I attended the Katy Perry - California Dreams Tour 2011 on Sunday, August 7, 2011 and Katy should have really named the tour "The Candyfornia Dreams Tour 2011" It truly was a confectionery dream. Everywhere you looked it was cotton candy, gummy bears, gingerbread men, and all the teeny-boppers in the LA county. Katy has strung off four, and maybe soon enough, five number one hits off her Teenage Dream album so hearing she sold out all three shows in LA to kick off her tour was not a surprise. What was a surprise was the experience I was about to receive from this concert.
I was informed through email that the Meet and Greet would be before the doors open at 7pm. It actually didn’t start until closer to 745pm. Seeing so many people dressed up as Katy Perry (i.e. wigs, short dresses) or having Katy Perry apparel on was entertaining. There were 12 foot backdrops of Katy for people to take pictures in front of. People were dressed up as gummy bears and even the tour manager come out for a bit (I was informed of this by a staff member of the Orange County Register). As I am directed into the theatre, metal detectors and the customary guy with the metal sensor wand. I pass with no problems. A bunch of us are directed down an escalator and a long hallway with both walls covered with 24” x 24” (I think) photos of previous shows that have taken place at the NOKIA theatre. As I am waiting to see Katy, people are walking back and forth and I swear one of them looks like Katy’s sister Angela. She asks a kid if he was a Katy Perry fan, kid does not give back a response but pointed at his parents. Laughter from everyone. I start conversing with the security staff and am informed that the room is stocked with candy. Yay, sugar rush!
Before I am allowed in, there is one more reminder that there will be NO AUTOGRAPHS, NO PICTURES. I am finally allowed into the room and can smell the cotton candy in the room. And I see her. She looks at me and I give probably the goofiest wave hello I have ever done. Then I notice that other than the photographer, I am the only other male in the room. My friend and I are instructed that we are next to take picture with Katy. I ask if she is Angela, Katy’s sister. She says yes, asks my name, and comments on being involved every step of the tour and enjoying every minute with her sister. It was a short but sweet chat with Angela before stepping up to Katy.
Before the picture is taken, Katy says my name. I am stunned, “how does she know my name?” Katy comments that she has super hearing. Smiles. My friend and I take our picture with her and I ask a couple of questions. I ask about any interest in getting into acting, as she has already done the Smurfs and was in “Get Him to the Greek” even though the scene was scrapped from the final print. “Of course I am interested. It all depends on the timing. But most importantly, it has to be CREATIVE.” I thank her for taking the time to meet all her fans. So the candy is ours to take and I load up on cotton candy, bazooka joe, gummy bears, smarties, ring pops, and a big lollipop.
Directed out of the meet and greet room I make my way into the theatre (my first time ever being there) and it looks huge. I was escorted to my seats and notice that my seats are probably about 15 rows from the pit area and they are dead center. I am starving from the long drive and go to concessions and grab a bite and drink. There are a lot of beautiful people at this show. I also hear a buzz that many stars are present for this concert. Exciting. Well on to the concert.
Directed out of the meet and greet room I make my way into the theatre (my first time ever being there) and it looks huge. I was escorted to my seats and notice that my seats are probably about 15 rows from the pit area and they are dead center. I am starving from the long drive and go to concessions and grab a bite and drink. There are a lot of beautiful people at this show. I also hear a buzz that many stars are present for this concert. Exciting. Well on to the concert.
The show opened up with DJ Skeet Skeet spinning a set of upbeat party songs to get the crowd hyped up. Given the crowd demographic and their intent to see Katy, I feel like DJ Skeet Skeet should have been an interlude between Robyn and Katy. DJ Skeet Skeet definitely got the crowd's energy rising and I would be interested in seeing another show where he is spinning. While this is going on, the two large screens on each side of the stage were shooting tweets of people who were at the show (of course they used a specific hashtag). I did not tweet because my phone battery was low to begin with and I didn't want that going dead. DJ Skeet Skeet also informs people that they could download for free a song from the set (can't remember which one). Great plug and advertising.
