Katy Perry delivered her version of the late night one-two punch on the Late Show with David Letterman last night, performing for a taping of the show, then coming back to give the studio audience an eight-song mini concert afterwards. She showcased her wittiness during the four-minute interview, as she explained her relationship with fiancé Russell Brand, her Christian upbringing, and why she showed side boob in her recent Rolling Stone spread – but that’s beyond the point. Lets get to the music.
Her performance of the title track from the newly released Teenage Dream was surprisingly soulful for the “California gurl,” but still felt kind of like an American Idol outtake, and while her band backed her well, they looked even better on the pseudo Candyland set erected for the mini-concert. Dressed in all white, Perry & Co. played to what was, undoubtedly, the most diverse crowd the 25-year-old pop starlet will every play to. The audience was comprised of the expected teenage girls, but also families, tourists, and people who had the “WTF? Where I am I?” look on their faces. Still, they would only have to be there for 40 minutes, and the set wasn’t all that bad.
Perry came on stage in what looked like a white tutu, and opened her show with a vocally hollow version of “Hot ‘N Cold” from One of the Boys, but the adolescent girls in the crowd didn’t seem to mind. They sang every word of the last two choruses and pretty much stood throughout the whole concert. Perry even returned the energy exclaiming that Tuesday was, “like my birthday and Christmas day all rolled into one – it’s my release day!” She writhed on the floor during a lounge-rock version of “I Kissed a Girl” before powering through a version of “Teenage Dream” that was better than her earlier effort. Despite Perry’s presence, it’s hard not to focus on Perry’s background singers who look like they have huge wads of pink cotton candy for hair. In fact, the whole performance is worth checking out if you haven’t looked into the pop culture anomaly that is the soon-to-be Mrs. Russell Brand. Her stage banter is a bit awkward, but the show is strangely entertaining. The set even included the most awkward costume change interlude ever (check out the 33-minute mark), where the band performed a version of the Strangelove’s “I Want Candy” with modified lyrics that stated, “I want Katy.”
In the end, it’s not hard to see how the Taylor Swift/Miley Cyrus demographic, could be completely into this. Hell, you might have already seen the show, but are afraid to admit it to your friends. Either way, here are some videos from the show and the entire stream of the concert is available on Letterman’s website.
“Teenage Dream”
Interview
Katy Perry Late Show with David Letterman setlist – August 24, 2010:
01. Hot n Cold
02. I Kissed a Girl
03. Teenage Dream
04. Thinking of You
05. Waking Up in Vegas
06. Firework
07. Peacock
08. California Gurls
