Katy Perry VMA Performance Of 'Roar' Rocks MTV (VIDEO)

Katy Perry Performs 'Roar' For The First Time

Here's her roar: Katy Perry rocked Brooklyn on Sunday night, closing out the MTV Video Music Awards with a performance of her hit new single, "Roar."

Perry's VMA performance marked the first time the 28-year-old played "Roar" in front of a live audience -- but she didn't sing inside the friendly confines of Brooklyn's Barclays Center, where the Video Music Awards were held. Instead, MTV set up an elaborate stage for the singer off-site, placing her in a boxing ring under the Brooklyn bridge. Perry wore a tiger-print tank-top and a pair of flame-embossed shorts that recalled Guy Fieri. (Prior to the event, MTV teased that Perry would sing from an "undisclosed location" in Brooklyn.)

The story of "Roar": After weeks of advanced hype, the song was released on Aug. 10 and sold more digital copies than any Perry single to date. Despite being louder than a lion, Perry's new track, the first off her upcoming album "Prism," did come with some controversy. "Roar" was criticized by some fans because of its similarities to Sara Bareilles' "Brave." (Perry made no mention of that controversy during the VMA performance, not that she was going to anyway.)

Perry is a four-time VMA winner; her video for "Firework" won Video of the Year during the 2011 ceremony. Watch Perry's "Roar" performance from the 2013 VMAs in the window above. A breakdown of the evening's events can be found in the live blog below.

2013 MTV Video Music Awards - Show

Video Music Awards 2013

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