LIVE: P!NK – April 26, 2019

Venue: Little Caesars Arena

City: Detroit, MI

Date: April 26, 2019

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

With the first show of her recent two-night stand more than year in the making due to illness during her last tour cycle, the anticipation and party vibe woven through the crowd was unmistakable.  There was only one reason to be in Detroit on Friday night… and P!nk gave her fans the reason to show up and pack the venue from front to back, side to side, and bottom to top.  With the stage being converted behind a huge pink curtain, the already amped up crowd was pushed further over the edge with a DJ spinning songs one after the other until the time came.  With the lights still on and the stage vacant, but for the aforementioned pink curtain, the voice we all came to hear kicked through the sound system voicing the late 80’s Whitesnake hit “Here I Go Again” and the crowd’s energy grew as they sang word after word waiting for the lights to go out, the curtain to drop, and P!nk herself to hit the stage.  In a matter of moments, that is exactly what happened as she started the party with the appropriate track “Get the Party Started.”  She played trapeze artist throughout the track, swinging from, catapulting to and from, and overall entertaining from atop a pink chandelier that hung from high atop the stage.  After the circus-like energy and performance of the opening number, she killed it with the title track of her last album and namesake of the tour dates, “Beautiful Trauma.”  Her performance, stage setup, and overall presence brought to mind many of the Broadway shows I have seen over the years, both here in Detroit, but also in NY.  Make no mistake… when you come to a P!nk concert, you are getting so much more than that with your ticket.  The setlist, featuring songs from throughout her career, was a hit list, even though there were seven songs from her last album and two more from the album that dropped same day as the show, Hurts 2B Human.  One of my personal favorites descended into the set early, when “Just Like a Pill” popped in at song number three.  While catering to her audience, she definitely kept the song and show fan friendly when she pulled the mic and left it to the audience to sing the “B” word when it creeps into the chorus.  The two new tracks that hit the set tonight “Hustle” and “Walk Me Home” were played with precision, as if they had been around for years.  There were other high energy moments during the show such as a cool medley / mesh of “Funhouse” and “Just A Girl” as well as mellower moments when she slowed the pace for a killer rendition of “Just Give Me A Reason.”  A stretch of tracks from her last disc and a song recorded for a soundtrack – including “Just Like Fire,” “What About Us,” and “Barbies” – kept everyone engaged and entertained even though they weren’t as widely known as some of the other tracks.  The best run of the night kicked off with my other personal favorites “F**kin’ Perfect” and “Raise Your Glass” [both tracks from her Greatest Hits… So Far!!! package] and then into the end of the encore with “Blow Me (One Last Kiss)” and the anthemic “So What” before “Glitter in the Air” closed out the night.  They say there is no party like a Detroit party… and that was definitely the case tonight as the crowd filed out of the venue and into the night after P!nk delivered one of the better shows and performances I have seen in a long time.

Setlist: Get the Party Started – Beautiful Trauma – Just Like a Pill – Who Knew – Revenge – Funhouse / Just a Girl – Hustle – Secrets – Try – Just Give Me a Reason – Walk Me Home – Just Like Fire – What About Us – For Now – Barbies – I Am Here – F**kin’ Perfect – Raise Your Glass – Blow Me (One Last Kiss) – So What – Glitter in the Air

Complete set of P!NK show photos HERE

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries