Katy Perry live: Combining Future & Nostalgia

Before Katy Perry’s starship touched down, Becky Hill had already ignited the crowd. Her vocals were live and powerful as she raced through dance anthems like “Gecko (Overdrive)”, “Afterglow”, and “Lose Control”. Even while catching her breath between lines, Becky Hill still hit every high note, successfully warming up the arena and setting the stage for what was to come.

A flickering VCR-inspired intro, driven by futuristic visuals, set the evening’s atmosphere, somewhere between cyberpunk and retro arcade. Katy Perry emerged, both robotic and magnetic, opening with “Chained to the Rhythm”. While the backing track carried part of the load, Katy Perry delivered her signature powerhouse vocals when it mattered.

The mood shifted radically with “Dark Horse” as the Berlin crowd, reserved up until that point, finally found its voice. From there, Katy Perry fully leaned into a futuristic game mode, with songs blending seamlessly into one another via neon-drenched video interludes. The concert felt like a pop metaverse on psychedelic overdrive, each hit building on the last. “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream” plunged the audience into raucous nostalgia. Grinning, she asked, “Do I still got it?” Berlin screamed back as if the survival of pop depended on it. “Hot n Cold” and “Last Friday Night” followed, their arrangements both familiar and freshly electrified.

Humor and heart broke through all the spectacle. Katy Perry embraced Berlin’s local flavor, joking, “Did you know that hallo is just hello?” before winking towards the LGBTQ+ spirit: “We’re going to the gay club tonight, right?”. Pulling George from Georgia onstage for a hug, she took a public stand for democracy and solidarity. A message that also echoed during “I Kissed a Girl”, as she floated above the crowd, costumed as a mirrorball, while a dancer performed acrobatics below.

The Uber Arena became Katy Perry's playground. She soared on wires through a garden of giant flowers during “Nirvana”, hit poignant notes in “Crush", and proclaimed devotion with “I’m His, He’s Mine”. Her dancers matched her energy with acrobatic choreography on “Wide Awake”. Then, a technological twist: the audience was invited, via a futuristic VCR prompt, to choose the next song by QR code, seamlessly integrating fans into the show. “This is about the fans,” Katy Perry declared, and she delivered.

Four fans joined Katy onstage during “Unconditionally”, taking up percussion as the set reached new levels of spontaneity and chaos.

In the show’s second half, the energy soared higher: “All The Love”, “E.T.”, and a techno-charged version of “Part of Me” turned the arena into a vast rave. “Rise” brought bursts of fireworks. For “Roar”, Katy Perry mounted a massive butterfly, flying over the crowd and literally commanding the space. After “Lifetimes” and "Firework", she closed with a line that silenced all doubters: “No matter what the internet says, this is real.”

With dazzling costume changes, aerial stunts, cinematic digital interludes, and a setlist bridging the classic and the cutting-edge, Katy Perry transformed Berlin’s Uber Arena into a fever dream of the future. The Lifetimes Tour in Berlin delivered not just a pop spectacle but a blend of storytelling, activism, and pure, fan-fueled euphoria.

SEE ALL PHOTOS OF THE NIGHT HERE: