Sunday, June 25
BST Hyde Park, London
A series of stadiums across the UK have paid host to P!nk’s ‘Summer Carnival Tour’ but two stops at London’s Hyde Park are without doubt the biggest and most challenging shows of the global run yet.
Known for her daredevil stunts and awe-inspiring acrobatics, the stage was set for the US superstar with four gigantic cranes – one at each corner of the 70,000-capacity venue – suspending zip wires high above the crowd. But it was from behind a pair of lips positioned above the stage that she first emerged and dived headfirst into the 24-song set on bungee ropes, somersaulting while singing her 2001 hit, Get the Party Started.
It’s not all tricks, though, as the hitmaker landed with her feet on the ground and delivered a run of killer singles including Raise Your Glass, Who Knew and Just Like A Pill to the delight of the pumped-up crowd, setting the tone for a show that touched base on various eras from across her career.
From interpolations of Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and Pat Benatar’s Heartbreaker, to covers of Bob Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love and Sade’s No Ordinary Love, P!nk offered an insight into her own record collection and, sequenced alongside her own classics like Fucking Perfect and Just Give Me A Reason, showcased the strength of her catalogue.
Clocking in at two hours, her energetic performance was commendable but in a testament to her command of the stage and innate talent as a multi-faceted performer, it was the third act of the show – the ‘acoustic’ section – that proved one of the most captivating as she rooted herself down the catwalk for a run of stripped-back versions that showcased the raw power in her vocal.
Silence fell as she delivered impassioned renditions of ‘Funhouse’ (2008) single Please Don’t Leave Me and recent track When I Get There, while Cover Me In Sunshine with her daughter, Willow Sage, was a sweet touch that offered a glimpse into the superstar’s life behind the glitter and sequins.
Meanwhile, selections from her most recent album, the chart-topping ‘Trustfall’ – such as the disco-influenced Never Gonna Not Dance Again, singalong Last Call and title song, complete with another sensational acrobatic performance – slotted into her repertoire with ease, as vibrant video screens and an array of props, including shimmering silver palm trees, neon flamingos and an oversized glitterball, backdropped the action on stage.
With such an elaborate production it’s impossible to understate the precision of the operation, with an aerial performance of recent mid tempo Turbulence almost axed due to safety concerns; but decades into her career, P!nk had the audience hanging on her every word as she chatted and joked her way through the holdup with ease, before eventually pushing ahead with the number and delivering one of the most stunning moments of the night beneath the London sunset.
Come an incredible finale that saw P!nk suspended above Hyde Park and soaring over the heads of 70,000 fans, it was impossible to leave the superstar’s latest show without the biggest smile and an overwhelming sense of adrenaline and euphoria, having witnessed the performer of our generation at the top of her game.
Setlist: P!nk Summer Carnival Tour, BST Hyde Park
1. Get the Party Started
2. Raise Your Glass
3. Who Knew
4. Just Like A Pill
5. Try
6. What About Us
7. Turbulence
8. Make You Feel My Love
9. Just Give Me a Reason
10. Just Like Fire
11. Please Don’t Leave Me
12. Cover Me In Sunshine
13. Kids In Love
14. When I Get There
15. I Am Here
16. Irrelevant
17. No Ordinary Love
18. Runaway
19. Are You Gonna Fall?
20. Trustfall
21. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)
22. Never Not Gonna Dance Again
Encore 1
23. Last Call
Encore 2
24. So What
