“Philly! Will you be my Witness tonight?” Katy Perry shouted, while entering the stage on a flying pedestal at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, October 12th.
The show was slated to start at 8:00 p.m., but did not begin until 9:15. Noah Cyrus opened after 7 o’clock.
Perry was late to start because she had pre-show meet and greets, which my brother and I were lucky enough to “Witness.” I entered the contest on katycats.com and was one of the five lucky KatyCats to win! We were able to bring one other person with us to meet Katy.
The winners were brought to a special room in the basement of the Wells Fargo Center. There were other contest winners there, so the room was packed. We were treated to chocolate eye balls, ring pops, and flamingo glasses. While waiting, fans could mingle and take photo booth pictures.
Finally, the moment came and the actual Katy Perry walked in the room looking like a goddess. She spent a few minutes with each group chatting, taking pictures, and listening to all of our stories and compliments. It was the best two minutes of my life. She was beautiful inside and out.
Needless to say, my Teenage Dream came true that night!
After coming down off of the high from hugging and breathing the same air as Katy Perry, my brother and I took our seats. Lower level seating in the venue is worth it. The view is amazing.
Dressed from head to toe in red sequins and sunglasses, Perry, 32, opened the show with her title track, “Witness,” and then rocked the house with “Roulette.”
Sporting six different costumes throughout the night, Perry performed old and new hits. From a rock version of “Hot ‘n Cold” to “Bon Appetit,” Perry lit up the stage with upbeat, moving, and interactive performances.
This tour is very audience-centric. During her compelling performance of “Power,” Perry walked off the stage and into the pit area, where she serenaded fans while holding hands and looking straight into their eyes.
After “Power,” she picked a young KatyCat out of the crowd to come and make a wish on a shooting star. Her original wish was to meet Katy, but since that already happened, the young fan wished for something else: a puppy.
Another fan joined in on the fun for “Swish, Swish.” With the stage set up like a basketball court, Perry asked for a dad in the crowd who was a fan. The dad ended up winning, and received a hat that said “winner,” a selfie with Katy, and a memory that will last a lifetime.
I have been to a few concerts in my life, and they were all a great time and amazing shows, but Witness: The Tour left me speechless.
With an eye and teardrop stage, Perry used the whole space to dance, sing, bring out Left Shark, and even call her mom. (In case you don’t know, Left Shark was first seen during the super bowl halftime show. He was noticed for his off time dancing behind Katy.)
Her stage set-up allowed her to reach out really far into the crowd so everyone could see. Perry even sang “Thinking of You” from her debut album on top of a floating planet. While the fans were in her orbit, the whole venue was lit up with cell phone lights and power ballads.
Ending the night with an encore and a slow version of “Firework,” Perry left us all going “Oh, oh, oh!”
Witnessing Perry live is something every fan should do. I don’t know how she’s going to top this tour, but I can’t wait to see it!