Perry brought her video game-themed, career-spanning tour to the DC region
Pop sensation Katy Perry brought her buzzy Lifetimes Tour to Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena on Friday (Aug 15th). The elaborate production echoes the level of detail she featured during her sit-down “Play” residency at Resorts World Las Vegas. That ended in 2023, and Perry spent the last year designing this show.
The Lifetimes Tour has, without question, the coolest stage design on the road this year. A figure-eight thrust reaches to the very back of the venue’s floor. It takes up more square footage than the main stage. On stage, large flat TVs hang about, all cattywampus on trusses. Some flash red and gold, others give a snow pattern. Behind, a hint of the large blowups peaks through.
And that was before the show even started. The theme of the Lifetimes show sees Perry reimagine her hits as part of different levels of a video game. The dystopian screens, attached to a mainframe, take video-game Katy’s avatar, KP143, and her kitty companion through different worlds to earn powers. (Perry’s message has always been one of female empowerment.
The results are stunning. KP143 comes to life, teleported and floating above the stage through Stargate-like rings. She opened the show with some new songs before sending the crowd into a tizzy with classic hit “Dark Horse.”
As part of the “Woman’s World” segment, a blow-up statue of Atlas held a titanium globe that Perry’s dancers hung from, as 10,000 jaws hit the floor at the stunt. Here, Perry offered the songs of budding womanhood, “Teenage Dream” and a fiery “I Kissed a Girl.”
Perry spent a large part of the night on high-flying objects of varying shapes, including a butterfly, and a bungee from which she bounced among mushrooms on her infinity-symbol stage. And in the video game world, the stage was a massive ship, KP143’s home base, hovering above the world.
Vocally, Perry—now proudly “40, fabulous and jacked up on Dr. Pepper”— is in fine form. Her beautiful soprano was on its best display during a stripped-down deep-cuts section. Perry played Teenage Dream’s “Pearl” and “The One That Got Away.” Even this had a video game connection: it was level 3.5, aptly called “Choose Your Own Adventure.” For the latter, she brought four costumed audience members on stage.
Perry’s fans hung on to every word, enveloping themselves in her show and the on-screen video game story with equal fervor. Perry’s cheery message of self-acceptance and finding the joy in life. Perhaps Perry has unlocked how to truly defeat the final boss: don’t care what he thinks and let him hear you roar.
