Doylestown's Pink soars high in electrifying performance; comes to Philly Sept. 18-19

Bungee plunging about 80 feet toward the stage last month in Pittsburgh, pop star Pink got the party started in a way no other stadium headliner would dare.

Two hours later, she'd harness herself to suspended wires that sent her flying way up high above a PNC Park crowd of around 44,000. She soared all the way from the stage completely across the stadium toward the press box, then spanning the width of the entire upper deck, adding spectacular mid-air somersaults while singing into her headset microphone.

At those moments, Pink's Summer Carnival Tour, which stops Monday and Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, looked more like a circus, with the 43-year-old Doylestown native serving as the can't-take-your-eyes-off her ringleader.

Whenever her glittery boots, or often bare feet, were planted on the stage, she amazed as well, showcasing a strong singing voice and commanding stage presence with a quick, spontaneous, warm wit that was self-deprecating and relatable.

More: Citizens Bank Park to give Doylestown's Pink all-star welcome

She couldn't resist tearing into a bag of Cheetos a fan tossed to her, but regretted that decision when she couldn't get that snack's sticky powdery dried cheese off her fingers. Later, Pink questioned audience members if it's true she looks like the Weird Barbie character in the blockbuster "Barbie," adding "I'm OK with that."

Just like screenings of the "Barbie" film, many Pink fans of all genders showed up in pink clothing that added to the festive party spirit.

Pink started in a glittery lavender one-piece, launching with the bungee jump-infused "Let's Get The Party Started" flavored at the end with her band playing The Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams."

"Raise Your Glass" followed, as Pink donned a black and blue metallic-looking vest with spiky shoulders.

"Who Knew" gave her a chance to rip into the vocals with a voice clear and potent.

A sturdy bass line and airy piano uplifted "Try," a quintessential Pink song about bouncing back from a busted relationship. "Just because it burns doesn't mean you're gonna die/You've got to get up and try, try, try," she sang with empowering conviction.

During more strenuous moments for Pink, three female backing singers bolstered the vocals, like when handling the operatic highest notes on an exciting cover of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" that had segued out of a hard-rocking "Just Like Fire."

Though that was all Pink nailing the emotional chorus in "What About Us," and the pretty Adele-by-way-of-Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love," on which Pink played piano.

Moments prior, we learned Pink's not completely fearless, as she got spooked by a big beetle that collided with her chin, bringing laughter as she joked about not being the most outdoorsy person.

A song later, spectators had to fight back tears, as Pink paid tribute to the late-Sinead O'Connor, whom she called a "true artist who bravely put it all on the line" with an incredible voice, setting up Pink to start singing "Nothing Compares to U" as dynamic opening act Brandi Carlile came back out to make it a powerhouse duet. They nailed the octave climb on the "no-THING" part.

In retrospect, it would have been cool to see Carlile stay on stage for the next song, "Just Give Me a Reason," which instead offered original collaborator Nate Ruess singing his part via pre-recorded video screen.

Pink seemed comfortable in her 40s, demonstrating how she now has the wisdom to stop before saying something she might regret. She reminisced fondly about cassette tapes, noting "you could put them back together with a pencil."

Standing at the edge of a stage extension that jutted into the crowd, she commented on fans' signs and signed an autograph for a woman celebrating her 21st birthday. Pink recalled touring with *NSYNC on her 21st birthday, noting memories of that night remain fuzzy.

Pink's vocals remained clear and robust, as she led her backup singers and keyboardist in a stirring a cappella rendering of "Please Don't Leave Me."

Talking warmly about her late father whose humor she inherited, Pink brought a perfectly measured emotional tug to "When I Get There."

Later came a fiery "Irrelevant," her 2022 clap back at internet keyboard warriors who tried to belittle her significance. The lone political foray of the evening, video images for "Irrelevant" showed pro-choice demonstrations setting up Pink singing the chorus "Girls just wanna have rights/So why do we have to fight?"

The circus/carnival atmosphere returned for "Trustfall," as some of her dancers did backward plunges from an elevated platform, allowing a trampoline to send them somersaulting skyward back to the platform.

During the band introductions, Pink recognized each of her 10 dancers, including one from Pittsburgh who waved a Terrible Towel.

"Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" saw six dancers romping around portraying oversized lips. "Never Gonna Not Dance Again" was a banger that set up the two-song encore.

Strapped into her harness, Pink soared high above the crowd during the bouncy and boisterous "So What," a thrilling finish to a solid from start-to-finish performance.

Carlile, the chief support act, did her part exceptionally well, rocking out in a set launched with this year's Grammy-winning Best Rock song, "Broken Horses."

Playing electric and acoustic guitars and a bit of piano, Carlile excitedly spoke about the enormity of the Pittsburgh turnout that dug her cover of Radiohead's "Creep." Her longtime bandmates, identical twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth, helped keep the sound electrifying, with a strings section of two cellists, a viola player and a violinist, providing extra firepower.

Some of Carlile's songs bore an alt-country grit worthy of the "Yellowstone" soundtrack.

Explaining she is a huge Joni Mitchell fan, and since it felt like there were half a million people present, Carlile ended with her version of "Woodstock." It started out with a lightly psychedelic folk melody and ended in a glorious rage like Neil Young's band Crazy Horse.

Pink, Brandi Carlile and Grouplove perform Monday Sept. 18, and Tuesday, Sept. 19, at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia. Both nights is 6:30 p.m. showtime. Check ticketmaster.com for ticket availability.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Pink soars high in solid & electrifying Pittsburgh performance