Dunlevy: Justin Trudeau was all smiles at Katy Perry's Montreal concert
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Sporting a black Standfield's 'Strong & Free' T-shirt, Canada's former prime minister stood next to his daughter, Ella-Grace, as he took in the razzle-dazzle show, bopping his head and tapping the railing in front of him from a special section of the stands near the stage.
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Perry, for her part, gushed about Montreal — 'one of my favourite cities in all of Canada' — and the country Trudeau led for nearly a decade. Perhaps it was her way of flirting: She called our country 'super progressive,' adding that Canadians 'seem to be leading a change for humanity.'
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The pop star was doing her part in that department, spreading messages of equality and women's empowerment throughout the evening.
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'I like her songs and her style; she's not exotic but extravagant, with a lot of energy,' said Ana, 14, who was there with her mother but was too shy to give her real name.
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Sara-Maude, 31, called Perry 'a female icon.' The Mirabel native said she felt nostalgic coming out to see her idol from her teen years.
'It brings up memories of our youth,' added her friend Lysanne, 33.
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Encountered before the show, the pair was intrigued by Perry and Trudeau's potential romance.
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' Justin Trudeau has taste,' Sara-Maude said.
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The women looked forward to hearing favourite songs including I Kissed a Girl, Roar, Fireworks and Dark Horse. They got all of the above and more as Perry powered through a two-hour, hit-filled set featuring songs from throughout her career.
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It was a high-concept show with two dozen screens of various sizes cluttered above the stage. They projected an animated, sci-fi fantasy narrative staggered throughout the night that placed Perry at the centre of a hero quest to save the butterflies — and humanity — from devastation and the forces of evil.
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The concert was divided into five acts, each bearing a title matching a song from her 2024 album 143 (the number is contemporary shorthand for 'I love you'). During the first segment, Artificial, she emerged from beneath the infinity-symbol-shaped catwalk in the middle of the arena, floating into the air as she sang.
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