Live Review: Katy Perry

Forget Teenage Dream... Qudos Bank Arena was a 'tweenage dream' last night for the first of Katy Perry's four-show stint in Sydney as part of her Witness world tour. In the four years since Perry last performed in Sydney, it appears her fan club has got younger and younger, with the stadium full of excited young kids, high on sugar and all decked out in some of Perry's extensive merchandise.

There was good reason for the young crowd to be excited, as Katy Perry's show is a spectacle that could rival any pop star of that calibre. As Perry, in a bright red jumpsuit, hovered into the arena on a giant illuminated glass star, it was clear no frills would be spared.

There were oversized golden dice during Roulette, giant inflatable lips in I Kissed A Girl and flamingo dancers in Teenage Dream. A constant stream of bright graphics backlit the stage — at one point dark and ethereal shadows, at another bright, candy-coloured cartoons.

It was hard to know where to focus your attention because everything was so captivating — Perry's back-up dancers didn't miss a beat with their impressive choreography. A particular shoutout to her dancer Fernando Miro, who entranced the entire audience with his acrobatic prowess during Tsunami.

As expected when you are taking part in choreography and literally running rings on stage, Perry's vocals sometimes played second fiddle to the backing track of her songs but despite this, it was clear that Perry has the larger than life voice to match her show.

Perry bantered with the large audience throughout the night — making digs at our pronunciation of words like "aluminium" and having one on one chats with her fans, including an eight-year-old who wished to be a singer, to which Perry joked that there was "space for both of them".

The back-to-back Hot N Cold and Last Friday Night (TGIF) was a delight, especially due to the cameo of the famous 'Left Shark' from Perry's 2015 Super Bowl performance. Newer track Swish Swish had the young crowd 'flossing' up a frenzy as Perry sang and danced on an oversized basketball ring but it was Roar that had the biggest response from the crowd, with a big singalong across the stadium.

Ending on the perfect encore choice, Perry closed off the show with her hit Firework, finishing a night that many of her young fans will remember for years to come.