Show Review: Katy Perry Continues to Walk on Air in San Francisco
Katy Perry
w/ Rebecca Black
Chase Center
San Francisco, CA
July 18th, 2025
Review by Tawni Kuhn
Photos by Marc Fong
Katy Perry brings her authenticity to the artificial world. Her ‘Lifetimes’ Tour, which took over San Francisco's Chase Center last night, blended the looming threat of world demise with the bright, campy charm she's known for.
Rebecca Black kicks things off with her bold new tracks. While she may not be the strongest vocalist on stage—partly due to the sound mixing—it's impossible not to root for her. She’s clearly more than just a one-hit wonder. (Seriously, “TRUST!” deserves a spot on the radio.) It’s time we shed our preconceptions and give her the shot she truly deserves.
Let’s set one thing straight about a Katy Perry show: It’s fun. It’s whimsical. It’s exactly what it’s meant to be, and a true reflection of who Perry is at her core. The criticism surrounding this tour seems downright outlandish and seems like a punch-down to punch down given recent controversies. While Perry had a few hiccups in San Francisco, they certainly didn’t turn the crowd cold and the production produced. After a late start and a near-cancellation due to technical issues, Katy Perry came to play, overcoming a few potential moments of disaster (including a viral malfunction) with a pop star-level of professionalism.
Now that we’ve gotten that ugly-talk out of the way, reader: it’s time for Perry to defeat the evil and release the butterflies to restore humanity! (Trust me. Just go with it.) The production unfolded across multiple “levels”–in video game fashion–each one immersing the audience in the complex relationship between AI, our attachment to technology, and the modern-day struggles we face with connection and authenticity. Perry’s objective is to collect hearts (for strength and other qualities) throughout the story to defeat the Big Baddie destroying Mother Earth. And, while the use of AI during the show itself could feel a bit tone-deaf, in the context of the performance it seems more like a camp element than an outright “we’re-doing-this-to-save-coin” moment.
And certainly, two things will always be true: Perry’s Face Card will never decline and her costume department will remain employed. While we didn’t get a MET-level burger outfit moment, we were graced with Teenage Dream-inspired cotton candy shoes, and a playful, light-up nipple bralette that would put Austin Power Fembots to shame. Our favorite, however, was the grand entrance look—where she debuted her stage persona, android KP-143, to the show.
The most outstanding moments of the night were chock-full of energy, defied gravity in more ways than one, and showcased her lesser-lauded tracks–no Smile slander to be found here. Her first section fed us a helping of ear-candy (see: LEVEL 1 setlist at the bottom of the review) with not-so-sadgirl dance track Teary Eyes and the booty-shaking Skip Marley remix of Chained to the Rhythm. Meanwhile, the third act took us to ‘NIRVANA’ with Perry effortlessly summersaulting through the air and leaping with precision over her dancers. A feat of athleticism and mesmerizing artistry. I beg of you, Universe and Vegas showrunners—give Perry her own Cirque du Soleil gig. We can see it so clearly.
But because our personal peak rests outside of the Biggest Hits, that certainly doesn’t mean they aren’t outstanding in themselves. Despite the scary moment during “Roar”, where Katy was almost bucked off of a butterfly mid-air, nothing is quite like Perry riding an oversized creature as she has perfected. “California Girls” was met with thunderous enthusiasm. And we end on “Firework”, which showcased Perry in all of her ethereal glory.
To sum it up: this show was full of love, and had the right amount of whimsy. KP-143 finds her humanity, restores balance in the world with the energy of Kendall Jenner and a Pepsi can. Somehow, even if we’re not all better for it, it’s okay to give flowers where they’re due. For both the opener and the headliner.
Katy, as you yourself summed it up: GGWP.
Katy Perry Set List
[LEVEL 1 - ARTIFICIAL]
ARTIFICIAL
Chained to the Rhythm
Teary Eyes
Dark Horse
[LEVEL 2 - WOMAN’S WORLD]
WOMAN'S WORLD
California Girls
Teenage Dream
Hot n Cold / Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
I Kissed a Girl
[LEVEL 3 - NIRVANA]
NIRVANA
CRUSH
I'M HIS, HE'S MINE
Wide Awake
[LEVEL 3.5 - CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE]
Spiritual (Snippet)
Legendary Lovers (Snippet)
Love Me (Snippet)
Not Like the Movies
The One That Got Away
ALL THE LOVE
[MAINFRAME]
E.T.
Part of Me
Rise
[ENDGAME]
Roar
Daisies
LIFETIMES
Firework
