The opening acts for the OnePlus Music Festival on Saturday evening held at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, set the tone for what was to come later in the night. The Indian bands had their moments of glory with rock band Aswekeepsearching, Pune based The Local Train, Bollywood composer Amit Trivedi and lastly Electronic act Ritviz, getting a good response to their live sets.

But it was what everyone was waiting for with bated breath, the live international acts namely Dua Lipa and Katy Perry. The over 20,000 crowd was not just fans, but included middle aged parents, maybe a few grandparents with children and grandchildren in tow, young teens, young girls dressed in micro shorts and bikini sets, to some making a fashion statement in their own way and not forgetting young boys for who Katy Perry is every boys male fantasy.

After seven years, Katy performed in India. She had previously performed at the opening ceremony of 2012 Indian Premier League in Chennai and this was her maiden performance and she surely made it a night to remember.

Before she could take to the stage, Brit pop act Dua Lipa made an entry and was wonderstruck on the turnout, something she had not expected. For a full 45 minutes, she sang nonstop, her hits like New Rules, One Kiss, Scared to be Lonely and her new track Dancing with somebody lapped up by all. Dressed in beige – colored bikini top and matching pants, Dua gave a wild performance prancing on the stage and near the fan pit that enclosed the stage. The two time Grammy winner won the hearts of everyone and hoped to come back again. “This was my first gig in India and the vibe and energy of the fans blew me away. I can’t wait to come back soon.” Well we hope she does come again.

Dua Lipa set the mood for what was to come, that of multi platinum artist Katy Perry who emerged soon after and took the stage announcing, “Hi Mumbai, You have waited long enough and so, you deserve to listen to every song you love”. The crowd roared in anticipation as the diva flipped from one song to another, engaging with the audience every time a song ended. Dressed in a neon green and black off shoulder jumpsuit with matching neon microphone in hand, Perry swished swished to her massive hits like the opening Dark Horse, asking the audience to join her on the rock edged I Kissed a Girl. The audience joined in whole heartedly not only in the catchy chorus but also on each verse. It almost seemed that Perry had more than her backup singers to keep her company. California Gurls, Hot N Cold, Bon Appétit was next. She brought the temperature down when she played an acoustic version of The One that got Away a song she dedicated to singer Dua Lipa.  

Perry took everyone by surprise when she announced that one of her backup singers name is India. “See, there I have an Indian connection already” Great visuals, graphics and videos flashed on the monster screens that showed her performance up close for those seated or standing far behind. The award winning singer took no breather for quite some time despite the sweltering heat that showed on her face. Ur so Gay, a song that started it out for Perry’s career was next, followed by the aggressive Part of Me that was lapped up by everyone.

Nearly half way through her set, Perry moved onto her latest single Harleys in Hawaii while the music video flashed on screen.

She had everyone in splits with her candid humor when she stated, “I was told this is your winter in November”. When she went backstage for an outfit change, she was back quicker than expected and said, “I tried changing my outfit, but it’s so humid and I am sweating in every crack of my body.” She also took a jibe at Mumbai’s infamous traffic saying, “thanks to all that braved the traffic and this heat, you are the real ones, thank you for coming.”

While the colour of her microphone changed to deep red, probably anticipating a matching dress to go to it, she continued the hits with another smasher Swish Swish. It was almost minutes to the alarm clock of 10 pm, when Perry announced that she hoped to visit the country again and left the audience singing with her to her monster hit Roar. On her final track Firework, keeping the song in mind, it was an unforgettable sight as a barrage of fireworks lit up the sky, culminating the end of her concert.

You surely are a firework Katy. We hope to see you again.

By Verus Ferreira