P!nk Concert Review

What can you expect when you buy tickets to a P!nk show? If you checked off insane acrobatics, special guests, touching interludes, and fastmoving graphics to match each song, you would be correct. On August 18, P!nk once again brought her whole spectacle to the stage of Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena for a mind-blowing performance.

Despite the singer’s newest album Hurts 2B Human releasing in April 2019, the political, no-fucksgiven singer is still touring 2017’s Beautiful Trauma. That didn’t stop her from peppering in a handful of her latest fan-favorites, including a live duet with opener Wrabel for their new track “90 Days.” By the end of the night, the entire audience had gotten a glimpse into every part of P!nk’s 20-year career.

The show began with P!nk coming out swinging (literally) to perform her signature opening song — “Get the Party Started.” Not only is this track from her second album an iconic party starter, but it’s one of her most successful singles of all time, which boosted her career into what it is today. P!nk performed this song while hanging from the air on a glitter-covered chandelier, which was only a foresight into what the rest of the night would bring. Wasting no time after her feet landed back on the floor, she flawlessly transitioned into the title track off Beautiful Trauma as a means of introducing her audience into the visual world that she’s created around the album. P!nk even made a grand entrance onto the stage sporting a similar outfit to what she wore on the album cover before “Try” at the beginning of Act IV.

One of P!nk’s most defining traits is her ability to constantly change her music and political voice to keep up with the times, and this is definitely something that could be seen in her performance. Though she was mainly focused on giving her fans the live experience that is Beautiful Trauma, it’s impossible for her to truly leave behind and quit acknowledging her roots. The singer’s debut record, released in 2000, is heavily R&B influenced, which isn’t a style she stuck with for long. As rock and pop punk became much more popularized, she slowly drifted away from her original sound to create upbeat anthems that both her and her audience preferred. After a 4-year gap between the release of Funhouse and The Truth About Love, P!nk then began to experiment with elements of mainstream pop until finally settling with a flawless pop-rock blend. One thing that has never changed is her outspoken nature and outright refusal to stay silent on politics. As times change, she continues to use her platform to speak out about the most relevant topic of change that must be made. Lately, this has been protesting American president Donald Trump. An introductory video before she performs Beautiful Trauma’s lead single, “What About Us,” echoes her beliefs regarding the importance of feminism and the sad truth about how fighting for basic human rights has become a struggle for all minorities, which basically consists of anyone who isn’t a heterosexual, white male.

The moral of P!nk’s message is to stand up for what you believe in and don’t be afraid to be different. Another tearjerker interlude discusses a conversation she had with her daughter about this exact topic. Her daughter had come to believe she was ugly because she looked like a boy, but P!nk made her a PowerPoint to convince her why

she was beautiful and why she should continue to express herself and love herself for who she is. By sharing that message with the world, she hopes she can be a positive role model on the lives of other young women, which was definitely a goal she had achieved by the end of the night. She unapologetically belted out empowering anthems such as “Hustle” and “Fuckin’ Perfect.” Sporting every outfit imaginable, from a sparkly bodysuit to a simple white dress, P!nk turned a concert into a celebration of humanity.

If all of this didn’t already convince you to buy tickets to the singer’s next tour the moment it’s announced, there were even more surprises in store before her show was over. P!nk is here to prove that she’s not just your everyday pop star. Her first midair appearance after the show opener came in “Secrets,” where she performed trapeze tricks high above the stage with a male dancer. Real flames came out of the stage for “Just Like Fire,” which could even be felt up in the stands. Dallas Green, lead singer of Canadian band City and Colour, as well as a good friend of P!nk’s, joined her onstage to perform two acoustic songs from the duo’s side project titled You+Me. Before giving up the acoustic guitar, P!nk then sang her latest hit “Walk Me Home” in a stripped-down manner, which was a surprise for everyone. Another surprise came when she performed a cover of Bishop Briggs’ hit single “River.” After one last interlude, she came back on stage to wrap up the show with a few more of her greatest hits. With a burst of confetti over the crowd during “Can We Pretend,” she promptly strapped herself into a spinning harness, which allowed her to travel through the air to every last corner of the arena and wave at fans while performing spins and backflips in the air and still flawlessly executing the lyrics to “So What.”

Though she closes every show with the 2008 piano melody “Glitter In The Air,” it still came as a surprise to some. Despite a high-energy and highproduction concert, she strips all of that away for her final song, and I think everyone in the audience could relate to the lyrics “Have you ever wished for an endless night?” right about then. Before leaving the stage, P!nk acknowledges all 20,000 of the fans who came to see her, introduces her entire crew and entourage of dancers, and gives everyone a glimpse into her world.

P!nk is one of the world’s biggest superstars and she knows that, but she took extra care to make sure not one single person in the arena felt unimportant to the production. She went above and beyond to deliver a jaw-dropping performance that everyone is sure to rave about for days and weeks to come. It’s no secret as to why the Beautiful Trauma world tour has been such a success — there’s truly not one single performer who puts on a show quite like P!nk. Whether she finally takes time off touring or she decides to embark on a Hurts 2B Human-focused tour, we know that whatever she comes up with next will bring a whole new set of songs to life. Though the only remaining Beautiful Trauma tour dates are a couple of one-off shows, you can keep up to date with P!nk’s touring schedule and more at www.pinkspage.com.

Written and photographed by: Meg Clemmensen