Katy Perry halftime show had ups and downs

It is no surprise that Katy Perry started the Superbowl XLIX halftime show in a flaming dress riding a giant jungle cat,  while singing “Roar,” which is on her fourth album, “Prism.” Following “Roar,” Perry sang “Dark Horse,” which is also on “Prism.” Perry sang “Dark Horse” on what, to me, looked like a giant chessboard with dancing chessboard pieces. If you watch the music video to “Dark Horse,” the scene of the video is set in an Egyptian time period. The theme for “Dark Horse” is never consistent.  These two songs were the only songs Perry sang on “Prism,” which confused me because during the summer of 2013 before the release of “Prism,” Perry released a series of YouTube videos where she burned the blue wig and had a funeral for her “Teenage Dream” style leading up to the release of “Roar.” The idea of the album “Prism” was to experiment with her darker, more mature self, which did not reflect in her Superbowl XLIX halftime show.

Perry then introduced Lenny Kravitz who started singing “I Kissed A Girl,” which is the song that made Perry’s career skyrocket in 2008. One thing I personally didn’t understand is why Kravitz was singing the song. The song just does not apply from a male’s perspective. It is meant to be a cute little song from an innocent girl’s perspective on the curiosity of what it is like to kiss other girls. I know this is really one of the few songs of Perry’s that has a “rock” vibe to it, but Kravitz and Perry didn’t really work well together.

Perry then changed her outfit to a “beachy” skirt and bra throwing it back to her second album “Teenage Dream,” where she sang “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls.” This portion of the show introduced two dancing sharks that the audience was more likely paying attention to than Perry herself because the shark on the left forgot the dance moves. You have to give the dancer some credit though, as he was dancing in front more than likely 100,000 people in a shark costume. At least the dancer looked like he was having fun.

Missy Elliot then performed with Perry. When I heard Elliot would be performing with Perry, I just assumed they would be singing the version of “Last Friday Night” that they did together on Perry’s third album, “Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection.” You have to give Perry props for sharing the spotlight with Elliot and letting her come and perform three of her own songs, especially when flashing back to Superbowl XLVI when Madonna practically used Nicki Minaj as a prop to rap for 13 seconds in a song of Madonna’s, in which she was already featured as a part of. This was Perry’s halftime show and she let Elliot perform for three of the 13 minutes that it lasted.

Katy finished the show with her favorite song to sing, according to her movie, “Part of Me.” “Firework,” which is on “Teenage Dream.” Perry also finished her “Prismatic World Tour” and “California Dreams Tour” with “Firework.” Out of the whole halftime show, I believe this moment was the highlight.

As a big Katy Perry fan, I was kind of let down with the whole performance. I think I kind of expected more from her especially as I saw Perry in concert last summer and it was a great show. I wish Perry would have sang “Birthday” or “This is How We Do,” which are both on “Prism,” at the halftime show. What’s the point of having a new album if you aren’t going to sing the songs on it? Perry also had a huge lead up to her halftime performance on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which really got me excited and I realize now that my hopes were a little too high. I will always be a Katy Perry fan, but her halftime show definitely had its ups and downs.