American pop star Katy Perry makes her Shanghai debut singing to a capacity crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday night.
American pop star Katy Perry made her Shanghai debut singing to a capacity crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Arena Tuesday night.
Fans who had managed to get a ticket gathered outside the arena well before the show began Tuesday evening. When all 12,000 seats sold out shortly after they went on sale online, she added a second show for Wednesday night.
Perry's Super Bowl half-time performance in February garnered more than 118 million viewers in the US, the highest-rated half-time show in the game's history. The singer has been nominated six times for the Grammy Award for best pop solo performance, but never won. Despite that fact, fans here have high expectations for her show.
"She had a show last year in Sydney, and it was great show I heard. So I want to see her in Shanghai. She's fun, and I think it's fun music. You can dance with her, not too serious," said an audience member.
And then it was time for a night of screaming and their first glimpse of the singer. Perry began the show with her Grammy-nominated song 'Roar' from her 2013 album 'Prism'. The singer, dressed in a silver flared miniskirt and sporting a massive ponytail, emerged from a shiny prism. Then fans got to hear her 2012 tracks 'Part of Me' and 'Wide Awake'.
The show lasted for almost two hours, featuring more than 20 songs.
"Her songs come from our hearts. She doesn't get them from others. She writes her lyrics herself," said a member of the audience.
After Wednesday's show in Shanghai, Perry will continue her Asian tour with stops in Taipei, Macao, Manila, Jakarta, Singapore and Bangkok.
