Perry, who wore a flashy gold dress and looked like she should be adorned on the top of a cake of some sort, worked the crowd with her pinup good looks and wide-eyed demeanor throughout her nearly 90-minute set. The audience, comprising teens, tweens, parents and everything in between, ate up every angst-ridden lyric.
The singer, who recently broke up with Gym Class Heroes frontman
Travis McCoy -- yes, guys, she's single -- delivered a solid set of songs
off her 2008 disc One of the Boys, including the title song,
"Lost," "Waking up in Vegas," "Ur So Gay," "Hot N Cold," and "If You Can
Afford Me."
The Perez Hilton darling rocked the guitar along with a cute bob for the duration of the show and displayed a fun stage set behind her, consisting of a cat with glowing eyes who showcased a K.P. collar and an assortment of fruit. She even tossed large inflatable strawberries into the crowd at one point and toted around an inflatable cherry Chapstick for the encore song, "I Kissed a Girl," unarguably the song of the summer last year.
"Love the new generation of wanna-be lesbians," my friend Jen said in reference to the young crowd, who sang along word-for-word.
Perry, who seems like the girl next door -- okay, perhaps the Suicide Girl next door -- tried to come off as relatable to the crowd.
"This time last year, I was eating microwave dinners and looking for a job," she said. "Okay not really. Well a little!"
She credited KISS 104.7 FM's Johnjay & Rich for helping her get to where she is today and said Madonna once called in to give her a shout-out on the popular morning show.
Critic's Notebook:
Last Night: Katy Perry at The Marquee Theatre
Better Than: Avril Lavigne or either of the Simpson sisters -- Jessica or Asslee, er, Ashlee -- take your pick. She actually sings and plays an instrument. Yeah, that's a novelty these days.
Personal Bias: How hot is "Kyle XY's" Matt Dallas in Perry's video for "Thinking of You?" I'm crushed that ABC Family cancelled this hot show and I still think his smile can light up a Christmas tree. Suck it ABC Family. You're missing out.
Random Detail: My friend Jen has been trying hard to get me to make out with her the last two times after our kickball games. Oddly enough she didn't put the moves on me when Katy Perry sang "I Kissed a Girl" during the encore -- not sure what to make of this.
Further Listening: 2008's "One of the Boys" by Katy Perry.
By The Way: Props to my friend Donny Johnson, the
general manager of the Marquee Theatre, who came through with a pair of
tickets for me, as a friend of a friend, after Katy's publicity people let us down.
Photos by Luke Holwerda
