“Smile.”

Pop superstar Katy Perry’s Lifetimes Tour, unlike the Denver Nuggets’ playoff chances, is still breathing. And “By the Grace of God” – if not the Nuggets – Perry fans will finally get to see their hero perform at Ball Arena on Thursday night.

The concert, originally scheduled for May 15, had to be put off when the Nuggets fell apart in Game 5 of the NBA’s Western Conference best-of-seven semifinals, making a sixth game necessary against the eventual NBA champion the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Nuggets won that game, at least, before being eliminated in Oklahoma City on May 18.

The first next available date on Perry’s schedule and the Ball Arena calendar was July 10. Think of it as the equivalent of a 54-day baseball rain delay 

Why is Perry such a big deal? That issue was forever sealed in 2010, when her album “Teenage Dream” spawned five No. 1 singles, matching a record previously held by Michael Jackson.

Perry made many local fans for life back in 2013 when Lakewood High School was chosen to host a private concert to film the video for her biggest hit, “Roar.” Hard to believe but some of the screaming students who appear in that video are now in their 30s.

But Perry’s off-stage life has been one controversy after another for more than a decade, from her public personal politics to her support for a producer accused of drugging and raping  women (he was not convicted).

On April 14, Perry was on the historic Blue Origin all-female spaceflight, which was planned as a promotion for billionaire Jeff Bezos’ space tech company, Blue Origin. She answered her critics by saying: “It’s about a collective energy and making space for future women.”

And then there’s this: Until July 3, Perry was engaged to Orlando Bloom. I don’t like typing these words, but I have a gun positioned at my right temple poised to fire if I don’t inform you that the couple posted photos of the whole blended family spending time together on a yacht just yesterday.

Now someone toss her a towel. Perry was due in Denver 48 just hours later to launch the second leg of her tour. Promoters are promising dance-driven, chart-topping songs with immersive visuals, futuristic storylines and fan-interactive moments. Each night, the set list is interactive, allowing fans to vote in real time for surprise songs via QR codes during the show. In every show, Perry  brings up members of the audience to join her onstage.

The evening is meant to convey a narrative storytelling arc that is part-love story, part sci-fi odyssey, and during which Perry takes on a rogue AI named “Mainframe.”

“Designed to feel more like an experience than a concert, the tour offers a completely reimagined pop show format,’ her promoters say.

The opening act in Denver is a band called Cheat Codes. That is an American DJ and production trio featuring Kevin Ford, Trevor Dahl and Matthew Russell.

A month before the Perry parry, Kylie Minogue’s concert ran up against the Nuggets’ Game 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers, and it was ultimately canceled.

Why do the Nuggets get dibs on all scheduling conflicts with concerts? Because it’s written into every contract that the sometimes unpredictable NBA playoff schedule takes precedence over anything else. It helps that the Nuggets and Ball Arena are both owned by Kroenke Sports Entertainment. Because there is so much money to be made, the Kroenkes will take a possible double-booking conflict over an open night on the calendar every single time.