Katy Perry's Playing An LA Concert, But It's Only For Fans With A Certain Credit Card

Katy Perry's playing the 1,600-seat Ace Hotel tonight -- but the only way into this sold-out teenage dream was with a Citi card.

As part of the insanely competitive world of which credit card you use, Citi launched the "Citi Sound Vault" series. It gives cardholders access to exclusive concerts, with shows ranging from Metallica to Sting, Childish Gambino to Eminem.

It's part of a longstanding promotional relationship with Perry -- she's also done Citi commercials and had Citi pre-sales for her tours.

Here's Katy Pery at a benefit concert sponsored by Citi, taking a picture with George Stephanopoulos and Jerry Seinfeld for some reason. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Citi)

Perry's been happy to lend her name to brands, including Cover Girl, Walmart (including doing a concert for Walmart's Soundcheck series), Toyota, American Idol and many more.

Not even all Citi members get access to these shows -- it's just for Citi ThankYou and Citi Prestige cardholders. And just because you have one of these cards, it's no guarantee you'll get in -- spots are still limited, particularly given the small size of the venues used for Sound Vault shows. After pre-registering, some fans got a verification code that allowed them to use their Citi cards to buy tickets.

It's not all just about the power of giant corporations and their wealth -- along with that sponsorship money, it gives big artists the chance to play more intimate shows. It's also one of the latest initiatives meant to get tickets into the hands of actual fans without passing through ticket brokers first.

The Sound Vault program is part of a partnership with the Ticketmaster Verified Fan service, which aims to level the playing field for getting tickets.

So when you see your friends roar on social media about the fireworks from this show, now you know how they got there. Meanwhile, the rest of us will have the FOMO of everyone who wasn't at this party:

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