P!nk got the party started on a Saturday night at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Aug. 12—and it didn't stop for almost two hours.
Thanks to leftover outfits from Barbie movie screenings, much of the crowd knew the assignment's correct color to wear that evening. Lines of festive folks waited to enter through metal detectors and were hungry for the merchandise offered within.
Those who arrived early enjoyed grooving to throwback tunes from DJ KidCutUp, followed by alternative popsters Grouplove, who played catchy material like "Tongue Tied" and "Ways to Go."
When rockers Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo took to the stage, things began to really heat up with "All Fired Up." The duo launched into a back catalog of unforgettable hits, such as "Invincible" and "Love Is a Battlefield." It was immediately obvious that Benatar had taken good care of her vocal cords over the years as she flexed her larynx muscles throughout a strong set. They have aged gracefully and played well until the very final moments of "Heartbreaker," which was mixed with Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire."
Then it was time for the main event with Alecia Beth Moore, better known as P!nk!
The talented vocalist was there to present her ninth studio album, TRUSTFALL, which is ballad-heavy—and really just an excuse to go on the road. Guests on this record, such as The Lumineers, First Aid Kit and Chris Stapleton, are not known for fast-paced songs. Switching to country-tinged melodies is not a bad idea to expand from the pop genre, but they just present challenges for live shows and drunk folks wanting to dance.
Luckily for everyone attending, P!nk's concert producers chose numbers that had folks raising their glasses and singing out loud about pills. Crowd-pleasing renditions of "Try" and "What About Us" blended well. Her backup dancers were sharp and packed with muscles, but had to wait until "Never Gonna Not Dance Again" to be introduced. With Market Days being the same weekend as this show, many wondered if the dancers wandered over to the festivities on Halsted Street before their set time. Who knows if Moore is part of the LGBTQ+ community herself? She has stated in the past that she hates labels, but she gave off vibes that night to that possibility—and the crowd clearly reflected a rainbow of representation across the field here in the Windy City.
Her daughter Willow joined her onstage for the sweet song "Cover Me in Sunshine" and continued with "Kids in Love." For more behind-the-scenes with Willow, watch P!nk: All I Know So Far on Prime Video to see some amazing parenting skills.
P!nk appeared flabbergasted as she acknowledged and was thankful for being in a venue as large as Wrigley. She took a few minutes to sit at the piano and belt out a cover of Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love." She joked about Whopper malted milk balls and joked about wishing her onstage treat was bigger in size.
Moore also performed a cover of Sade's "No Ordinary Love," which was unnecessary with such a vast back catalog of work. Why not "Stupid Girls" or "U + Ur Hand" from the I'm Not Dead record? Anything on the album Funhouse pairs well with her gymnastic skills as well.
Overall, the songstress made everything appear effortless every inch of the way. Singing upside down is no small feat, and this act was once again created by longtime aerialist collaborator Dreya Weber. Moore refuses to lip-synch when soaring across the friendly skies. P!nk has cornered the market on circus stunts and Cirque du Soleil-type acrobatics relating to live singers. Some may try, but not really fly the way she does during so many numbers.
Flipping through the air and waving to all levels of the audience as she went, Pink finally finished with a bang that included massive fireworks over the stadium during "So What," and there were plenty of witnesses to attest that night that this one truly is a rock star!
Follow pinkspage.com for plenty of Moore concert dates.
