Don’t laugh now but it’s possible that Katy Perry will repeat what she did during her concert at the MOA in January 2012 -— kiss a guy, that is — on her Witness The Tour concert tonight also at MOA.
Before Katy sang her hit song I Kissed a Girl, she dared the guys on the front row to take off their shirts and join her onstage. Two kids did but Katy said they were too young. Guess who ended up as the lucky guy — yes, Ivan Dorschner who, at that time, was a virtual unknown even if he had graduated from the ABS-CBN reality-TV Pinoy Big Brother (PBB). Of course, Ivan is now a household name after he starred in the GMA rom-com Meant To Be with Barbie Forteza, Jak Roberto, Ken Chan and Addy Raj.
Ivan reluctantly took off his shirt (kunwari pa raw, hehehe!!!) and face-to-face with Katy onstage, he blushed when Katy pinched his nipple and kissed him near his lips. Katy later explained on her Twitter that “I have kissed a boy, picked randomly out of the audience, on the cheek as part of my show for all 125 tour dates. Simmer down now.”
If and when Katy did it again during her show tonight, who would be the lucky guy? Not Ivan again, oh no!
I also had a close encounter with Katy in October 2015 during Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour show at The Forum in L.A., four months before Madonna came for a show at MOA. It happened backstage after the show when everybody was having a selfie with everybody else. I was with my nephew, STAR’s L.A. correspondent Raymond Lo. When we spotted Katy (who did a special participation on the show after Madonna picked her from the audience), I called, “Hey, Katy. Can we have a selfie?” She must have suspected that I was somebody she knew way back when but had totally forgotten, but she was “game” for a shot, anyway. Click!!! Good shot. But I wasn’t as lucky as Ivan, if you know what I mean.
As a throwback, here are excerpts of The STAR’s interview with Katy for her Candyfornia show at MOA in 2012, still as relevant today as they were back then:
What can you tell us about your most memorable experience from your last visit to Manila?
“My last visit was at the beginning of my career during the transition between my first record and making my second one. It was one of the biggest concerts I had ever done outside, and it was like a sea of people farther than my eye could see. I felt so loved and welcomed, and could not believe that I had so many Filipino fans. I would never have imagined in a million years that I would have that many fans that liked me from so early on.”
Katy with your Funfarer during a close encounter backstage of The Forum theater in L.A. after Madonna’s Rebel Heart concert in October 2015. Katy was a ‘surprise’ guest picked by Madonna from the audience.
How different are your fans in Manila compared to your fans in other cities?
“My fans in Manila are different because they’re super excited when someone comes over to play an exclusive show for them. Getting to Manila is a travel challenge, but the fans are always very appreciative, and they show that by being very fun and loud and boisterous and really into the music. It’s not as expected, so they’re very grateful for the unexpected, I think.”
Having performed in virtually every major city in the world, how do you prepare for each concert stop? Are there things you do differently in each city? What’s your best concert stop ever?
“I actually try to keep the same routine when I prepare for each concert. It keeps things from getting too crazy! I’ll start out with getting my hair and make-up done, have a nice healthy dinner, meet and greet with fans, then do vocal warm-ups before going on stage. I need lots of rest to get over the jetlag, lots of vitamins, especially Vitamin B, sometimes meditation, and general looking after my well-being like with massages.”
You have had an incredible string of No. 1 hits. What is your secret? Can you give us some hints?
“I always want to write songs that everyone can relate to, and I’m lucky that all of the songs on this album have really resonated with the fans. I think my lyrics come from a very honest place, which is a reason why I think they relate to other people, and I think if I continue to be honest in my delivery of lyrics and my life in general, people will see there is a genuineness, and that is always a characteristic that is warmly welcomed by people.”
Did you ever have to give up anything in favor of your music career?
“The word sacrifice comes to mind for this question, and it’s a very big part of pursuing your dreams and achieving your goals. A lot of personal sacrifice comes into play.”
Can you share with us a glimpse into the future of Katy Perry?
“I think it’s going to be a new, fresh, born-again, phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes future.”
(Note: Katy Perry’s Witness The Tour concert tonight at MOA is produced by AED and Renen de Guia’s Ovation Productions. For tickets, go to www.smtickets.com. Who knows, you might be the lucky one to be kissed, if ever, by Katy.)
(E-mail reactions at rickylophilstar@gmail.com. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare. or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)