NEWSKaty Perry's Butterfly Prop Nearly Plunges to the Ground During Tour: Watch the Scary Moment
Katy Perry faced her second stage malfunction since kicking off her Lifetimes Tour.
July 19 2025, Published 2:55 p.m. ET
Katy Perry, 40, nearly fell from her flying butterfly prop mid-performance as it jolted from the ceiling, causing the artist’s body to leap through the air before landing back on top of the object.
Perry was flying above her audience at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 18, when she faced the near-catastrophic malfunction during her Lifetimes Tour.
Katy Perry's Stage Malfunction
The singer was performing at the Chase Center when her flying stage prop malfunctioned.
Katy Perry Almost Plunges to the Ground During 'Roar'
The star addressed the situation on her Instagram Story.
“And you’re gonna hear me roar,” the entertainer continued to sing as she quickly adapted to the unexpected situation.
Although she appeared unfazed, Perry followed up with her fans after the show via her Instagram Story, where she shared a photo of her facial expression as the prop nearly plunged to the ground. “Goodnight San Fran,” she captioned the image.
'She Handled That Very Well'
Fans agreed that Katy Perry handled the scary moment very well.
After a clip of the malfunction went viral on X, fans showed their support for her dynamite reaction and ability to continue her performance.
“I’m sorry that’s actually so scary, when will artists learn to not use these types of props?” questioned one.
“Honestly she handled that very well,” wrote another.
“You can’t say she didn’t manage it effectively,” agreed a third.
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'Her Astronaut Training Kicked in'
Social media users suggested the singer's trip to space helped her adapt to the flying object's malfunction.
Despite the potential severity of the incident, many social media users joked about Perry’s experience with flying to space in Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin mission in April, saying it helped her keep her cool during the nerve-wracking moment.
“She’s an astronaut… she’ll figure it out,” one sarcastically stated.
“Her astronaut training kicked in and was able to keep her calm and able to continue with the show. Mission accomplished,” said another.
“She thought she was going back to space for a second there,” joked a third.
Fans Compare Katy Perry's Scary Moment to Beyoncé’s Recent Stage Malfunction
Beyoncé also faced a near-catastrophic fall during a performance in June.
Others expressed their concern for concertgoers underneath the flying prop, saying they could have been injured in the process as well. Even more fans recalled Beyoncé’s recent prop malfunction, where she, too, almost fell from her hanging car during a June performance at Houston’s NRG Stadium.
“Holy. Between this and Beyoncé, maybe tours gotta chill with this. Also, this was way scarier than Beyoncé’s. That sudden drop must have been crazy,” said one.
“I tell you, Final Destination is REAL, can’t tell me s---. First Beyoncé, now Katy, who’s next Drake? lmao,” added a second.
Katy Perry Almost Falls From Stage Prop in Australia
Katy Perry's flying sphere almost fell on top of her audience in June.
The “Hot N Cold” singer faced a similar situation in June during her performance at Australia’s Adelaide Entertainment Centre. While Perry was above the crowd in a geometric sphere, the prop aggressively tilted. Had her hands not been properly tied to the prop, she would have fallen through the sphere’s openings.