The lights dim and four men who looked dressed to do a paint job for a house walk on stage and take their positions behind their respective instrument. The stage set up is minimal with a couple of synth kits and a couple of drum kits. Robyn comes on stage and my immediate thought was, wow with that getup she's wearing it sure looks a lot like P!NK from her earlier years. Anywho, Robyn does a great just keeping the energy high and her infectuous dance beats had me moving. You would think Dance and Pop would mix together well but clearly everyone was anticipating Katy, most of the people actually sat throughout the entire Robyn set (I did not!). I think Robyn's song, "Dancing On My Own", was a perfect track to sum up her performance. Robyn danced, and boy did she dance, but not even the people in the pit were moving along with her. This also showed what a great performer Robyn is. I would probably feel unappreciated by how the audience was not doing anything, but Robyn continued to perform without a break or hitch. Some other highlights of Robyn's set: She introduced a Baltimore based rapper (sorry I can't remember the name right now) with a flow very similar to Nicki Manaj and Robyn ate a banana on stage and chucked the peeling into the pit.Second intermission before Katy comes on stage and a Hype crew comes out using an air cannon to shoot T-shirts into the crowd. Also the Smooch cam is in full effect, catching the full range of couples; young, old, girl/girl, boy/boy, and even boy/boy/boy. There was even one guy who they caught solo, so he kissed the stage. The cameraman would pop a thumbs up or down after the Smooch was done. Then a loud roar comes from the aisleway. Russel Brand makes his way to his seat. People try to take pictures of him or with him. Heck Even I try to do it, I figure why not! I don't get close enough and the theatre fades to black. (Side Note: For those fans of Victorious and Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande, she was present for the show and looked beautiful with her flowing red hair and huge bow. In fact she could have passed for Ariel from The Little Mermaid!)
Loud cheers and the monitors play clips of Katy Perry's journey through what appears to be candyland. It's like a mix of Alice in Wonderland meets the Wizard of Oz. These videos clips become well placed interludes between songs that allow time for costume changes or stage setup. Well Katy opens up with Teenage Dream and the place is jumping. Everyone is out of there seats and Katy Perry delivers.
For two full hours Katy Perry brings energy, lots of fun, and raw emotion. For being a sugar filled pop concert, the show had some provocative and maybe not so age appropriate moments (considering a majority of the attendees were probably 14 and under). From eating a "brownie" that leads to hallucinations, to using gestures during the song "Peacock" (these motions were done while repeating the word cock), to suggestive dancing by her backup dancers when performing "I kissed a girl", this show definitely had some adult content almost as if she understands that there will be adults in the audience and I wanna reach out to them also.
If fact there were times that Katy did reach out to the audience. She asked for a man to take off his shirt and join her onstage. Of course lots of men did take it off, some even tried to throw their shirts on stage. In the end she chose a thin, but very fit male (undetermined what team he plays for, even Katy said this) and he comes to the stage. They have a playful chat about his name (it was Victor Do, or Don't, or Dong, or Dunn, not really sure) and she kisses him on the cheek, tells him he has to kiss her back (on the cheek), and then playfully comments that "my husband is in the audience".
There was a moment during T.G.I.F. (actually thinking it over it might have been during "I wanna dance with somebody") where a gaggle of people were called on stage from the pit. They all get to dance with her and some took pictures that are probably on their facebook right now. The girl next to her nearly feinted. (BTW, she is wearing a Twister themed outfit). Commentary: I believe the first guy, Victor whatever, was staged and planned because he looked to comfortable and almost waiting to say his lines. During T.G.I.F, these people were unprepared for what was happening.
There was a moment in the show where Katy strips down...the music and goes acoustic. She dubbed this segment "Katy-oke". She covered songs from Big Pimpin, Only Girl, Whip My Hair, and Friday (the Rebecca Black version, not Ice Cube although I would have loved to see that). What Katy does here that I believe separates her from the other pop stars that are currently out there is she puts on display the vocal range she possesses, the strength behind that voice, and musical talent that she holds. Katy can definitely hold a tune and doesn't need any type of auto-tuning or studio help for her voice. I loved this segment of the show a lot and appreciate and respect her for singing sans big production behind her.
As I said before the show is a two hour non-stop ride. While there may be some parts where the show slows down, specifically for her ballads, there is not a loss of energy in the building. Katy had me, and probably most of the audience, captivated and fully engrossed in the show. For "Thinking of You" Katy steps aboard cotton candy looking cloud and brings herself out above the orchestra level seats and at common level as the orchestra seats. Again the vocals do not disappoint.
