North America Commenting on the tour's opening night in Mexico City, Jo Vito of
Consequence called the singer's choreography "unimpressive" and "middle-school-musical level." Vito said that Perry's presentation fell flat in comparison to then-recent concerts of other artists such as
Lady Gaga and
Taylor Swift.
Vulture Jason P. Frank noted that the show's concept of Perry fighting an evil AI makes allegations of her using AI "ironic." Local critics had warmer reception to the opening night in Mexico, with Juan Garza of
ABC calling the visuals and technical presentation "impressive," while Nancy Chávez from Mexican digital news outlet,
SinEmbargo, noted that "Katy Perry captivated Mexican audiences with her magic during her first night of her world tour." Reviewing Perry's concert in Chicago, Selena Fragassi of the
Chicago Sun-Times felt The Lifetimes Tour "suffers from much of the same issue" as the promoted
143 album, "where extravagance continues to supersede significance." She criticized it for its "dissociated vibe" and "cringe-y" moments. In a review for
The Boston Globe, Victoria Wasylak called the concert great for families and praised Perry's vocals but felt the show was cheap as opposed to camp. She also did not like how much of the set list contained material from
143 while past songs that fans loved were cut short. Ross Raihala of
St. Paul Pioneer Press called the show a "garish spectacle," saying the expensive production looked "cheap and chintzy." However, he felt that Perry's vocal performance remained strong throughout and that she made full use of her massive stage setup.
Minnesota Star Tribune Chris Riemenschneider described the stage production as "hopelessly bloated and disjointed," and called the "lightsaber duel with some metal-armored aliens and low-rent-looking sandworms during '
E.T.'" as the concert's "most head-scratching" part. He however opined the tour "isn't as awful as the internet makes it out to be," as Perry's concerts had always been "goofy," and felt the singer's interactions with the audience were "sweet."
Dallas Observer Carly May Gravely recounted the show as "wildly entertaining, yet weird and unserious," reflecting Perry's own persona. She noted that the audience consisted largely of children under 12 and argued that criticism from detractors stemmed from a misunderstanding of the show's intended demographic. Gravely emphasized that Perry clearly understands and embraces her young audience, with each element of the performance designed to captivate them.
Oceania Reviewing tour's stop in Melbourne, Denise Barnes of
Rolling Stone Australia gave the concert three and a half out of five stars, saying it was "far from perfect, but was it a fun, feel-good night with a generational superstar still giving it her all." Karl Quinn of
The Sydney Morning Herald gave the opening night in Melbourne four stars, describing the show as "spectacular" and "surprisingly intimate", and Perry as "for the most part, [singing] well." Quinn noted the importance of the "wall of screens" backdrop being "integral to the narrative" as it is where "the framing story unfolds." Writing for
Mamamia, Bree Player gave the opening night in Sydney a positive review, describing it as "high-concept and high-effort" while praising the tour's visuals and Perry's costumes. In a review of the opening night in Brisbane, Georgia Clelland of
The Courier-Mail noted the tour's unfavourable response from commentators, but described the show as a "high-octane, theatrical spectacle" that "silenced early critics," and left her "genuinely wowed." In a review of the opening concert in Adelaide, Patrick McDonald from
The Advertiser described the show as an "epic spectacle" where Perry brought the "wow factor," and praised the "impressive" set.
Europe In a review of the tour's stop at the
OVO Hydro in
Glasgow, Claire Biddles of
The Guardian gave the show three out of five stars, commenting that the tour is "not the disaster that some have reported," but that it "[suffers] from Perry not allowing herself to have as much fun as her audience are having." Biddles described the tour's visuals and staging as "excessive," but complimented the moments when Perry sings alone as being the "most natural" and having "more energy and charisma than she has had all night." Fabio Magnocavallo from
Euphoria gave the tour's opening night in London four out of five stars, describing the show as striking a balance "between theatrical flair and crowd‑pleasing hits" which made for a "lively, feel‑good evening." Magnocavallo praised the "Choose Your Own Adventure" segment, commenting that it "added a touch of spontaneity" and made everyone "feel more connected to the show." Additionally, he described the concert as a "grand pop production" and Perry's presence as "warm and engaging." Writing for
Le Progrès, Delphine Givord praised Perry's concert at the
LDLC Arena in
Lyon, describing it as a "two-hour dose of good vibes," where Perry "clearly enjoyed herself." Givord praised the "infinity-figure stage design," which she described as "[offering] an unobstructed view to all spectators," adding that the show was "meticulously choreographed" and Perry "gave it her all." == Accolades ==