Katy Perry shocked with an astounding song choice and some very ‘bizarre’ CGI effects during her AFL Grand Final performance at the MCG on Saturday.
The US popstar, 39, took to the stage in front of 100,000 AFL fans as she headlined the pregame show ahead of the Brisbane Lions vs Sydney Swans showdown.
However, she stunned fans almost immediately as she kicked off her 20-minute set with her smash hit Roar, despite it being widely theorised she wouldn’t play the hit.
There had been feverish speculation that the song had been blacklisted because it would show supposed bias to the Brisbane Lions.
But Perry threw caution to wind by performing the song some fans consider the unofficial anthem of the underdogs.
She then caused further surprise with her setlist by not singing Hot n Cold, despite it famously being the theme tune to MasterChef Australia and jokingly regarded by many as Aussie’s true ‘national anthem’.
Kicking off the show, Perry made quite the bold entrance into the arena as she rode in on top of a futuristic silver vehicle and made her way to the stage while belting out the lyrics to Roar.
Perry also performed her smash hits Teenage Dreams and California Gurls, while she was joined on stage by Tina Arena for a brief duet of I Kissed A Girl.
She closed her set with arguably her most popular track Firework, but not all Aussie fans were convinced by her performance as they fixated on one unusual detail.
While they praised her vocals, many were left completely baffled by her choice to accompany her real-life performance and dance moves with an array of ‘bizarre’ CGI effects.
Viewers at home watched as huge futuristic effects appeared on the grounds of the stadium, with many poking fun at the early-2000s look of the CGI.
Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter – one quipped: ‘AFL preshow brought to you by Fortnite with all this CGI.’
Another said: ‘What the f**k was @channel7 thinking with those $5 CGI effects,’ while a third wrote: ‘Petition to not allow CGI during the #AFLGF practical effects only.’
A fourth tweeted: ‘Wtf is the CGI about? This is awful,’ and a fifth joked: ‘I hope the crowd at the MCG are enjoying the CGI.’
‘How much AFL pay for this?’ another added.
However, other fans were quick to jump to Perry’s defence as they praised her vocal talents and upbeat performance despite the CGI gaffe.
One wrote: ‘If you’re saying Katy Perry was s**t you’re 100% a pick me and I have no time for you.’
‘I know Katy Perry is cringe but that performance was surprisingly good,’ another shared, while a third added: ‘Katy Perry killed it.’
A fourth said: ‘All set for the #AFLGF All entertainment done and now for the battle. But @katyperry was good.’
A fifth commented: ‘Personally. I loved @katyperry at the #AFLGF!! She was a lot of fun!’
Fans were also left some fans disappointed when she didn’t sing her smash hit Hot N Cold, despite it being famously associated with MasterChef Australia.
One viewer said: ‘Boycotting the #aflgf because she didn’t sing hot and cold, instead watching every season of masterchef from the start.’
‘Can’t believe she didn’t play the MasterChef theme song,’ another said.
‘We want the Masterchef theme or we riot,’ a third remarked and a fourth shared: ‘As if they don’t get Katy Perry to play Hot N Cold. Gotta be a joke with how big that song is here.’
Another fumed: ‘Pretty fun show but it gets a 0 for me for not playing hot n cold,’ and a sixth said: ‘No Hot n Cold? Katy that’s literally the Australian national anthem hunny!!!!’
While international editions of MasterChef do not use the Katy Perry song in their intros, it became particularly beloved by Aussie audiences but was later removed by Channel Ten due to expensive licensing fees.
Perry had previously given credence to rumours Roar was blacklisted from her set as she admitted she had been told to cut her song because it wasn’t ‘fair’.
‘Oh the Lions! I have to cut my song Roar out of the set because it’s not fair. That’s what everybody says,’ she said on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev, and Nick earlier this week.
‘No, you have to play it!’ said host Brendan Fevola. ‘Because you were booked in way before Brisbane made it,’ with Katy then agreeing.
Before she even took to the stage, Perry’s AFL headlining gig had already sparked controversy among Aussies when her multi-million payday was revealed.
The Firework hitmaker reportedly made a massive $5million to perform just five songs at the MCG, with local musicians sharing their surprise at the huge figure.
One Melbourne artist took to Facebook to slam the AFL for dropping millions on international talent while local musicians struggle to get gigs.
Australia’s live music industry has also struggled to stay afloat in recent years, with several massive local festivals being forced to cancel due to low ticket sales.
‘Just heard on the radio Katy Perry is getting $5million for 5 songs at tomorrow AFL gf [sic],’ one local singer wrote in a post he shared with his followers.
‘Surely with the state of the music industry in this country that money could have been better spent.
‘All Australian line up with outdoor stage with local acts, promoting the best of Melbourne music scene? I get the start factor but 5million bucks for five songs?’
Followers flocked to the musician’s comments to agree, with some saying hiring the international pop star for the AFL Grand Final was ‘not great value for money’.
‘Maybe get a name that is already in the country to do a song or two. It is a massive amount of money,’ they added.
‘Absolutely stupid,’ someone else wrote, as another agreed: ‘Something’s gotta change. That is insane!’
While many bemoaned the Aussie dollars going towards Perry for her upcoming performance, there were some who disagreed.
‘Well, she’s probably paying her own sound team and all the other things like insurance and super per person on the line up,’ one person commented.
Perry was reportedly hoping her AFL show would ‘revive’ her ‘faltering’ pop career and help promote her new album 143, which has been met with divisive reviews.
Another wrote: ‘No Australian act has the profile and appeal. I have tried to think of one and I cannot. Every legendary act is too old now.’
And another user pointed out that the AFL Grand Final is broadcast in many other countries, not just Australia, so it would need to appeal to a wider audience.
Perry was said to have been hopeful to perform several songs from her new album to the crowd, in an attempt to promote the LP, which was savaged by critics.
However, AFL heads were said to have quickly knocked back the suggestion and told Perry to stick to her well-known hits from her previous album Teenage Dream.
Channel Nine reporter Tom Morris claimed AFL big wigs told the hitmaker they expected her to perform her older hits, such as Firework and I Kissed A Girl.
Appearing on SEN Breakfast ahead of her show, the veteran AFL journalist claimed they reached a compromise, with Katy limited to playing just one new song.
Her long-awaited seventh studio album 143, which references the expression ‘I love you’, didn’t get off to a good start with music critics as it received lukewarm reviews.
One damning review of her first album in four years from a top entertainment outlet declared that Katy ‘struggles to reclaim past glory on the flat 143’.
Meanwhile, The Guardian gave it two out of five stars saying the album ‘isn’t the calamity expected – but it isn’t good, either.’
One review called out the final track Wonder as the ‘worst’ song on the album, writing it’s a ‘cynical attempt to have moms in the audience wave their hands in unison as balloons float up, even as it decries cynicism’.
The Independent also gave it two stars and said it was ‘painfully dated and glaringly out of touch.’
Much of the criticism even before the album was released was down to Perry’s decision to work with her old music producer Dr. Luke, who settled his longstanding sexual harassment lawsuit with Kesha last year – which he vehemently denied.
Despite the critical mauling, Perry has found some favorable reviews from fans on social media while she also performed on the 2024 MTV VMAs stage.
