Ask the 14,000 mostly girl audience at MSG? And before you do that, do a little math. 14,000 seats, sold out, average of $100 a head, $1.4M gross plus merchandizing… cut that number in half because, cmon it's new York and therefore bigger and more expensive, and then figure she has grossed in the $100M raange so far. So maybe not one of the girls? Maybe she is right not to let the hired help look her in the eyes.
So what's my point? Katy's show was a special effects heavy pop music,party for teen girl:, a little dirty, a little sexy. Dressed as a "Peacock" Katy puns with the best of them, flirting with a guy audience member, she pretends her husband is coming, eating a hash brownie, she performs "I Kissed A Girl", "Circle the Drain" and "E.T." while pretending to be stoned.
And besides a "Who Am I Waiting For" that goes on for several years, it is well paced, thrill packed, with good dances, strong songs, excellent version of "Hot N Cold" and "TGIF" and a trip on a pink cloud so people in the cheap seats can actually get close.
Thematically, Katy had real problems hanging the nice girl in candyland story together. Though it started with a very good idea, she leaves her home and is "Waking Up In Las vegas", it stalls after that, The songs are too different. Nobody seemed to mind and I sure didn't, but it makes you wonder if she is gonna go for a pop opera next.
The set is simply gorgeous, like a 1950s Disney cartoon come to life, all light pinks and winding roads. And Katy has many, may costume changes and still the set maintains momentum.
It wasn't particularly good music, but it was particularly good entertainment. Much better than Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" tour and the little girls squealed but in some ways more maturely then they did during her dreadful set at Jingle Ball last year. The band are not much more than an anonymous veneer -ie excellent studio macs.
Sure, I believe Katy is nothing like the girl she is portraying, is , indeed, a creep of the first order. But she is a cool star, and sweetly indifferent to pc concerns. A good set
Grade: B+
