Katy Perry brought a taste of Play, her new Las Vegas concert residency to Studio 8H.
On an elaborate set festooned with towering, colorful mushrooms, Perry strutted and swiveled looking like a sexy Jolly Rancher (cherry-flavored, obviously) in patent leather assless chaps and a toadstool fascinator. Perry is definitely back on her bullshit in 2022.
The first song she performed was “When I’m Gone,” a new, energetic, electro-pop confection co-written with the Swedish DJ, Alesso. But the focus quickly shifted to Perry’s backup dancers, jigging in line behind her dressed as giant phallic toadstools, occasionally flashing Alice in Wonderland-esque signs that read “Eat Me.”
The pop singer returned to the stage in a puffy, powder-blue skirt for a slower, plaintive rendition of her excellent 2019 hit, “Never Really Over.” The dancing phalluses took a break for this portion, leaving all the attention to Perry’s powerhouse voice.