Katy Perry is set to perform at the AFL Grand Final in Melbourne this Saturday, but her highly anticipated appearance comes with controversy. The pop star is reportedly being paid a staggering $5 million for her pre-game show at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where she will entertain a crowd of 100,000 fans before the Sydney Swans face off against the Brisbane Lions. However, a number of disputes surrounding her performance, setlist, and rehearsals have raised eyebrows in the days leading up to the event.
According to Daily Mail, Perry's performance is expected to feature some of her biggest hits, including "Firework," "Roar," and "I Kissed a Girl." However, AFL officials reportedly requested that Perry limit the number of songs from her latest album, "143," and focus on delivering her classic hits. Reporter Tom Morris revealed that the AFL was keen for Perry to perform five familiar songs to cater to the massive crowd’s expectations, but the singer had initially pushed back, wanting to include two new tracks.
"She's playing about five songs, and the AFL was very keen for her to play five classic tunes. She wanted to play two new ones," Morris said. After negotiations, a compromise was reached: Perry would include just one new song from her latest album while performing four of her earlier chart-topping hits.
The setlist dispute even garnered attention from former AFL star Kane Cornes, who emphasized the importance of playing fan favorites at such a high-profile event. “We only want your hits. We only want your bangers,” Cornes said. He further commented that concertgoers and event attendees typically expect to hear the songs they know and love, adding that Perry’s classics like “Roar” and “Firework” would resonate more with the crowd than her newer material.
While Perry’s setlist negotiations stirred debate, another controversy emerged involving the Brisbane Lions’ training schedule. Perry’s rehearsals at the MCG will reportedly disrupt the Lions' training sessions, reducing their practice time to just one session instead of the additional run they had hoped for on Thursday. This scheduling conflict has raised concerns, particularly as teams prepare for the high-stakes final.
In an unexpected twist, Perry’s decision to potentially omit her hit song “Roar” from the performance became a hot topic on Australian morning television. The Today Show host Karl Stefanovic criticized the rumored exclusion of “Roar,” suggesting it might be an effort to avoid showing favoritism toward the Brisbane Lions, whose mascot is a lion. “It’s one of Katy Perry’s best songs and highest-selling, but there’s a vicious rumor that she couldn’t sing ‘Roar’ because it would unfairly support the Brisbane Lions,” Stefanovic said. “It would be an outrage if she can’t play it.”
Amid the setlist controversy, speculation is also swirling around the possibility of a surprise collaboration with an Australian pop icon during the performance. Perry hinted at a potential duet in a recent interview, sparking rumors that she might be joined on stage by Australian singer Tina Arena. “There’s going to be a surprise performance by a favorite Australian artist that I am looking up to,” Perry said, adding that the collaboration had been kept under wraps. “She will be singing a little bit with me, and I’ll be singing a little bit with her. I’ve been sworn to secrecy, locked up, chains, all of it,” she teased, referencing Arena’s 1994 hit “Chains.”
As the AFL Grand Final approaches, Perry’s performance is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about aspects of the event, both for the music and the off-field controversies. Fans and commentators alike are eager to see how the final setlist will unfold, whether “Roar” will make an appearance, and if Tina Arena will indeed take the stage alongside Perry. With $5 million on the line and high expectations from both the AFL and her audience, Perry's performance promises to be a focal point of the event.