On Tuesday night (25 June), P!nk completed her two-night run at Anfield Stadium as part of her Summer Carnival 2024. The Pennsylvanian is no stranger to Liverpool crowds, with her earliest appearance in the city taking place at Aintree Racecourse in 2007. As a member of the crowd back then as well as last night, it is as fascinating as it is admirable to see the growth in vocal, artistry, and showmanship; all of which are solid proof that P!nk may be one of the greatest touring artists of this generation.
Aptly kicking off her set with Get the Party Started, P!nk did just that. With her signature acrobatics from the get-go, her audience instantly subscribed to her performance, with her band and staging perfectly accentuating the captivating presence she exudes.
Having grown up with P!nk as a consistent figure in mainstream music, it is interesting to see the cross-generational adoration she has managed to establish and maintain, evidencing that her place in such a fickle and ageist industry is by no means near its end – or may ever be.
Throughout the gig, P!nk demonstrated an eclecticism of material within her setlist. Her covers alone – Make You Feel My Love by Bob Dylan and What’s Up? by 4 Non Blondes – executed the versatility of her range along with artistic authenticity, despite being such seminal songs of the respective original artists. Yet within her own catalogue, such diversity remained paramount, with the lyrically devastating Who Knew? and Just Like a Pill sitting nicely ahead of a dance remix of What About Us? which ensured fans were always exposed to the vast sense of escapism that radiates naturally from a P!nk show.
Most notably, however, it was the juxtaposition between the heartbreaking When I Get There – a tribute to her late father – preceding I Am Here which immediately transformed the crowd from the melancholiest moment of the show to the most hopeful.
It also helps that every member of the band and crew on stage have the same ability as their frontwoman to make a packed-out stadium feel like something of an intimate campfire singalong. Such is the case through the collective and evident love between the long-time collaborators; in particular, keyboardist Jason Chapman who has toured with the Try singer for almost 24 years. In continuing to commit to such longevity, P!nk and her band make a world tour feel like a mere outlet of self-expression between genuine friends, and – despite global fame and legacy – provide a space for every ticketholder to feel more than welcome in their group.
Impressively, the space they create does not shy away from the extravagant, theatrical characteristics that are somewhat expected now within mainstream tours; but where other prominent artists may focus too heavily on alternative qualities of their production, P!nk keeps the music at the forefront of her show. Her incorporation of costume changes was seamless, whereby several of these transpired on stage, allowing for the pace of her set to remain notably cohesive.
Following an aerial-based performance of her 2023 song Turbulence, her minor clothing alteration meant that a more stripped-back segment of the show – opened by her hit Walk Me Home – could commence with ease. Still, such intimacy was not without frequent humour, with personal anecdotes nicely punctuating more emotionally intense moments.
Whilst the two hour setlist ranged between hits from all of P!nk’s albums, it would be nice to see her delve further in to the lesser known songs, away the dependency of hits. It is more than apparent that her audience are committed fans, and time away from performing singles would present a further sense of exclusivity and scope. Nevertheless, when said singles are performed whilst P!nk simultaneously flies around the stadium without putting a foot – or a note – wrong, it is easy to see why such classics are embraced with open arms and wide eyes time and time again.
The Summer Carnival 2024 is a slick live experience that sets the bar for touring concerts of all artists of any calibre. What is important about P!nk’s show is that her songwriting, musicianship, and powerhouse vocals remain at its core, and everything else within the Cirque du Soleil-infused aesthetic simply compliment it. Rounding off the set with the 2008 anthem So What, P!nk declares that “[she’s] still a rockstar”, yet 16 years since its release, it seems fair to omit ‘still’ from that statement and acknowledge that P!nk’s rockstar legacy is very much established and concrete.
Sean McLoughlin
