The pop star endured a scary prop malfunction while performing at the Chase Center in San Francisco during her most recent show.
Fan videos show the “California Gurls” singer riding a giant flying mechanical butterfly prop through the air above the crowd as she sings her 2013 single “Roar” when suddenly one of the wires elevating the massive bug drops without warning. The mishap caused the gigantic insect to swing uncontrollably, but while Perry seemed understandably frightened for a moment, she maintained her balance.
The technical gaffe, however, forced the vocalist to temporarily stop performing, as she abruptly cut off her singing after belting the final “I see it all, I see it now” of “Roar,” leaving only the backing track to continue into the chorus as the audience gasped and nervously watched from their seats. Perry refrained from reciting the line “I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter / Dancing through the fire, ’cause I am a champion” as she regained her composure, but she jumped back in to sing “And you’re gonna hear me roar.”
Perry later acknowledged the incident on Instagram, posting a blurry photo from the butterfly drop of her surprised face with the caption “Goodnight, San Fran.”
A representative for Perry declined to comment when Entertainment Weekly reached out.
The accident occurred in the midst of an eventful year for the “Firework” singer. Perry achieved massive virality in April for her brief space voyage alongside Gayle King and Jeff Bezos’ then-fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, on the Amazon founder’s Blue Origin NS-31 flight. Last month, Perry went public with her split from her longtime fiancé, Orlando Bloom, ending their nine-year relationship. The couple share a daughter, Daisy.
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Perry also made headlines after filing for a restraining order against a man who allegedly infiltrated her property in Santa Barbara in June. The same month, she fended off a fan who stormed the stage during her performance in Sydney.
The singer will continue the Lifetimes Tour with a performance in Seattle on Monday, and has lined up more than 50 shows before the tour wraps in Abu Dhabi in December.
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