I got the surprise of my life on the day a lot of Pinoys were feeling depressed because Manny Pacquiao lost to Floyd Mayweather. I had gone to the special screening sponsored by SMART at the SM Aura when my friends from SMART (Hi Ms. Kaye! Thea! sir Wo and JM) surprised me with two VIP tickets to watch Katy Perry.
I admit, I had a lot of doubts about the Philippine Arena, being too far, overhyped and not being an ideal concert venue, but since it was Katy Perry, and the fact that I had already missed her first two concerts, I would have probably gone where ever she was in the country just to see watch her perform in person.
And it didn’t disappoint.
Thanks to Smart Communications, Inc.’s homegrown and multi-awarded music app SPINNR gave more than 30,000 Filipino fans of pop goddess Katy Perry yet another spectacular music treat by bringing the first anniversary of the “Prismatic World Tour” to the Philippine Arena last May 7.
Even before the show, Smart and SPINNR subscribers along with the rest of the concert attendees had the time of their lives posing and posting Instagramable photos of everything Katy Perry at an activity set-up at the foot of the gigantic Bulacan venue.
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So even if the Katy Cats came in early, (I think some where there as early as 3pm) Spinnr made sure they would have tons to do while waiting for the concert to start.
We arrived at the venue right past 7pm and the ginormous stadium was just starting to fill up, and by 8:30 The Dolls were getting the crowd pumped for Katy.
At 9:30 with 30,000 screaming fans, Katy finally took the stage in plum sphinx costume. The Katy cats shrieked as Katy refused to hold back, and i was just stunned.
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In a bid to set the super spectacle’s tone, Katy opened the show with “Roar,” a single from her “Prism” album, delighting Spinnr subscribers, some of whom won their VIP tickets through the music app’s exclusive promo. In line with her quirky image, she did maximize the use of the cat induced themes, making it highly campy and catchy for everyone.
Nostalgic LED Showcase
“Hello Manila!” shouted the former gospel singer to her fans who all interpreted it as cue for everyone to start singing along with her. She strung her billboard hits “Roar,” “Part Of Me,” and “Wide Awake” before taking the crowd to a nostalgic road of her popular songs with LED choreographed dance numbers.
Katy’s LED lined costume upped the wow factor as the stage laser lights turned into red and her co-dancers formed into a battle formation, ready to pounce on her big audience as she moved from “Roar” to “Part Of Me” before transitioning to “Wide Awake.”
On to her next set of songs, she transformed into her own take of an Alpha Cleopatra riding a golden horse for her re-entry as she uttered the first part of “Dark Horse” consequently demanding attention and another round of wild noise of approval. At this point, the audience were also treated to the psychedelic rapping head of Juicy J. Katy then moved on to “Legendary Lovers” as she danced throughout the number and ended up rebuffing both of her male-dancer lovers.
The way the production designed every number was one of the tour’s strongest points. But Katy made sure every song was unique in arrangement and performance like her rock, slightly risque version and bikini line up-grabbing of “I Kissed A Girl.” It was definitely something more and she gave even more in the next numbers she performed.
Karaoke Frenzied Crowd
All throughout the 20-song concert stretch, Katy commanded her legions into a sing-along outing. She also touched the hearts of many when she called one audience member named Martee Viray and asked him to teach her to speak Tagalog lines. The hit-maker extended the crowd engagement activity when she asked everyone to turn on their phones in order to light up her next number. Accompanied by starry movements, Katy performed an acoustic version of “Unconditionally” and reminded fans that she’s not all visuals and spectacles, Katy’s love songs come alive because of her vocals. She went on to serenade the Arena with “Thinking Of You” and “The One That Got Away.” This acoustic part of the tour was like opium to the crowd who went high on lyrics and melody. From little kids to kids-at-heart, everyone knew the words to Katy’s songs like they’re “part of her.”
The night ended with “Fireworks” both in song and crowd takeaway. Fans, who account for the biggest “Prismatic” show attendance, will surely ride the high of this show for a long time as much as Katy’s touring group would.
Thank you again SMART and SPINNR for the advanced birthday gift!
