Katy Perry shocks straight out the gate with astounding song choice as she kicks off AFL Grand Final headlining show

Katy Perry shocked out of the gate with an excellent song choice as she kicked off her AFL Grand Final performance at the MCG on Saturday.

The American pop star, 39, took to the stage in front of 100,000 AFL fans as she headlined the pregame show ahead of the Brisbane Lions vs Sydney Swans clash.

However, she stunned fans almost immediately when she kicked off her five-song set with her smash hit Roar, despite it being widely assumed she wouldn’t perform the hit.

There had been feverish speculation that the song had been blacklisted because it showed an alleged bias against the Brisbane Lions.

But Perry threw caution to the wind by performing the song that some fans consider the unofficial anthem of the underdogs.

Katy previously gave credence to the rumors when she admitted she was told to cut her song from her setlist because it wasn’t ‘fair’.

‘Oh, the lions! I have to cut my song Roar from the set because it’s not fair. That’s what everyone says,” she said on The Fox’s Fifi, Fev and Nick earlier this week.

“No, you have to play it!” said host Brendan Fevola. “Because you were booked before Brisbane made it,” to which Katy then agreed.

Before she even took the stage, Perry’s headlining performance at AFL had already caused controversy among Aussies when her multi-million payday was revealed.

The Firework hitmaker reportedly earned a whopping $5 million from performing just five songs at the MCG, with local musicians sharing their amazement at the huge sum.

A Melbourne artist took to Facebook to criticize the AFL for dumping millions on international talent while local musicians struggle to get gigs.

Australia’s live music industry has also struggled to stay afloat in recent years, with several major local festivals having to be canceled due to low ticket sales.

“I just heard on the radio that Katy Perry is getting $5 million for five songs on tomorrow’s AFL gf [sic]a local singer wrote in a message he shared with his followers.

‘Certainly given the state of the music industry in this country, that money could have been better spent.

‘All Australians lining up with an outdoor stage featuring local acts, promoting the best of Melbourne’s music scene? I get the starting factor, but $5 million for five songs?”

Followers flocked to the musician’s comments to agree, with some saying hiring the international pop star for the AFL Grand Final was ‘not great value for money’.

“Maybe you’re looking for a name that’s already in the country to sing a few songs. “It’s a huge amount of money,” she added.

“Absolutely stupid,” someone else wrote, as another agreed: “Something needs to change. That’s insane!’

While many complained about the Australian dollars going to Perry for her upcoming performance, there were some who disagreed.

“Well she probably pays for her own sound team and all the other stuff like insurance and super per person in the lineup,” someone commented.

Perry reportedly hoped her AFL show would “revive” her “faltering” pop career and help promote her new album 143, which has been divisive.

Another wrote: ‘No Australian act has the profile and appeal. I’ve tried to think of one, but I can’t. Every legendary act is too old now.”

And another user pointed out that the AFL Grand Final is broadcast in many other countries, not just Australia, so should appeal to a wider audience.

Perry She was said to be hopeful of performing several songs from her new album to the public, in an effort to promote the LP, which was savaged by critics.

However, AFL chiefs are said to have quickly hit back at the suggestion, telling Perry to stick to her well-known hits from her previous album Teenage Dream.

Channel Nine reporter Tom Morris claimed AFL big wigs told the hitmaker they expected her to perform her older hits such as Firework and I Kissed A Girl.

The veteran AFL journalist appeared on SEN Breakfast ahead of her show and claimed they had reached a compromise, with Katy limited to playing just one new song.

Her highly anticipated seventh studio album 143, which references the phrase ‘I love you’, did not get off to a good start with music critics as it received lukewarm reviews.

A scathing review of her first album in four years, from a top entertainment outlet, stated that Katy is ‘struggling to regain past glory on the flat 143’.

Meanwhile, The Guardian gave it two stars out of five, saying the album “isn’t the expected disaster, but it’s not good either.”

One review called the final track Wonder the “worst” song on the album and wrote that it is a “cynical attempt to get mothers in the audience waving their hands in unison as balloons float up, even as it disapproves of cynicism ‘.

The Independent also gave it two stars, saying it was ‘painfully dated and distinctly out of touch’.

Much of the criticism, even before the album was released, was due to Perry’s decision to collaborate with her longtime music producer Dr. Luke, who settled his lengthy sexual harassment lawsuit with Kesha last year — which he vehemently denied.

Despite the critical criticism, Perry has found some positive reviews from fans on social media while also performing on the 2024 MTV VMA stage.