Katy Perry might have taken an activist-inspired, “purposeful pop” approach in creating fifth studio album Witness, released last summer. But the Witness world tour hasn’t let up on the signature spectacle Perry has always incorporated into her big live show. The political messages displayed when she performed the album’s first single, “Chained to the Rhythm,” at the Grammys last February have been replaced by the colorfully exuberant set pieces you’d expect at a Katy Perry concert—dancing flamingoes, a giant set of lips and, yes, a guest appearance from Left Shark.
Giving fans what they want has always been a priority for Perry, who began her career as a teen singing gospel music before swinging into pop stardom in 2008 behind memorable single “I Kissed a Girl.” Her third LP, 2010’s Teenage Dream, made her the first female artist to score five No. 1 hits in the U.S. from a single album, a feat previously accomplished only by Michael Jackson. The accompanying tour grossed $59 million.
Whether Perry’s recent work marks a stylistic or philosophical change is a question that will be left for another time, not Saturday night on the Strip, where she’ll reel off her hits and provide a production to rival the glitziest of Vegas shows. Katy Perry at T-Mobile Arena, January 20.