The show ends with "Firework" with actual fireworks shooting in the theatre. Of course the show does not end as "California Gurls" was suspiciously missing from the set. Katy comes back out to a roaring standing ovation and turns the NOKIA theatre into an indoor beach party. There are huge beach balls bouncing throughout the theatre, Katy grabs a HUGE cannon and shoots what appears to be foam at the audience, and confetti shaped as candy and hearts and filling up the air.
Anyone who is not a fan of Katy Perry should really consider changing their mind. You will definitely not go home disappointed from her performance. Katy shows a full range of vocal talent, shows the playfulness and geniune emotion from her facial expressions and from her interactions with the audience. Katy even shows us what she can be capable of in regards to acting (not just the video interludes, but also during the live interludes between songs). She is truly an entertainer and a performer.
For two full hours Katy Perry brings energy, lots of fun, and raw emotion. For being a sugar filled pop concert, the show had some provocative and maybe not so age appropriate moments (considering a majority of the attendees were probably 14 and under). From eating a "brownie" that leads to hallucinations, to using gestures during the song "Peacock" (these motions were done while repeating the word cock), to suggestive dancing by her backup dancers when performing "I kissed a girl", this show definitely had some adult content almost as if she understands that there will be adults in the audience and I wanna reach out to them also. If fact there were times that Katy did reach out to the audience. She asked for a man to take off his shirt and join her onstage. Of course lots of men did take it off, some even tried to throw their shirts on stage. In the end she chose a thin, but very fit male (undetermined what team he plays for, even Katy said this) and he comes to the stage. They have a playful chat about his name (it was Victor Do, or Don't, or Dong, or Dunn, not really sure) and she kisses him on the cheek, tells him he has to kiss her back (on the cheek), and then playfully comments that "my husband is in the audience".
There was a moment during T.G.I.F. (actually thinking it over it might have been during "I wanna dance with somebody") where a gaggle of people were called on stage from the pit. They all get to dance with her and some took pictures that are probably on their facebook right now. The girl next to her nearly feinted. (BTW, she is wearing a Twister themed outfit). Commentary: I believe the first guy, Victor whatever, was staged and planned because he looked to comfortable and almost waiting to say his lines. During T.G.I.F, these people were unprepared for what was happening.
There was a moment in the show where Katy strips down...the music and goes acoustic. She dubbed this segment "Katy-oke". She covered songs from Big Pimpin, Only Girl, Whip My Hair, and Friday (the Rebecca Black version, not Ice Cube although I would have loved to see that). What Katy does here that I believe separates her from the other pop stars that are currently out there is she puts on display the vocal range she possesses, the strength behind that voice, and musical talent that she holds. Katy can definitely hold a tune and doesn't need any type of auto-tuning or studio help for her voice. I loved this segment of the show a lot and appreciate and respect her for singing sans big production behind her. 
As I said before the show is a two hour non-stop ride. While there may be some parts where the show slows down, specifically for her ballads, there is not a loss of energy in the building. Katy had me, and probably most of the audience, captivated and fully engrossed in the show. For "Thinking of You" Katy steps aboard cotton candy looking cloud and brings herself out above the orchestra level seats and at common level as the orchestra seats. Again the vocals do not disappoint.
The show ends with "Firework" with actual fireworks shooting in the theatre. Of course the show does not end as "California Gurls" was suspiciously missing from the set. Katy comes back out to a roaring standing ovation and turns the NOKIA theatre into an indoor beach party. There are huge beach balls bouncing throughout the theatre, Katy grabs a HUGE cannon and shoots what appears to be foam at the audience, and confetti shaped as candy and hearts and filling up the air.
Anyone who is not a fan of Katy Perry should really consider changing their mind. You will definitely not go home disappointed from her performance. Katy shows a full range of vocal talent, shows the playfulness and geniune emotion from her facial expressions and from her interactions with the audience. Katy even shows us what she can be capable of in regards to acting (not just the video interludes, but also during the live interludes between songs). She is truly an entertainer and a performer.
A quick shout out to the dancers who perform the heck out of Katy's songs. I personally appreciated when they were introduced using candy and sweet themed songs, such as "I want Candy", "Milkshake", and "Tootsie Roll"
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