Katy Perry lurches mid-air as butterfly tour prop malfunctions

Footage from a recent Katy Perry gig shows the singer dangerously lurching mid-air after a butterfly tour prop malfunctioned.

• READ MORE: Katy Perry: every single ranked in order of greatness

The technical issue took place during the pop star’s ongoing ‘Lifetimes Tour’, celebrating the release of her sixth album ‘143’.

At one point in the gig, the ‘Teenage Dream’ singer is seen riding atop a butterfly set piece, which dropped dramatically as she rode over the crowd.

The singer composed herself briefly and continued to perform 2013 track ‘Roar’ to cheers from the crowd. Many attending the San Francisco gig later took to social media to share clips of the moment, with one fan saying they thought it was “part of the show cause she kept singing and going!”

she said the singing shouldn’t stop which the audience paid for!!! handled it so well pic.twitter.com/LKne4Xdsmj

— The Immortal (@TheImmortal007) July 19, 2025

Katy Perry’s tour prop malfunctions midair. pic.twitter.com/Fu8bPYhfWy

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 19, 2025

Katy Perry’s giant butterfly prop just malfunctioned mid-show and nearly took her out… she really said fight or flight 🦋💥 #lifetimestour #KatyPerry @katyperry @ChrisAntonacci1 @todaykatyp pic.twitter.com/MeXJ77JJBj

— Rayan (@Rmadjidi) July 19, 2025

Some on social media are comparing the malfunction to one Beyoncé experienced at a recent Houston show, where a levitating car got briefly stuck in the air during a rendition of ’16 Carriages’, prompting fans to praise her composure but urge her to use something else.

“I’m sorry that’s actually so scary,” said one X/Twitter user comparing the similar incidents. “When will artists learn to not use these types of props.”

It follows another onstage mishap at a recent Australia gig for Perry, where she was seen preparing to be lifted over the audience inside a metal sphere suspended by cables. However, as the handlers let go of the prop, it was seen starting to tilt to one side.

Fan-shot footage showed Perry losing her footing briefly and holding on as the lights went down and the sphere was lowered. From there, the rest of the show seemed to go on without further issues.

The mishap with the metal sphere in Australia came just before the singer confirmed the rumours that she and her partner Orlando Bloom have split.

@funktasy

Katy Perry had a wild moment in Adelaide last weekend. She was performing “Nirvana” inside this giant metallic sphere, floating over the crowd until the thing tilted mid-air and totally freaked everyone out. Katy clung on (lowkey terrifying), the lights went down, and crew rushed to help her down safely. But in true Katy fashion? She laughed it off and kept going. No drama, just a little space turbulence 💫 Honestly, pop star in orbit and still delivering vocals? Respect 👏   #katyperry #adelaideconcert #lifetimestour #popstarinorbit #concertdrama #nirvana #onstagemoment #musicmagic #katylive #funktasyvibes    🎥 TMZ, NME

♬ NIRVANA – Katy Perry

The two of them have been romantically involved since 2016, and first split back in 2017, before getting back together shortly afterwards. They got engaged in February 2019, and now share a four-year-old daughter called Daisy.

A joint statement was shared with US media outlets, with representatives for both Perry and Bloom saying that the two have “been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting” (via BBC).

It added that “they will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is – and always will be – raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect.”

Perry revealed her pregnancy in the music video for ‘Never Worn White’ in 2020, and Daisy’s birth was announced on the Unicef Instagram page later that year, with both Perry and Bloom being goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations agency.

According to the spokesperson, the statement was shared due to “an abundance of recent interest and conversation” surrounding their relationship status, with rumours circulating for a few weeks now that they may have split.

The news of their separation comes following Perry making headlines numerous times over the past year – her recent album ‘143’ and lead single ‘Woman’s World’ received a poor response, and she sparked controversy when she travelled to space to reveal the ‘Lifetimes’ tour setlist in April.

Social media branded the flight as “wealth tourism”, and the trip garnered some criticism from the likes of Emily Ratajkowski, who said she was “disgusted” by the flight, along with food chain Wendy’s.

Perry will soon play the UK leg of the ‘Lifetimes’ tour, which kicks off in October. She will follow in the footsteps of Coldplay, Enter Shikari and Sam Fender by donating £1 of every ticket to Music Venue Trust – a government-backed scheme to help keep grassroots venues alive. Get your tickets here.