We all remember dancing to the Katy Perry classic “California Gurls” around our rooms at the age of 12. We also remember watching the bizarre music video where Katy is walking through a Hollywood-style Candyland, greeting gummy bears giving her the finger. Looking back, was it really appropriate for kids to be listening to a song about sex on the beach with a California girl?
I recently went to the Katy Perry Witness Tour concert at TD Garden and found that Katy is still reaching fans of the 11-year-old demographic, as well as 18-year-olds and, even, people in their mid-to-late 20s.
Katy’s lyrics aren’t always age-appropriate for the tweens in the room. Her song “E.T.,” which came out in 2010 and remains a classic, is literally about her having sex with an alien. Risque, for sure.
During the set for “California Gurls,” a trademark song, there was a five-second long pause after the word “Sex” in the line “sex on the beach.” I can imagine every parent I had seen walking their 12-year-old into the stadium had eyes wide with fear in those five seconds.
You could say that in recent years, her hits have been “Roar” and “This is How We Do,” which promote confidence and having fun. But, don’t forget about the newest hit “Bon Appetit,” which has more innuendos than most of her songs. Backup dancers looked like they had the intentions of eating her during the “Bon Appetit” set in the concert.
But on the other hand, there is a Katy Perry fandom among people in their late 20s. I was sandwiched between two groups of adults that were tossing back beers but continued to sing their hearts out. These people knew every word of every song, which only leads me to believe they weren’t just there for the booze. They wanted to see Katy Perry in the flesh.
Her set also reads as a younger demographic’s concert set. There were planets hanging from the ceiling, as well as bright lights and colors. Everything was designed to keep audience members’ eyes going from one thing to another every three seconds.
Katy Perry was always our generation’s idol. Sure, we probably shouldn’t have been listening to her lyrics back then either, but she was getting popular at our age. I remember her as being one of the biggest singers of my youth. Seeing kids attend her concert at the same age that I was when she released her first album makes me question what audience Perry wants to reach. Seeing full grown adults knowing every word makes me just confused.
No matter what, Katy has been working it for almost ten years now. She is obviously making a lot of very different people buy tickets for her shows. So, I guess, when I’m nearing my thirties and looking for concerts, I can go to Katy Perry and expect to see both college students and 12-year-old girls.