Review by Val Tapia
Promoter: Live Nation (https://www.livenation.com/
Venue: Phx Arena, Phoenix, AZ ( https://www.phx-arena.com/ )
Date: Saturday July 12th, 2025
Tour: The Lifetimes Tour
I suppose one could say that the Katy Perry concert downtown at PHX Arena on Sat. July 12 actually started outside in line.
Or at least, part of the fun did for many of the attendees waiting patiently to get in the show. Everywhere I looked, I saw quite a few young families in their favorite Perry regalia, if you will.
From cupcake bras to sparkly tops to wigs, the fans had everything covered. That included a couple of fans in Blue Origin jumpsuits, which paid homage to Perry’s 11-minute rocket ride back in April.
As I passed a few bars and restaurants on my way to the show, there were people stopping to take photos of fans who were dressed up for the occasion. Smiles from ear-to-ear, especially on the younger fans’ faces, were aplenty throughout the night.
The show was scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. with opener Rebecca Black. However, she didn’t take the stage until 7:40 p.m. For some reason, I’ve noticed that “long” of a wait mostly happens at pop-oriented shows I’ve covered, not at rock shows. By and large, most of the latter shows start on time, whether it’s one or two opening acts.
Sure, I get that it was a Saturday night, so the majority of the (roughly) 14,000 in attendance likely didn’t mind it at all. Be that as it may, it’s flat-out unacceptable (in my opinion) to commence a show 40 minutes late from the time displayed on the ticket. I won’t go any further on that.
Kicking off her brief 7-song, 35-minute set with a song called American Doll, Black kept things fairly simple. Along with two dancers accompanying her, there were also some mock picket signs onstage with slogans such as “Turn to Salvation”.
By the way, the name of Black’s latest album is Salvation, in case you were wondering. Overall, her performance went over fairly well, and seemed to keep the audience’s interest for the most part.
Ultimately, her role was to get the nearly sold-out crowd “psyched”, for lack of a better word, for Katy Perry. By and large, she did. I think good things are in store for her as the tour progresses.
Taking the stage at 8:40 p.m. Perry emerged from beneath the stage (which was shaped like the number 8) in the middle of the floor and opened her 130-minute set with Artificial from her latest album 143, released in Sept. 2024.
It was interesting seeing the stage go that far into the audience. Usually, “cat walk” setups, if you like, generally go about half way in the crowd, with limited seating on the floor. For this show, it was standing room only on the floor, albeit far less space for them.
But from my vantage point, the fans seemed to be having the time of their lives that close to Perry and her army of dancers.
Much has been said about the so-called “nostalgia” aspect of the Lifetimes tour in recent reviews. However, there were several new songs in the set. In point of fact, to Perry’s credit, eight of the eleven songs were played from the new album.
In short order, I personally applaud her for refusing to merely ca$h in on past glories. Frankly, 40 years of age is too young to stop creating new music. Put another way, Perry is nowhere near the “oldies circuit” yet. That being said, there were plenty of past hits to go around though. Rightly so I might add.
By the way, yes, Perry proudly proclaimed she’s feeling “fabulous at 40”. And it most certainly showed in all six of her costume changes in-between the AI-inspired visuals on the several video screens onstage. Or at least, I think it was six costume changes. But I digress.
The other album heavily featured in the set was 2010’s Teenage Dream, to the delight of longtime fans. The four-person family in the row ahead of me couldn’t stop dancing to California Gurls, E.T. and the title track.
I imagine the parents were in their mid-30s or so, while the two kids were likely around 7 and 9 years old, respectively. Off-topic, I must admit I was rather irritated that the kids had no hearing protection.
Mind you, they seemed to be okay throughout the show. But make no mistake: arena concerts are too loud for kids that age. Period. I don’t care what kind of music it is.
Parents, please protect your children’s hearing at concerts when you bring them along to the show. You’ll be doing them a favor when they get older. End of rant!
Overall, Perry doesn’t necessarily have bad songs. But there’s no doubt that there’s a goofy (or silly) bent to many of her songs. By the way, that’s likely the appeal for many fans in the audience. If nothing else, you can hear the influence of several artists who came before her.
To that point, I heard a little Cyndi Lauper, a little Gwen Stefani, and even a little Cher. Dare I say it, she wears those influences on her sleeve– proudly I presume.
In fact, from the 143 album, a song called Lifetimes could’ve easily been recorded by Cher in the early 2000s. Think Believe… if you want an example.
It could be argued that the strongest songs of the night were the new songs. At least to my ears— for whatever that’s worth.
The showstopping moment of the night was when Perry invited six fans onstage for The One That Got Away. Two young girls in particular captured the hearts of arguably every fan in the audience.
Long and short of it, Perry asked the girls where their family was from, and they said Mexico. The crowd went into an earsplitting frenzy and roared (see what I did there Katy fans) with approval for our Latino brothers, sisters and neighbors.
Personally, I think Perry was even pleasantly (if not shockingly) surprised to witness that. It was a great moment that I’m sure the girls (and the fans) will remember forever.
Toward the end of the night, the fans eventually got to hear Roar, Daisies and the final song, appropriately Firework.
With that, the audience went home happy I think. At the very least, Perry gives 100% onstage and genuinely loves performing. She made it clear that it won’t be “another eight years” when she returns to Phoenix. Somehow, I think she’s sincere when she says that.
The final verdict? 3.5 out of five stars. You’ll have a good time I’m sure.
