We expected to see out-of-towners flood our downtown chains and sports bars and head back east to report on all the mediocrity. But we were pleasantly surprised to see the crowds taking such a liking to The Libertine – downtown’s tall, dark, and handsome option. The approachable yet amplified bar played host to droves of Super Bowl visitors, including dozens of A-listers.

But the spontaneous Sunday night soiree after the game that we sorely missed was an impromptu dance party with Katy Perry. According to owner Neal Brown, she took over DJing upstairs into the wee hours, using his laptop. She quickly changed a few settings to allow her to navigate from window to window much faster. “She was incredible and was like a personal trainer, but for dancing,” says Brown. She never let the crowd slow down.

The highlight for Brown was seeing what Indianapolis could be and most likely someday will be. “The excitement in the air was palpable, and I loved seeing everyone so busy trying to do their best for the guests,” says Brown.

On Friday and Saturday nights, The Libertine did have a $200 a person service minimum, but–compared to the $2,000 cover at some of the less exciting parties (like Maxim’s Tailgate)–sounds like it was well worth the coin.

As for what tracks Perry played during her makeshift DJ turn, Brown says, "To be honest, Katy Perry and I have very different taste in music. I didn't recognize 95 percent of it."

Photos at DirecTV's Super Bowl party courtesy of Ryan Hoffman