Rolling Stone called it a “dizzying ode to childhood fantasy,” while the New York Times argued that the “bright colors, candy-shaped scenery and wide-eyed, kewpie-doll smiles” were intended to disguise all the raunch.
Katy Perry is in the midst of her California Dreams world tour, which most recently made a stop at Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum.
Several music critics were on hand to review the show, which features opening act Robyn.
So what did they have to say?
“For all the precocious sexuality on display, Perry’s extravagant show was a celebration of another vice altogether: gluttony,” wrote Rolling Stone’s Meredith Blake. “Her show brought a whole new, rather literal meaning to the term ‘saccharin pop.’”
Blake also added that the show overall was confusing at time.
“The show was a dizzying ode to childhood fantasy, a mish-mash of references to the Brothers Grimm, Alice in Wonderland, the Wizard of Oz and Rainbow Brite,” she wrote. “But the onslaught of cutesy imagery was, at times, less then coherent: What was the purpose of the cartoonish link sausages and rib-eye steak dangling from the rafters during ‘Circle the Drain,’ Perry’s scornful song about a drug-addicted ex?”
The New York Times’ Jon Pareles was similarly unimpressed.
“Ms. Perry isn’t a natural onstage,” he wrote. “Her dancing is mostly walking, and her voice is strong but not always well guided. So the concert was showered with special effects: lasers, confetti, pyrotechnics, aerial ballet, a cannon spewing whipped cream, and a pink cloud that Ms. Perry rode out above the audience. One song, ‘Hot N Cold,’ went through seven costumes in four minutes.”
He added that all the “bright colors, candy-shaped scenery and wide-eyed, kewpie-doll smiles” were intended as “camouflage to keep parents from worrying” about all the show’s raunch.
Jim Farber of the New York Daily News quipped that people should go see the show — featuring props and video images of candy canes, cupcakes, lollipops, cotton candy and other sweet treats — if they are hungry.
“In theory, such a diabetes-inducing display offered an ideal representation of Perry’s sugar-pop music,” he wrote. “But it also served as a canny way to undercut any criticism. Hey, this is supposed to be fluff, so don’t take it seriously, OK?”
MTV’s John Mitchell was kinder in his assessment of the show, saying Perry pull out many “charms.”
“From a running gag about the woozy effects of a strange brownie she nibbled on before launching into a robust take on ‘Peacock’ to her admission that when she is feeling low she turns to YouTube for ‘mama cat hugging baby cat’ videos, Perry was all charm and nonstop energy,” he wrote.
