Review: Katy Perry Brings Glitter, Chaos and Pure Pop Joy to Sheffield

Last Friday night (what a coincidence!), Katy Perry's most devoted fans turned out at Sheffield Arena in their finest burger costumes, fork hats, and sequins galore to celebrate the 'Hot N’ Cold' singer, and what a sight to behold. Cascading onto the stage in a tricolour of mechanical hoops, Katy Perry made a dazzling entrance to a screaming crowd.

The love in the room was as palpable as the glitter in the air. Perry worked the audience effortlessly, feeding off their energy. “I’m a Scorpio, bitch!” she jeered playfully, sending the arena into a frenzy.

There’s no denying that Perry is a born performer. Her stage presence is magnetic, though at times the sheer scale of the production threatens to swallow her whole. With multiple screens flashing different visuals and dancers spinning across the stage, it was sometimes hard to know where to focus.

Still, it’s impossible not to get swept up in the fun. As Perry launched into her biggest hits, the energy in the arena soared. Dancers twirled her through the air during 'Dark Horse', she bounded gleefully across the stage to 'Last Friday Night', and belted out 'Chained to the Rhythm', 'I Kissed a Girl', 'Wide Awake', 'E.T.', 'Firework', and 'Roar'. The hits came one after another, leaving no room for anyone, even the most reserved, to stand still.

What makes Perry so genuinely joyful to watch is her unabashed delight in performing. Her connection with the crowd feels real. At one point, she borrowed a fan’s phone to film herself dancing across the stage, joking that she’d just given them weeks of social media content. It was a small but perfect example of her playful, self-aware charm, and what a moment for that fan.

The entire show felt like a sugar-fuelled daydream, as if living inside an alternate reality of the 'California Gurls' music video - an explosion of colour, sparkle, and spectacle. Perry spun through elaborate costume changes and high-concept set pieces, each more visually impressive than the last. And yet, you get the sense that even stripped of the theatrics, Perry’s charisma alone would have been more than enough to carry the night.

All photography by Em Artherton

The Lifetimes Tour is a sensory overload in the best way, though at moments the spectacle teeters on excess. Dancers climb onto apparatus, smoke cannons erupt, lights flare, and amid it all, Perry dances and jumps with contagious joy. It’s a feast for the eyes, if occasionally at the expense of the music.

Perry wrapped up her UK dates with this glittering Sheffield show before heading across Europe, finishing the tour in France this November. And if this performance is anything to go by, Europe is in for a kaleidoscopic treat.