Katy Perry’s Flight into American Airlines

Written by: Christie Bilbo

American Airlines hosted what can only be described as a controversial concert. Katy Perry and her opening act, Rebecca Black, stormed into Dallas with guaranteed hits from their song catalogs. The ladies were prepared and eager to put on a show despite the criticism that had been circulating about the event.

Rebecca Black, known for her YouTube sensation music video and single “Friday,” received a lot of criticism in 2011, as her music was labeled the worst thing ever released. Despite the negative comments, she began to build a following regardless of what people were saying.

It was Katy Perry who brought Rebecca Black under her butterfly wings and became a supportive influence on Ms. Black’s career. With her participation in “The Lifetimes Tour,” people are starting to take notice of the individuality and growth that Rebecca Black is sharing with her fans.

Rebecca Black kicked off the night with two backup dancers who wore fur-laden boots and shorts. She delivered a fierce performance that excited fans of all ages. Her setlist included:

• American Doll
• Twist the Knife
• Crumbs
• Do You Even Think About Me?
• Sugar Water Cyanide
• TRUST!
• Salvation

With the fans warmed up and excited for Katy Perry to take the stage, I was amazed by what I witnessed at American Airlines. I love seeing entire families at a concert. The little girls dressed in butterfly outfits, with tons of glitter in their hair, a rainbow of tulle dresses, and clothes that would brighten anyone’s day who was having a bad one.

Seeing the joy on the kids’ faces when their images appeared on numerous screens was heartwarming. The signs proclaiming this was their first concert truly made my heart happy. We can all remember our first concert experience and the excitement we felt then, and still feel now. Granted, I’m a heavy metal fan at heart, but I love being around people when they are thrilled about their first concert experience. It’s genuinely a life-altering moment.

Katy Perry has sparked a lot of controversy lately with her Jeff Bezos “astronaut” flight. First, I have to laugh at the Blue Origin rocket, which is phallic-shaped. With only 11 minutes at the edge of space, does this qualify you as an “astronaut?” Then, you add that they only sat in the “head” of the rocket and didn’t control anything…everything was done at the headquarters of Blue Origin.

Katy Perry faced a massive onslaught of criticism and is being labeled a walking oxymoron due to her roles as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and an environmental activist. Yet, she hopped on a ginormous-looking dildo and flew to the edge of space. With her past comments about us destroying the climate and the Earth with unnecessary space adventures, she set herself up for this backlash she is experiencing. Then let’s not forget the cringeworthy photo of her kneeling on the ground and kissing it when she disembarked from the rocket. Sometimes we dig ourselves into our hole, and she has done this.

Katy Perry’s theme for “The Lifetimes Tour” is set in a video game. She is battling against an AI known as Mainframe. She is trying to save the world’s butterflies. With visual effects on a multitude of screens, you watch as she encounters Mainframe and starts a war with him.

Her setlist included multiple acts:

Act 1

• Artificial
• Chained to the Rhythm
• Teary Eyes
• Dark Horse

Act 2: Woman’s World

• Woman’s World
• California Gurls
• Teenage Dream
• Hot n Cold
• I Kissed a Girl

Act 3: Nirvana

• Nirvana
• Crush
• I’m His, He’s Mine
• Wide Awake

Act 3.5 Choose Your Own Adventure

(Crowd Voted on Songs)

• Swish Swish
• Pearl
• Thinking of You
• The One That Got Away (Fan was brought on stage to sing)
• All The Love

Act 4: Mainframe

• T.
• Part of Me
• Rise

Act 5: End Game

• Roar
• Daisies
• Lifetimes
• Firework

Katy Perry pulled off an unusual show, to say the least. The stage had an infinity shape that she and her team of dancers fully utilized. This enabled everyone at American Airlines to have an up-close experience with her. (I appreciated this)

What I found odd was the choreography. The dancer’s moves weren’t particularly spectacular. What I witnessed was excessive gesticulating. The aerobatics on the ropes, rings, and twisty structures that resembled flowers were subpar. The fight with Mainframe was awful. She used a saberstaff to fend off what looked like a massive silver vacuum cleaner tube. The choreography for this was terrible.

In the final portion of the show, she emerged from the center of the infinity symbol on a giant butterfly, reminiscent of the rocking horse on springs I had as a child back in the 70s. As she pushed down with her legs and body, the wings flapped. Given how much she invested in this tour, I expected more from the showmanship we received.

Granted, I’m criticizing the concert; the music was fantastic. The people sitting around me loved it. “It’s Katy Perry!” One notable moment was when Katy Perry announced that her mother was at the show, strangely sitting right behind me. If you’ve never seen her mother, she is gorgeous. (Katy Perry inherited her striking looks from her mother.) She was accompanied by a couple of friends, who were just as strikingly beautiful. When the spotlight shone on her mom, the crowd around us went wild.

I’m so happy for all the little girls who were there to worship their idol. The screams from an arena filled with little girls were more deafening than the music. This made me enjoy the concert more than anything. I’m so lucky I witnessed so many young music enthusiasts experiencing their first concert.

There are some amazing concerts headed our way. I hope that I get to see y’all there!

Katy Perry Fans

Katy Perry

Rebecca Black