Clockwise: The eye candy stage; Katy singing ‘Not Like The Movies;’ sisters and Katy Perry fans KC Concepcion (L) and Cloie Syquia; Ivan gets to kiss a popstar (Photos by Ma. Angelica Cruz)

MANILA, Philippines —  Katy Perry’s “California Dreams” concert in Manila would have been perfect - the concert to beat by other foreign acts this season, indeed - if not for the long waiting game fans had to endure before it started at the SM Mall of Asia concert ground on Jan. 22.

The concert began at 10:15 p.m., more than two hours off the supposed 8 p.m. call time.

Kids below 10 years old who were garbed in their most Katy Perry-ish outfits of candy-colored wigs and sparkly dresses that stayed up past their bed times; spazzing teenage boys; the parents who had no choice but to go and party with their kids; celebs who took time off; eager fans from all walks of life...around 25,000 concertgoers weren't spared from waiting. More, the waiting time was longer than the actual concert itself!

Thing is, there was a front act. DJ Skeet Skeet managed to set the mood for the Katy Perry-hungry Manila crowd with his 20-minute live DJ set composed of party hits like Usher’s “Without You,” LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem,” Rihanna’s “We Found Love” and Far East Movement’s “Fly Like a G6,” among others. But it’s the annoying gap between the front act and Katy’s performance that bored the audience to death.

Perhaps it was the reason that when Katy came onstage with her opening song, “Teenage Dream,” the audience did not immediately snap into the usual flailing fan, psyched mode. Compared to the vigor they showed when DJ Skeet Skeet appeared, the enthusiasm they demonstrated while dancing on top of their chairs when Katy came out was significantly less.

Recovery

But, a few songs later and the audience seemed to have shaken off  the “bad vibes” and the real party night kicked off.

The sweet tooth in every Katy fan—collectively known as Katy Cats—definitely got their fix just by looking onstage. Decked with life-size lollipops, candy canes and large cupcakes, the stage was sweetness, colors and cuteness overload and even the mounted LED TV was framed with pink cotton candy clouds.

Yet, even with the dainty and fluffy set design, the show wasn't entirely "child-friendly.” There were moments of sexual innuendos that hopefully didn’t pollute the youth in the crowd.

One of them was when she performed her double entendre song “Peacock” with matching mic gesture towards her mouth that’s obviously not for kids. Another  was when she “had a little fun” by kissing and letting herself be kissed in front of her fans by the topless and dapper “Pinoy Big Brother Teen Clash” alumni Ivan Dorschner prior to performing “I Kissed a Girl.”

The story

Three years since she first came to the country, Katy's second concert followed the story of a girl named Katy who strolled from a colorless world into this candy wonderland in search of her cat, Kitty Purry and the love of her life, the Baker’s Boy. By means of a mini movie starring the popstar herself that was flashed onscreen in between two songs, the concert was able to ingeniously weave together the otherwise unrelated songs.

And as if making up for her late appearance, Katy used her energy to the maximum as she bopped, twirled, did quick costume changes, and performed with her amazing singing voice hitting the right notes in the right places. She kept the pace smooth by alternately performing slow and upbeat songs, which were composed of "Waking Up in Vegas,” "Ur So Gay,” “Circle the Drain, “ “Not Like the Movies," "Hot n Cold," and  "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," the song that ushered the party in full swing. The last two songs were her highly-acclaimed hits "Firework" and "California Gurls," which surprisingly, the crowd gaily sang even when most of them were probably not from California.

At her best

Aside of course from the kissing portion, there were basically two highlights in the show. There was her performance of “E.T.” complete with green laser lights that evoked an outerspace-ish feel, which turned the concert into one big karaoke performance as the whole crowd joined Katy in singing the song, thanks to the lyrics flashed on the screen.

The other one was when the glow sticks and hands floated in the air as the crowd swayed to her perfect performance of the acoustic version of “The One That Got Away” which she clearly sang with all her heart. Could it be that she felt the song to the core because of her recent divorce with her husband Russell Brand? Well, we’ll never really know. But, what we do know is that the acoustic version was far better sung live than just watching it on video.

“Did I save the best for last?” This was Katy’s question after singing "Hummingbird Heartbeat."

Katy interacted with her fans not only through her spiels, in which she shared anecdotes of how her tours in others countries went, but she also engaged them to “prove that they’re a better audience” by making them sound off their most frenzied screams and shouts.

Delay or no delay, Manila crowd got what they went there for: A night of incomparable performance, utmost entertainment, and good music from the multi-awarded artist who not only “Kissed a Girl” but also kissed a Pinoy.