Reviews: Katy Perry, Rick Springfield / Richard Marx, Kodak Black & More

John Salansang / Invision / AP – Katy Perry
Katy Perry performs during “Katy Perry – Witness World Wide” YouTube livestream concert from Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts in Los Angeles June 12.

This week, for your reading enjoyment we have compiled critical reviews of live performances from Katy Perry in Detroit; Rick Springfield / Richard Marx in Atlanta; Kodak Black in Denver, Colo.; The National in Philadelphia; and the New York Philharmonic in New York.

Katy Perry @ Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., Dec. 6 – “Katy Perry’s concert at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday had it all: shooting stars, confetti, giant dice, a huge set of lips, more confetti, shirts with LED readouts, Left Shark, 1980s fetishism, a basketball intermission, a phone call to her mom, still more confetti, flamingo puppets, a garden scene, pyrotechnics, trampolines, beach balls, you name it. The only thing it didn’t have was a soul.” – Adam Graham / The Detroit News

Rick Springfield / Richard Marx @ Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 5 – “Marx and Springfield are both engaging personalities with admirable self-awareness – and both happen to also be underrated musicians.” – Melissa Ruggieri / The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Kodak Black @ Ogden Theatre in Denver, Colo., Dec. 5 – “Walking the platform with a clenched jaw and wild eyes Kodak flaunted his druggy persona with a certain grace and surprised no one with his willingness to let loose as much or perhaps more than the audience — though, let loose the audience did.” – Colin Wrenn / 303 Magazine

The National @ Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, Penn., Dec. 4 – “After two hours of music The National’s wall of drums and horns and antics crashed down into a pile on stage, leaving only one acoustic song left. With the mic pointed to the crowd and two guitars strummed on stage, the whole room sang. ‘All the very best of us, string ourselves up for love.’” – Michael Cerio / CBS Philly

New York Philharmonic @ David Geffen Hall in New York, New York, Dec. 6 – “[I]t’s hard to imagine [any] orchestra outdoing Wednesday’s performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the most spellbinding account of the all-too-familiar masterpiece that this listener has ever heard.” – David Wright / New York Classical Review