If Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels, then on Wednesday night (July 27) at her U.S. Summer Carnival tour kick-off in Cincinnati, P!nk did everything Rogers did, but in higher (sparklier) heels, while adding sideways, upside down and round-and-round into the mix.
The high-flying singer brought her signature aerial rig to a sold-out, sweltering Great American Ballpark for the second show of her summer extravaganza — it kicked off in Toronto on Monday night — singing flawlessly while boomeranging 100 feet in the air during a two-hour show that mixed joy, pain, pleasure and poignancy with pure spectacle.
Fans have come to expect the former gymnast to take to the air during her concerts, and while P!nk didn’t disappoint on that level during the show that featured spirited opening sets from Grouplove and Brandi Carlile, the singer also found moments to pay loving tribute to her late dad and her musical idol Sinead O’Connor, whose death was reported just hours before showtime.
Inviting Carlile up to join her, P!nk dueted on a reverent cover of O’Connor’s signature Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” with both women summoning their full emotional range to pay homage to the supremely talented, complicated singer who died at age 56 of as-yet-undisclosed causes.
The solemn moment came amid a flashy spectacular that featured neon flamingo scooters and glowing grocery carts skittering around the stage and a mega-trampoline set-up on which dancers performed daring flips and spins to accompany the title track from P!nk’s most recent album, Trustfall. There were also several sweet moments when the singer kneeled down and stopped the show to acknowledge superfans who brought her homemade gifts, which she promised to find a place for at home.
Amid the expected hits (“Get the Party Started,” “Raise Your Glass,” “What About Us,” “F–kin’ Perfect,” “Never Gonna Not Dance Again”) there were some surprise covers and just plain silly moments during a show that featured enough different pink costumes to rival the Barbie movie.
Check out our favorite seven moments from the Summer Carnival show.
