WASHINGTON, D.C. – The opening of a Pink concert is like the whoosh of barreling down a roller coaster track.
It’s an exhilarating and crazy ride with more than a little holding-of-breath.
In other words: Just. Hang. On.
At the Monday outing of her Summer Carnival stadium tour, a fantastical odyssey stuffed with neon flamingos, giant mirror balls, flying bananas and her ever-impressive Cirque du Everything routines, Pink simply enthralled.
For most of the day it was questionable if the concert would occur because of a severe storm swarming D.C., northern Virginia and Maryland. But while Pink’s set ignited on time, openers KidCutUp and Grouplove were nixed and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo played an abbreviated set of six songs instead of 10, as they have on previous dates.
Indeed, even post-storm, rain fell in poncho-necessary sheets a couple of times during Pink’s two-hour set at Nationals Park.
But this is a woman undaunted.
In a few weeks, Pink will turn 44. She’s said that she’s currently in the best shape of her career and her bungee cord flips during the appropriate opener of “Get the Party Started” (spiked with a taste of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”) and extra-caffeinated underdog anthem “Raise Your Glass” showcased her athletic bounce.
Pink accomplishes more vocally and visually upside down than most of her upright peers.
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Even in the conventional position of standing behind a mic stand on firm (albeit, wet) ground for “Who Knew,” the hit maker, in her multi-colored sparkly one-piece and silver ankle boots, injected a wink and grin, her voice as muscular as her biceps.
This frisky escapade known as her Summer Carnival launched in June in England before hitting stateside in late July. Pink will bring her funhouse around the country through October before heading out for a month of arena dates for her Trustfall tour, named after her current album.
With a solid pack of new songs to draw from, Pink had the unenviable task of squeezing in a few fresh offerings amid her 23 years of radio smashes.
But the well-balanced set list hit all corners of her career, from “Try,” its massive chorus a perfect singalong fit for a stadium, to the dramatic dance-intensive “What About Us” to the confidence boost wrapped in a song known as “Perfect.” A highlight came with “Just Like Fire,” paired perfectly with Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” and spun into a deliciously frenzied blast of electric guitar and attitude.
Pink also managed slots for a couple of covers – a sweet, Pink-i-fied version of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” (though she said Adele’s rendition is what caught her attention) played on piano and a sensual read on Sade’s “No Ordinary Love.”
During a quieter segment of the show, Pink was joined by her adorable 12-year-old daughter Willow for “Cover Me in Sunshine,” a song the mother-daughter pair released in 2021, before Pink sat at the edge of the catwalk with guitarist Justin Derrico for a few more low-key offerings. Pink’s ability to underscore emotion in song was spotlighted on the beautiful – and beautifully sad – ballad dedicated to her late father, “When I Get There.”
But soon it was back to the percolating pop beats with “I Am Here,” which Pink performed barefoot while getting soaked on stage, and the brawny social issues anthem “Irrelevant,” paired with video footage of Black Lives Matter protests, Pride parades and politicians.
Of course Pink couldn’t stay away from the adrenalized pull of something acrobatic. She joined some of her dancers for a unified routine during “Trustfall” while other members of her pack blissfully flipped on a trampoline behind her. Pink joined them at the top of the setup, watching their “trustfalls” onto the coiled canvas.
There are so many elements of Pink worthy of admiration – her stamina, her realness, her husky-yet-soaring voice. But in concert, the best gift she provides is an allowance to have fun.
Opener Benatar, an obvious blueprint for the rock edge in Pink’s work, emphasized the timelessness of her catalog.
With husband Giraldo on piano and guitar, Benatar boomed through the undiminished potency of “Promises in the Dark” and the nuanced beauty of “We Belong” with equal ease.
Coolly sashaying around the stage while snapping her fingers, Benatar waited to pounce for the opening “We are strong!” lyric in “Love is a Battlefield,” anchored by Giraldo’s fiery guitar.
Throughout their 30-minute set, the pair frequently exchanged glances and smiles, their mutual respect apparent.
The closing “Heartbreaker” was, interestingly, meshed with Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” It wasn’t the most obvious of mash-ups – which was likely the point – but worked thanks to the combination of Giraldo’s nimble fretwork and Benatar’s soaring roar of a voice.
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