Pop fruitcake Katy Perry has been compared to Madonna and Gwen Stefani. But Perry, who performs Tuesday at First Avenue in Minneapolis, considers Freddie Mercury of Queen to be her biggest influence. Hearing Queen's 1975 hit "Killer Queen" sometime in the 1990s changed her life.

JON BREAM

"That was the moment I realized music was really important to me. I didn't ever believe someone could sing lyrics like these that would be so colorful and explain the things that I'm feeling and the person that I want to be."