Review by Kelly Besaw
Photos by Natasha Lewandowski
The one and only Pink brought her “Summer Carnival” tour to PNC Park in Pittsburgh, PA Saturday August 5. The singer proved that she knows how to make an entrance. Friday afternoon dozens of trucks rolled into downtown Pittsburgh loaded with stage gear, costumes, equipment, and props for what was to be one of the most elaborate performances I have ever seen.
Pink brought along with her support acts KidCutUP, Grouplove and main opener, Brandi Carlisle. Alternative rockers, Grouplove, did a nice job of getting the early concertgoers warmed up before Carlisle took the stage dressed in a banana yellow suit kicking off her nine-song set with “Broken Horses.” Carlisle admitted that she was impressed with the “enormity of the venue and the number of people who were already in their seats.” Her cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” was perfectly melodic. I was happy to hear “The Joke” live. It is so much more powerful than the studio version. Carlisle ended her set with a tribute to who she described as the “greatest songwriter of all time” and performed the Joni Mitchell cover “Woodstock.” KidCutUp took the stage next to spin some well-known jams to get the crowd amped up for the headliner.
Pink, the Grammy-Award-winning singer and songwriter made a grand entrance as she launched headfirst from a giant prop mouth at the top of the stage executing multiple flips as the band kicked things off with “Get the Party Started.” And what a party it was from start to finish. The two-hour set included dazzling lights, highly choreographed dance numbers, lightning-fast wardrobe changes, aerial displays that can best be described as belonging in a Cirque Du Soleil performance and at the center of it all was Pink’s unwaveringly strong and perfectly pitched voice.
This was my first-time seeing Pink and a few things that I noticed were that she puts everything she has into her performance. She was endearing when she interacted with fans and told stories about her father who was obviously an extremely important person in her life. She even opened a bag of Cheetos that someone gave her and ate some during the show. She came across as genuine, down to earth, and clearly has a sense of humor about herself. My conclusion: Pink is a Queen but not a diva!
I loved every minute of the show from start to finish. Highlights included, the aerial display during “Turbulence,” the blazing blasts of fire and trampoline stunts during “Just Like Fire,” the emotional tribute to Pink’s dad, “When I Get There,” and the choreography during “Never Gonna Not Dance Again.” The fans were treated to a beautiful tribute to Sinead O’Connor where Brandi Carlisle joined Pink onstage to combine their powerful voices for a beautiful version of “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Pink, her band, and backup dancers/vocalists worked their way through a twenty-three song setlist that spanned the entirety of the singer’s career all culminating with pop anthem, “So What” where a fully harnessed Pink soared through the air all the way to the stadium’s upper deck and then from side-to-side flipping, singing, and waving to her thrilled fans before returning to the stage to end the party with a fireworks display.
Setlist
Get the Party Started
Raise Your Glass
Who Knew
Just Like a Pill
Try
What About Us
Turbulence
Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan cover)
Nothing Compares 2 U (with Brandi Carlisle) (Prince cover)
Just Give Me a Reason
F**kin’ Perfect
Just Like Fire/Heartbreaker (Pat Benatar cover)
Please Don’t Leave Me (Acoustic)
Cover Me in Sunshine
Kids in Love
When I Get There
I Am Here
Irrelevant
No Ordinary Love (Sade cover)
Are You Gonna Fall? (Spoken Word Interlude)
Trustfall
Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
Never Gonna Not Dance Again
Last Call
So What
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