Katy Perry brought her “Hello Katy” tour to a sold out crowd at Atlanta’s Center Stage on April 15. Since Perry’s songs are extremely popular on Top 40 radio, it was no surprise that the majority of the audience was young teenage girls. However, what was surprising was how hard Perry worked to fit in with her crowd. Perry became a music sensation due to the popularity and praise for her racy hit “I Kissed a Girl,” but at her concert she seemed to just want to be one of the girls. She pranced about stage in her glitter ballet flats and rambled on between songs like a gabby teenager.
At last year’s Atlanta Warped Tour, Perry kept the crowd dancing and energized. She delivered a great performance with minimal props that was just about getting her music heard. The stage at Center Stage was crowded with oversized fruit and a large cat with glowing eyes. Although that stage setup worked for her at the Grammys, at Center Stage it only made Perry’s performance appear more adolescent. Perry sang every song from "One of the Boys," except "I'm Still Breathing." Her voice sounded clear and strong and played well with Center Stage’s dynamic acoustics. She even played guitar solo on her newest single "Thinking of You."
There is no doubt that Katy Perry is a talented artist with a lot to offer, but there just seemed to be a disconnect at her live show. Her long periods of talking between songs caused the audience to lose energy. Although the crowd jumped when Perry told them to, they probably wouldn’t have otherwise.
She covered two songs The Outfield's "Your Love" and Queen's “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Although great song choices, both songs were written before most of her audience was born and the majority of the crowd lost interest. Perry’s girlish playfulness is part of her image and she should continue to embrace it, but as a cutting edge 20-something, not a girl who wants be 13 again.
