Although no stranger to our shores, having performed here only last year at the 2024 AFL Grand Final, Katy Perry hasn’t toured Australia since August 2018.
During those last almost 7 years, Katy Perry has reinvented herself multiple times, has become a mum, had a Vegas residency, embraced a dance sound for her latest studio album ‘143’, and has even been to space. Circling back into our orbit, Katy Perry has finally returned for a month long 15-show sold-out Australian tour.
Kickstarting the first of four sold-out Melbourne concerts at the iconic Rod Laver Arena on Saturday June 7th, Katy Perry brought the gaming inspired and sci-fi futuristic vibes to our city through The Lifetimes Tour. The spectacular new concert tour lovingly revisits Katy’s previous eras. There’s something in it for everyone, regardless of whether you’re a long-time fan or have never seen the iconic pop star live before.
It’s also the first time since the California Dreams Tour that Katy Perry has an ongoing narrative entwined in her concert tour. In The Lifetimes Tour, Katy is a cyborg named KP143, set in a video game. KP143 is tasked with collecting enough hearts to reach the final boss fight and essentially save the world. This narrative is easy to follow and is executed brilliantly with the perfect amount of life-affirming and empowering messages, mixed in with clever and hilarious satire. While this isn’t the first time that Perry has leaned into satire, it’s surprisingly refreshing to see her fully commit to it in a concert tour.
Visually stunning, The Lifetimes Tour is Katy Perry’s most ambitious touring production to date, evident in the giant screens that make you feel like you’re the one playing the video game. Its impressive lighting makes you believe that the lasers really are burning writing and images into view, and the sheer commitment from Katy Perry to the number of times that she defies gravity per show, ensuring that every inch of the arena receives her love, is something alone that should be celebrated.
Upon entering Rod Laver Arena, seeing the giant screens appear as multiple TVs that are replaying snippets of Katy Perry music videos. With the unique staging shaped as an infinity sign or a figure eight, I was keen to see what Katy had in store for us. What I didn’t expect was a rich buffet of wonderful film and television references. From Katy Perry’s intro as a cyborg hooked to wires reminiscent Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell, the Mainframe villain reminding me of the 80’s flick Tron, the Star Wars Darth-Maul-inspired red-lit staff, the flying butterfly loosely reminding me of Studio Ghibli’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, to her Astro Boy rocket arm used at the pinnacle of the concert’s narrative. With the help of gorgeous costumes designed by Filipino-American designer Zaldy (my favourite being the light-up circuit style battle attire that Perry wears during ‘E.T’), The Lifetimes Tour is truly a feast for the eyes and ears, as Katy Perry consistently delivers the best of the best from her massive discography.
Perry isn’t doing an Australian June residency because she has to, she’s doing it because she wants to, and she’s always had a great relationship and understanding with Australian fans. At the first Melbourne concert, Perry shared, “You know that I’m obsessed with you Australia, you know that right? There’s something in your water that keeps you grounded and so chill… You understand that life is a game, and you don’t have to be so freakin’ serious about everything… You guys get it. You get it, Australia! That’s why we keep coming back.”
Highlights of the night include when Katy reminded us of her guitar playing origins in ‘Hot N Cold’, sees the world from upside down in a jaw-dropping acrobatic feature during ‘I Kissed a Girl’, provides the Tinkerbell vibes during ‘Nirvana’, and literally floats like a butterfly during ‘Roar’.
However, my favourite moment of the night, showcased brilliantly with perfect timing and a smart use of pyrotechnics, is during the performance of ‘Rise’. The Lifetimes Tour marks the very first time that Perry has brought the fan favourite song on tour with her, and it was so great to finally hear it live, complete with a boss-fight showdown that will leave you in awe. It only took 9 years for ‘Rise’ to be added to a tour setlist, but it’s better late than never.
If that wasn’t enough, Australia has been graced with the ‘One of the Boys’ album during the concert’s Choose Your Own Adventure section, something that hasn’t happened on The Lifetimes Tour anywhere else. Currently exclusive to Australia, the ‘One of the Boys’ segment is full of surprises, wholesome moments, and doesn’t disappoint. Although, hopefully when the show returns to Melbourne next week for her remaining three sold-out shows, she sings ‘Mannequin’ of the multiple-choice songs (my favourite).
During the first Melbourne concert’s Choose Your Own Adventure part, Katy hand-picked young Maddie from the very back of the arena, who was dressed in the ‘Roar’ music video costume, to join her on stage and perform ‘Thinking of You’. The little lass may not have known the lyrics, nor had been born yet when this classic was initially released, but Maddie was super brave holding her ground. Perry kindly reminded the lucky girl, as well as the rest of the young fans in the Melbourne audience to never give up on your dreams. It was such a sweet and wholesome moment, and it’s different every night, with Perry picking a lucky young patron from anywhere in the venue, no matter what your ticketing tier. Katy genuinely and smartly invests her time and energy into her youngest of fans, and the future. Although, after sharing an intimate and special experience on stage with her, any lucky young fan would love Katy Perry for life.
There’s a lot of thought and love that has gone into creating The Lifetimes Tour. It’s not just a concert, it’s an experience, with fans encouraged to dress up in their favourite Katy Perry costumes. You don’t need to be a die-hard fan to enjoy Katy Perry’s latest tour, although it helps. You just need to know how to open up your heart and have some fun at Perry’s best tour yet.
The Lifetimes Tour is a celebration of love, life, the chart-topping pop star’s legacy thus far, all whilst embracing her current evolution, and injecting a little bit of hope into the hearts of everyone that is luckily enough to attend any of her 15 sold-out Australian shows. The Lifetimes Tour is thoroughly entertaining, inclusive, and is a passionate reminder of the community that I’ve loved being a part of for 17 years (since 2008) and counting.
Proudly presented by TEG Danity and Snaffle, Katy Perry’s The Lifetimes Tour played its first show in Melbourne on Saturday the 7th of June at Rod Laver Arena. The tour is currently in Sydney for the two final shows at Qudos Bank Arena on Monday the 9th and Tuesday the 10th of June, before she makes a triumphant return to Melbourne for her three remaining sold-out shows on June 12th, 13th and 14th at Rod Laver Arena. Katy Perry then heads to Brisbane, Perth, and concludes the Australian month long tour over four shows in Adelaide.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.tegdainty.com/tour/katy-perry-2025
https://www.instagram.com/katyperry
Photography by Grant Alexander.
