It must be all the razzle dazzle, ostentatious sets, over the top performances, and of course, the candy-pop phenomenon that has ripped the music world. We saw that in her "One of the Boys" tour three years ago when she had just started her party on the pop charts. Now with her monster album "Teenage Dream" taking its hit machine further with a record five number one hit singles from the same album for a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100 that borne out the worldwide "California Dreams" tour, a reincarnation of her illustrious and savvy stage style was definitely expected in her return to Manila.
Didn't disappoint
Katy didn't disappoint, even if the crowd had waited a longer time than actually watching the whole concert itself.
The night breeze on the venue, the jampacked SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds, was delightfully cool on a Sunday, January 22, easing the burden on the restless crowd of tens of thousands of die-hard Katy Perry fans, who not only braved long lines to get to the venue but also took lengthy queues just to purchase a bottle of distilled water due to exhaustion and dehyrdration from the hours-long wait.
But was it worth the wait?
Proverbial anthem
The last stop of the California Dreams tour started at 10 p.m. , two hours after the gates were open. Katy emerged on stage to perform her latest album's title track that left the audience in a sing-along frenzy. "Teenage Dream" was something like a proverbial anthem.
Katy's powerful voice ignited the crowd and started the ball rolling for the show. "Hello Manila! Let's make some noise," she says and made everyone belt out the song in their own terms.
Choreography was impressive, with back-up performers fusing well with Katy's energetic and powerful routine.
The same energy and impact was evident throughout the show, with the succeeding numbers "Waking Up in Vegas," and "Ur So Gay," remained a concertgoer's delight, like savoring luscious candy in the mouth.
Then that dizzying, addicting "brownie" was devoured, leading Katy to her sexy, alluring self and blasting away "Peacock" that made the appreciating crowd dance that familiar step. And that song acted as the lead-in to the most talked-about portion of the entire concert.
The kiss
In so many words announcing that she was now single, a now "flirty" Katy asked any boy who'll remove his shirt first and go up the stage will be "kissed." After some willing males who had followed her instructions tried to get Katy's attention, the international pop star trained her eyes only on one "eye candy" — a well-chiseled hunk named Ivan Dorschner, who is actually a show biz personality, model, and talent of ABS-CBN's Star Magic.
They did kiss, albeit not on one single, intimate moment. She kissed him and the half-naked Ivan kissed her back. These kisses were then witnessed throughout the world on social networks and video sharing sites and made Ivan an instant "trending topic." Though the "dare" was part of the show, it was still controversial with Katy just estranged from comedian Russell Brand.
That "thing" about her soon-to-be ex-husband surely inspired Katy to make moving renditions of the ballads "Not Like The Movies" and "The One That Got Away." Her rendition tugs the heart as everyone who listened, even those in the faraway Bronze section, felt the pain in her heart. She performed her latest single on its "stripped down" acoustic version that was clearly more heartfelt, with each sung word giving so much away from her own personal story. They were the most memorable, hands down.
But who can also forget how she made everyone scream with her hits "I Kissed a Girl," "E.T.," "Hot and Cold," "Last Friday Night (TGIF)," and "Firework," despite getting meager responses from her relatively less-popular songs "Hummingbird Heartbeat" and "Circle the Drain." She ended the show with a blast, making sure she cooled down a "hot" crowd with a water cannon as she performed "California Gurls."
What Katy should have done
The "California Dreams Tour" in Manila was generally successful in terms of the in-show elements in terms of production, ingenuity of concept, and yes, the performers themselves. However, it would have been more special had Katy bonded more with the crowd with more personal interactions and not the usual fill in the blanks "(name of city) you're the best" script. An apology for that two-hour delay would have helped at the onset.
While she indeed captivated the audience with her charm, saying Manila was a natural choice to be part of the tour, Katy seemed to want the show to end fast. She didn't even sing my favorite, "Thinking of You".
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