By Vaughn Schoonmaker
There are many different elements that make up Katy Perry's widespread appeal, so it's no wonder that the the Windows Phone-sponsored free concert starring Perry drew quite a diverse crowd to the standing-room only Roseland Ballroom in New York on Monday night (November 8th). The floor was packed tight with tourists, tweens, young professionals, families and a few purple-wigged young men chanting "Lady Gaga shall prevail!"
(Click here for more photos from Katy Perry's performance at Roseland Ballroom!)
The moment the lights dimmed, everyone anxiously cheered for the pop princess regardless of their cultural alignment. The stage itself was straight out of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, complete with towering lollipops, gumdrops and peppermint sticks. Two men in formal attire wheeled an over-sized cake onto the stage as the crowd screamed with glee (as everybody knew darn well what was inside). After the backup singers finished a playful rendition of the Strangeloves' "I Want Candy," Perry burst out of the cake in a hail of confetti as she went right into her hit "Hot 'N Cold."
(Click here for more photos from Katy Perry's performance at Roseland Ballroom!)
In her cupcake-covered miniskirt, Perry worked the crowd with a mix of familiar hits and new material from her recently-released sophomore album Teenage Dream. Constantly bouncing around the stage and belting out impressive high notes, Perry never rested (save for one brief moment to don a full set of light-up peacock feathers for the tongue-in-cheek Teenage Dream track "Peacock," which features the refrain "I wanna see your peacock!").
She finished her set with the chart-topping smash "California Gurls," during which an enormous beach ball bounced its way across the cheerful crowd. Breathing heavily and squeezing out the last bit her vocal cords could manage, Perry bid the audience adieu and graciously ducked away, having given us every last drop of what she had. Or every last lemon drop, as she might say.
(Click here for more photos from Katy Perry's performance at Roseland Ballroom!)