Liam Kyle Sullivan performs “Shoes” as Kelly at Precinct in downtown Los Angeles on June 9. It was the first time Sullivan had performed the song, which went viral as a 2006 YouTube video, in years. Audience members screamed as if they couldn’t believe their eyes. Phones pointed toward the stage. It was a millennial icon, come back to life.musical sketch became one of America’s first viral videos. Nearly two decades later, she was performing the song for the first time in years.
Today, the video has more than 69 million views. Showcasing 2000s-era editing and internet humor, the video’s song tells the story of Kelly shopping for shoes on her birthday after failing to receive them as a gift from her parents. Sullivan first wrote “Shoes” as a stand-up sketch in 2005, when he was pursuing an acting career. He recalled getting dressed as Kelly in the bathroom at the comedy show in Santa Monica, Calif. “I had the wig and the lipstick and the whole outfit, and I remember thinking, ‘O.K., this could either really bomb or be great.’”
“It was great. It was a little confusing, because I was like, ‘What exactly is happening?’” he recalled. “It was all new. Viral — that word was new, at least for videos. When I took meetings about it, I remember people being kind of confused, like, ‘has prompted other invitations: Kelly is set to perform at another L.A. club this weekend and on the main stage at San Francisco Pride on June 29.