Mid-way through last night’s nearly two-hour concert before a capacity crowd at the Q, pop/rock singer P!nk apologized for a few “technical difficulties.” She said a bed broke, making it so she had to improvise one of her many transitions between songs.
While we did notice a brief lull at one point in the concert, if P!nk hadn’t said anything about the mishap, we really wouldn’t have realized there had been a miscue.
Given the amount of production that goes into the show, it’s any wonder more things didn’t go awry. Last night’s “technical difficulty,” however, hardly detracted from an engaging show that had all the production value of a Broadway show and the acrobatic thrills of a Cirque du Soleil performance.
You can see a slideshow of photos from the concert here.
The concert started with a bang as P!nk arrived via a giant chandelier that lowered her from the rafters as she sang “Get the Party Started.” She went through a series of trapeze artist-like moves before swinging down from the chandelier onto the stage. Decked out in a silver sequined body suit, P!nk gyrated with her cadre of dancers as fireworks went off and confetti sprayed all over the stage.
After an elegant rendition of “Beautiful Trauma,” the title track from her latest album, she adopted a bluesy wail for “Just Like a Pill” and then rapped her way through “Revenge,” a tune that featured a blow-up doll that subbed for rapper Eminem, who has a cameo on the studio version of the song.
With its ska-like guitar riff, “Funhouse” sounded like an ’80s tune, something P!nk exploited by slipping snippets of No Doubt’s “Just a Girl” into the song. “You have four minutes to lose your minds completely,” she said as she and her backing band launched into a rendition of Nirvana's “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Her voice sounded thin during the tune (all that screaming surely had something to do with it) and she let her capable backing singers bring the song to its conclusion.
After a costume change, P!nk arrived on stage wearing a red hood to sing the ballad “Try.” The set transformed into a haunted forest and looked particularly eerie under deep blue lights. P!nk introduced “I’m Not Dead,” the set’s one clunker, by asking if anyone remembered the title track from her 2006 album. The tepid response suggested it’s not one of the more popular tunes from her back catalog.
But things got back on track with “Just Like Fire,” a track that benefited from some rattling percussion and blasts of pyro, and “What About Us,” a song that was accompanied by a video that showed P!nk’s allegiance to various social causes, especially the Me Too Movement.
The diminutive singer effectively showed off her vocal abilities during a stripped down segment that featured hits such as “Barbies,” “I Am Here” and “Fuckin’ Perfect.” “Raise Your Glass” began with a simple guitar riff and vocals, but the band slowly plugged back in and capably turned the track into a righteous anthem.
While P!nk engaged in a number of acrobatic dance moves throughout the show, nothing topped her performance in “So What,” which she saved for the encore. She strapped into a donut-shaped contraption and then cables hoisted her into the air. She twirled above the audience and landed on pillars positioned near the soundboard, often doing one-armed handstands on them before flinging herself back to the stage. The stunt put the exclamation mark on a remarkable performance.
The indie pop act Bleachers opened with a 30-minute set that showed off the songwriting prowess of band leader Jack Antonoff. The guy didn’t have much stage presence, but he scored points for referencing Cleveland’s indie rock scene as he gave a shout out to clubs like the Agora and Pirates Cove during his set. The band’s driving cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” stood out as a set highlight.
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