Perry helped design the candy-inspired costumes and stage decorations that were a predominant theme for her 2011 2012 California Dreams Tour
CHAPTER 1 Just Love Cell phone screens and camera flashes twinkled like stars against the dark São Paulo Brazil sky the night of September 25 2011 A sea of 25,000 fans stretched from the stage to the horizon all impatiently awaiting the moment pop sensation Katy Perry would step into the spotlight 1 As they stood 7
with their eyes and lenses trained on the set three giant screens lit up Screams of excitement burst into the air as a video showed Perry and her cat Kitty Purry being transported from a humdrum black-and-white life to a colorful candy-coated fantasy world As the film rolled and the fans roared the flesh-and-blood star waited beneath the stage for her cue The São Paulo show came late in Perry’s worldwide California Dreams Tour and she was exhausted Her relationship with her husband was suffering and her emotions were becoming harder to hide But this was the largest audience that had ever turned out to see one of her shows Her Brazilian fans were the best the most passionate and she knew she couldn’t disappoint them Perry did a last-minute check of her hair makeup and costume Then she stepped onto the platform that would lift her onto the stage She took several deep breaths to collect herself bringing all her focus to the performance she was about to give Right on cue she flashed a smile and struck a pose with her glittery microphone Then the platform rose propelling the star into the white light of the stage and the noise of the crowd 8 CONTEMPORARY LIVES KATY PERRY
Brazil’s KatyCats as Perry called her fans went wild the instant their idol appeared onstage Her red-and-white peppermint-candy dress sparkled Some of the candy-striped discs decorating it spun in hypnotizing harmony as she danced and sang The first notes of Perry’s hit single Teenage Dream were all but drowned out by screams Then the entire crowd began singing along The smell of cotton candy wafted through the air as Perry moved across the candy-laden stage JUST LOVE 9 Perry wanted her California Dreams Tour to be almost like a musical so she filmed video segments that played between songs during her shows The plot she said was loosely based on my life but a cartoon version 2 Part Wizard of Oz part Alice in Wonderland and part Candy Land board game the story began in a black-and-white world where Perry worked for a not-so-nice butcher She longed for a better life with the cute baker boy she had met at the cupcake shop Then one night she woke up to find Kitty Purry missing Her search brought her into a wonderland of vivid colors and sugary candy The videos followed her on her journey through this magical land in pursuit of Kitty and the baker boy Together the video segments and songs told a cohesive story throughout the show KATY IN WONDERLAND
