Katy Perry and Gabriella on stage at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Last Thursday (Sept. 21) Shelton resident Chris Jones’ 9‑year-old daughter, Gabriella, was called on stage during a Katy Perry concert at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.
Click play on the Facebook video below to watch, and click here to learn about how the Boys & Girls Club earned their seats at the concert.
On Monday the Valley Indy interviewed Jones about it. The Q&A is below.
Valley Indy: Was this Gabriella’s first Katy Perry concert? Is she her favorite singer?
Jones: It was her first concert. My daughter’s a dancer, so she likes all this danceable music. She didn’t know she was going until last week, I kind of sprung it on her. I had asked a lady at Mohegan Sun, one of the host people up at Mohegan Sun, and she got us a couple complimentary tickets.
Valley Indy: Your daughter was wearing a Boys & Girls Club T‑shirt, an organization that you’ve been involved with for years, with which Katy Perry is affiliated as well?
Jones: Katy Perry’s big with the Boys & Girls Club. She donated about 50 tickets to the Boys & Girls Club, so there were Ansonia kids there, there were Shelton kids there, there were Seymour kids there. They all had pink shirts to represent the Boys & Girls Club. Myself and Gabriella were sitting a section over from where the Ansonia kids were.
Valley Indy: How did Gabriella end up on stage?
Jones: I knew nothing about this, that she does this as a routine, she asks somebody to come onstage for this shooting star, make a wish thing. My daughter said “Videotape this song, I like this song.” So I was live Facebooking it and she asked a Girl Scout out in the audience, “Are you a Girl Scout?” and then she said something about Thin Mints. I thought she was going to pull that girl up on stage but she didn’t. Then she said “You in the pink shirt.” Gabriella pointed to herself and says “Me?” and she said “Yeah, come down to the stage right now.” It was just a random thing, really cool.
Valley Indy: How did you feel when she was up there?
Jones: It was all good, it was all nice, it was all fun. At first she (Perry) said “You’re wearing a Boys & Girls Club shirt,” then talked about a donation from every ticket being made to the Boys & Girls Club. Then she asked her her name, where are you from, and then she asked what do you want to be when you grow up? Gabriella was just so calm and cool up there. She said she was still thinking about it. Then all of a sudden she said this is a make a wish thing, if you could make one wish, what would it be? When she came out with that answer — wanting everybody to pray for the survivors of the hurricanes — I teared up. It was pretty emotional. My 9‑year-old, where’d she come up with that answer? She could have wish for a new car or something, and she’s wishing for the betterment of the world. I was pretty proud.
Valley Indy: As you say, she was so calm and collected even though she was on stage with a massive pop star with thousands of people around her.
Jones: Her being a dancer and having been up on stage performing, just her body language and everything up there, it was like she was with her best friend. She’s got a great heart and she seems a little more mature than a 9‑year-old. It was just a very moving, nice father-daughter date. It turned out to be one that we’ll remember forever.
Valley Indy: OK, serious question: Have you or Gabriella chosen a side in the reputed Katy Perry-Taylor Swift feud?
Jones: No, but my daughter knew that one of the songs she was singing was about the feud between them. I don’t know any of this stuff. I didn’t know there was a feud. But she wants to go see Taylor Swift too so it’s all good.
