The DJ who introduced Katy Perry proceeded to text on his iPhone throughout her concert at Centennial Hall.
If you confused the KRQ guy for a fan, you might have also initially mistaken Perry for a one-dimensional pop act.
Perry proved herself otherwise Monday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 'tweens, teens and college students.
After the audience began chanting "Ka-ty, Ka-ty," a screen lifted to reveal Perry standing center stage along with about five giant inflatable bananas, 11 strawberries, six apples and one giant, gray cat head with glowing blue eyes.
Also accompanying Perry were four male musicians who might as well have been props themselves.
The electric Perry shined brightly throughout her approximately 75-minute set.
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The Southern California native appeared wearing a white, dotted, hopelessly short dress that looked like something between an apron and a nightie, with a red belt and heart-shaped buckle.
Opening with the closer to her 2008 hit album, "One of the Boys," the 24-year-old ran and bounced from one side of the stage to the other, grasping her glimmering silver microphone like the sun clutching a candle.
With short black hair, pale skin and bright red lipstick, Perry soon strapped on a white guitar to run through the title track from "One of the Boys."
The chatty Perry later told a story about a childhood romance at a roller-skating rink and did the hokeypokey to illustrate a metaphor for so many relationships: one foot in, one foot out.
It was a clever step into her hit single "Hot n Cold," which got the mostly female fans singing and bobbing along feverishly.
Besides winning covers of the Outfield's "Your Love" and Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now," Perry played every song from the 2008 album, including the jazzy iTunes bonus track "I Think I'm Ready."
The material wore a little thin midway, but Perry picked things up with a striking, solo acoustic version of "Thinking of You." Her voice sounded strong and forceful live, more rock star than pop star.
As expected, Centennial exploded when Perry encored with her Grammy-nominated smash "I Kissed a Girl," as inflated strawberries bopped around in the crowd like beach balls at a summer baseball game.
One of Perry's charms is she doesn't appear above her fans and, at least at this point in her career, you can still picture her singing into a hairbrush in front of a bedroom mirror every morning.
Katy Perry in concert at Centennial Hall on Monday night, with the Daylights. Presented by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona.
