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From lackluster album reviews and tour ticket sales, to being trolled for playing Astronaut Barbie in Blue Origin’s space flight, to confirming the end of her engagement to Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry has had a very bumpy year. Unfortunately, that description took a literal turn on Friday. During a tour stop in San Francisco, Katy was astride a “flying insect prop thing” (credit to Reddit for the technical term) while singing “Roar,” when the machinery dropped for a very long second, leaving Katy noticeably shaken. Knock wood, the incident was limited to one moment of free fall, but still! I’ve watched the clip a few times now, and all I can spy is a little drone-looking apparatus on a couple wires holding up the “flying insect prop thing,” and it’s hard to tell whether Katy is strapped in at all. I’m no robot maker, but this does not seem safe!
Katy Perry’s over-the-top performance took a scary turn on Friday night.
During her concert in San Francisco, video taken by a fan showed the pop superstar flying over the audience on a massive butterfly prop when it malfunctioned mid-performance.
The prop dropped suddenly, jerking Perry and causing her to cling onto it as it continued moving above the crowd.
She stopped singing, looking visibly panicked. The “Teenage Dream” singer was heard letting out a yelp when the machine dropped. She immediately looked up at the wires the prop was strapped to.
Despite the malfunction, the seasoned performer kept her composure and soon continued to sing to her fans.
The comments section was flooded with mixed reactions towards Perry and her jaw-dropping performance.
“Having things like this fly over the crowd is a huge safety hazard for the artist AND the fans,” one comment read.
Another person wrote, “She handled it like a pro, barely skipped a beat, but it should’ve never happened.”
“She’s an astronaut she can deal with a little turbulence,” a user commented.
Ok, nailed it with the astronaut quip. But I agree with the other commenter that this whole thing seems needlessly dangerous. I suppose the benefit of a singer flying in the arena is that fans in the cheap seats get to see her close up for a bit. On the other hand, there could be big screens set up following Katy’s every move, no? Here’s what I want to know: since this is a flying machine, and because of the known connection, did Blue Origin have anything to do with manufacturing it?! At the end of the day, though, this is still a technical error. To date, no explanation has been provided on the “artistic” choice of certain choreographic sequences (iykyk).
Good news is, Katy seems to be ok. Or at least in good enough spirits to poke fun at the moment. She posted an Instagram Story of a screen shot from the midair near-fall, with the caption “Goodnight San Fran.” And speaking of, shoutout to my hometown! Where my mother happens to be visiting for the first time in nearly 10 years since she relocated to be closer to me even though she hates the weather where she now lives. As of this writing, I cannot confirm whether she played any part in this concert snafu. Requests for comment from the venue, local police, and my mother, have all gone unanswered.
Katy Perry’s tour prop malfunctions midair. pic.twitter.com/Fu8bPYhfWy
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 19, 2025
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- Paris, FRANCE Celebrities and influencers gather for the Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Haute Couture Collection show during Paris Fashion Week. Pictured: Katy Perry BACKGRID USA 9 JULY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE Celebrities and influencers gather for the Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Haute Couture Collection show during Paris Fashion Week. Pictured: Katy Perry BACKGRID USA 9 JULY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE Guests made their entrance outside the Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2025/2026 show in Paris. The fashion house drew a high-profile crowd, with cameras capturing every arrival. A standout moment as attendees embraced avant-garde elegance on the pavements. Pictured: Katy Perry BACKGRID USA 10 JULY 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: REGINA VORONINA / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
photos credit: Backgrid, Avalon.red and Getty
That looked pretty scary & yeah it didn’t look like she was strapped in to the insect prop thingy. I did see a wire from her back I think so maybe that was the safety cable ?
Beyonce does the same with a flying vintage car and she also had a scary moment recently when she asked her team to stop the show for a little bit.
I feel bad for her. I know she’s kind of grating and the whole astronaut thing was seriously out of touch, but the woman is going through a public breakup while on tour (on top of being a laughing stock). Every time I see a clip of her on stage (dancing with that giant turd? I honestly am not sure what’s going on with her sets so I shouldn’t judge) I feel sad for her. I hope she can take a little time for herself. And that looked scary af.
I see a harness on her from the back connected to the prop. Still, if the worst happens, she is gonna go down with the prop, which is very dangerous, so I don’t know how insurance companies ok this kind of safety precautions. The same thing happened to Beyonce, she was also tied to the car. All it would take is one bad accident to ban this type of performance. I get that people really get excited when the artist gets closer to them, but it isn’t worth it.
Was she really singing or was she lip syncing. She pulls the microphone away grom her mouth and isnt moving her mouth during the scare but one can still hear soneone singing.