P!NK continues her streak as one of the coolest pop/rock artists on earth with the Summer Carnival Tour.
The multi-generational performer has always loved it down under, and the love is reciprocated – Melbourne’s Friday night crowd at Marvel Stadium greeted her with raucous applause and cheers as she descended from a pair of cartoon lips, in P!NK’s way: strapped into a harness and somersaulting her way to terra firma.
A setlist filled primarily with bangers sprinkled throughout P!NK’s career kept the packed stadium singing along from start to finish – and she slotted in a few new tracks and covers too – like ‘What’s Up’ by Four Non Blondes and ‘Make You Feel My Love’ by Bob Dylan.
Image © Simone Gorman-Clark
There are some, admittedly me included once upon a time, who see P!NK’s go-to of acrobatics and harness tricks as something that’s overdone. As I watched her effortlessly flipping and executing damn good vocals simultaneously, I had a realisation: P!NK has single-handedly invented a new genre of pop show. . . A seamless blend of circus and music with one pop star in the centre. It’s her ‘brand’, and the best part is, she is her own competition. A star in a league of her own, with a formula that has kept audiences coming back in their tens-of-thousands year after year.
It’s an incredibly smart business model that you can't help but respect her for, and she pulls it off every time.
The Summer Carnival Tour is colourful, camp, and spectacular. It’s as much a shimmering showcase of P!NK’s vocal and physical ability as it is a fun, down-to-earth hangout with one of the biggest stars on the planet. Her charisma and attitude is a match for the everyday Australian, making her an honorary citizen and a total, utter joy to be in the company of.
Image © Simone Gorman-Clark
Highlights included the explosive introduction of ‘Get The Party Started’, a touching tribute to a fan’s (and her own) late parent with new track ‘When I Get There’, and the P!NK live show staple: a sojourn around the stadium suspended high above the crowd for ‘So What’. Ticketholders of all sections get a treat here: a much closer moment with the star. On top of it being an impressive feat physically, it’s also really admirable for P!NK to think of a super fun, engaging way to get closer to the fans who may not have forked out as much cash as those in general admission or A-reserve.
Bravo to a world-class artist who gets it right every time – there’s truly nothing bad to say about P!NK as a live performer. As per usual she brings it, impressing her audience with physical triumphs and vocal splendour, and in the same show making a stadium of 50,000 feel like a small gathering of her closest friends.
Fantastic.
