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There’s a reason this artist has an exclamation mark in the official rendition of her name. My issue is that there are simply not enough of them.
P!nk deserves all the praise and punctuation marks going after taking a rapturous crowd of almost 70,000 on a glorious ride for over two hours last night (and again tonight).
American Express presents BST 2023 has a stellar array of acts coming up from Bruce Springsteen to Billy Joel, but my heart is only painted one colour.
This artist-slash-daredevil aerial acrobat’s current Summer Carnival tour is pure kitch and classy perfection from the moment she appears between the giant lips hundreds of feet above the stage.
She immediately launched into a thunderous mash-up of Get The Party Stared and Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and 70,000 souls soared.
The opening half-hour is a pulse-pounding tsunami of ecstatically euphoric classic hits and aerial ballet and wire work, starting with Raise Your Glass.
The huge Great Oak Stage and giant video backdrops erupt in neon bright acid colours, plunging us into an on-trend Barbiefied summer party. The star herself rocks a pink sequin leotard and silver sequin biker jacket.
That voice rips raw over the bitter heartache of Who Knew and I’m covered in goosebumps. Then she spins in utter joy, arms flung wide as the entire crowd roars Like A Pill to her. And we’ve barely started. I’m already an emotional wreck, high on endorphins and almost in tears as we all pour our hearts out to Try.
It’s not just the music. This is the kind of pop star who fans throw boxes of Maltesers to. She also gets a giant wheel of cheese (and later gleefully reports it is suitably “pungent”), toy frogs and, strangely, numerous sip cups.
A denim sleeveless shirt bedazzled with her name follows and then frog slippers, which she of course immediately puts on. By the end, she is literally dressed in her fans’ love.
Marriage proposals are de riguer at any show these days but Pink puts her own spin on it by advising the happy couple, ‘the first 20 years are the hardest…’
Despite the spectacular showmanship and visual effects, there is something powerfully real about the woman on stage before us, passionately dedicated to making the world better for all of us, but especially her daughter Willow, who sweetly duets with her mum on stage.
In response to being told numerous times online that she should “shut up and sing” and that her social and political views are “irrelevant” P!nk slams down the anthem Irrelevant, backed by videos of women’s and gay rights, black lives matter and abortion marches.
But there’s also a tender more acoustic set midway, out on the huge catwalk with her band, as well as a beautifully sung and danced reinterpretation of Sade’s Ordinary Love.
Endlessly genre-defying, her supple, muscular voice can slide from the plaintive indie balladry of Just Give Me A Reason to a full heavy rawk reworking of Just Like Fire and then into a liltingly acoustic Don’t Leave Me.
The final part of the show focuses on more recent material, slipping into the 80s aerobics-fuelled Run Away. There’s a jaw-dropping segment of parkour trampoline jumping then the party riot of I’m Never Not Gonna Dance Again before she dons a silver hooded sequin dress for Last Call Before The World Ends.
For the finale she once again takes to the air for So What, whizzing over much of the huge crowd on wires, cartwheeling and touching down at various places to strike poses and even handstand. She’s most definitely still a rock star.
In fact, she’s like a glittering shooting star or punk Tinker Bell, spreading one last sprinkle of magic before she disappears into the night leaving us with ears ringing and hearts full.
