To the delight of her fans - though perhaps not her insurance company - the edgy pop princess promised a “fantasy feat of a lifetime” and that’s exactly what crowd got as the American superstar kicked off the European leg of her Summer Carnival 2023 tour at the University of Bolton Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Get The Party Started singer, real name Alecia Beth Moore Hart, is used to scaling great heights in the name of entertainment, as evidenced by her chandelier-swinging antics on her 2019 tour. This time, the acrobatics are back, but dialled up to 100 - giving those Cirque Du Soleil performers a run for their money and audience members heart palpitations.
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Of course, Pink is no average performer, and when you book tickets to see the multi award-winning hitmaker live, you know that you’re going to be dazzled. Teasing elements of the new show with her 9.7m followers on Instagram earlier today, Pink said: "We are doing the impossible. No one does this."
As one of the world’s best-selling acts of all time, and best known for her tracks 'Get The Party Started', 'Just Like A Pill', 'Who Knew', What About Us and ‘Raise Your Glass’, the songstress - and trained gymnast - has spent over two decades smashing stereotypes and challenging the mainstream with her eclectic mix of pop-rock anthems, heartfelt ballads and dance bangers, and tonight, it felt like she could finally sit back and bask in her success - though there was no time for sitting still.
Getting everyone into the party spirit early doors, KidCutUp, the DJ and producer who joined Pink on her 2019 ‘Beautiful World Trauma Tour’ featured between the support acts - GAYLE and The Script - and asks often “are we all having a good time out there”. Judging from the reaction it seems so, but it takes the arrival of everyone’s favourite alternative pop Princess to really get things going.
That said, both Gayle and The Script certainly brought their A-game, with the latter starting a mass Irish jig with their hit ‘Paint The Town Green’ - though pink in this case. The band also played tribute to Mark Sheehan, their guitarist, who sadly passed away in April, with a beautiful rendition of ‘If You Could See Me Now’.
After one last push from KidCutUp, it’s time for the main event and there’s a palpable sense of excitement in the air as fans clamber over one another to peer over the tunnel in the hopes that the American superstar will casually enter the stadium as Bolton Wanders players do.
"We’re talking Barbie-style outfits, motorised flamingos and dancers hanging off bright bunches of bananas."
Of course not. In the sky above a sea of hot pink cowboy hats, feather boas and bucket hats she emerges, balancing between a big pair of lips - there’s a huge blue and silver ice cream below for good measure - and just a few bars into ‘Get The Party Started’ she’s slingshotting herself up and down the stage, held only by a harness and wires.
It’s time to buckle in because this certainly isn’t the last time she’ll be zipping across the stage or stadium tonight. Taking her loyal fans on a trip back in time she smashes out hits ‘Raise Your Glass’, ‘Who Knew’, ‘Just Like A Pill’ and ‘Try’ in quick succession all with impeccable vocals and flawless choreography - we’re talking Barbie-style outfits, motorised flamingos and dancers hanging off bright bunches of bananas.
She’s beaming when she first speaks to the crowd, clearly ecstatic to be reunited with her fans. “So much has happened, we’ve been through some much haven’t we, I love you so frickin much”, she shouts across the stadium. “Are you ready to have a good time?”
This time it’s a resounding yes.
A baby pink piano comes out on to the stage and a barefoot Pink emerges in front of the crowd, there’s a glint in her eye that tells the crowd she’s up to something. Of course, the next time we look up she’s balancing between two pieces of pink silk and has taken to the sky.
Of course there’s acrobatics, but there’s also tender moments. Performing a beautiful rendition of ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Adele is one, another, a song called ‘Cover Me In Sunshine’, which she describes as a “hug that fell into her lap”. An added layer of poignancy is provided by the arrival of her 12-year-old daughter Willow on stage, who carries on the song as her mum beams with pride.
Wiping away the tears, Pink says: “she smiled and waved, that was a first, she’s never smiled and waved before. Thank you thank you."
Now fully vulnerable in front of the crowd, Pink leads into the country-style ‘Kids in Love’ and ‘When I get There’ - the latter a tribute to her dad, who she says she misses dearly.
Bringing some of the energy back into the stadium, we’re treated to ‘I Am Here’, a particularly rousing number that has its own gospel quality, and the politically charged “Irrelevant’, a big middle finger to those who have told her, and many other women, to be quiet.
It’s a sultry cover of Sade’s ‘No Ordinary Love’ that leads us to the home stretch - arguably the most energetic and jaw dropping portion of the whole production. The Robyn-esque, EDM-infused ‘Runaway’ is a certified club banger, while Trustfall naturally sees her climbing up a platform while dancers launch themselves onto trampolines below.
Dance anthems take us to the finale, and a rendition of the angsty ‘So What’.
The harness lowers, which can only mean one thing - she’s going to fly again isn’t she? How she’s able to sing and soar across a stadium, I’ll never know, but it’s a sight to behold as even confetti, fireworks and gyrating dancers can’t draw attention away from Pink as she glides seamlessly through the air.
And just like that it ends, the lights come up and she’s gone. But all of us who have just witnessed the spectacle that is a Pink show know that it was, once again, a high-energy, acrobatic special from the edgy princess of pop.
