On a breezy summer night the Summer Carnival has come to Perth! With Optus Stadium and the nearby Matagarup Bridge bathed in pink it could only mean the return of one of our country’s favourite artists. A woman who by her own admission, feels so at home when she visits our shores. Outside, the stadium was abuzz with excitement, as a sea of pink wigs, tee shirts and feather boas weaved their way into the colosseum of fun! Merchandise stalls were fifty people deep as fans clamoured to buy their new tour tees, hats or hoodies before heading to their allocated gates to begin their final journey to their seats or to the pitch.
Tones & I (real name Toni Childs), a native Melbournian is an emotively powerful singer, with lyrics crafted from her experiences. T&I took a moment to thank the crowd and acknowledging whilst we may not all be here for her tonight she feels the love. With a near full stadium singing along to ‘Bad Child’ she’s not mistaken, they are sharing the love for her.
Her new song, ‘I Get High’, coming out March 12 brings a different experience than that of Bad Child, and joined by her band/family on stage it doesn’t quite give you those ‘life is shit’ feels. Just when you think the set is coming to a close, she belts out more of the songs from her EP (The kids are coming) that launched her into notoriety. A set crammed with hits, there’s no stopping in this set tonight! She does however stop & takes a moment to tell the story of her progress; from busking on the streets of Melbourne & living in a van to touring the word, she sings the very first song she wrote ‘Johnny Run Away’, a personal favourite.
Her crowd presence has matured over the years of watching her, from the busker that always seemed to have a cap pulled over her face to dancing round the stage, enjoying & loving life and engaging with the crowd. From requesting a stadium full of phone lights in return for a serenade of Rhianna’s ‘Diamonds’ to having the crowd bounce in unity to ‘Dance Monkey’, her voice is made for stadiums this size. With the closing of her set the crowd are warmed up and raring for P!nk.
The slightly later than expected start allowed the sell-out crowd to keep building the excitement and anticipation and as the stadium was plunged in to darkness the show began. Video screens burst to life as a computer generated P!nk, in a Max Headroom type character, stumbles and glitches her way through a colourful introduction before the stage bursts into colourful life. As with every tour, you just wonder where she will spring from first, and tonight we weren’t to be disappointed as the huge illuminated mouth, hanging sixty feet about the stage, opened to reveal a be-sparkled P!nk, waving frantically before launching in to ‘Get The Party Started’ while dropping & bouncing on bungy ropes. And she certainly started one hell of a party, as for the next two hours Alecia Beth Moore rocked, skipped and laughed her way through a spellbinding & at times breath-taking show.
‘Raise Your Glass’, ‘Who Knew’, ‘Just Like A Pill’ and ‘Try’ proved the perfect spring board for the twenty-three song set which included five tracks from her ninth studio album ‘Trustfall’. As P!nk travelled the walkway she was showered with gifts, a now customary regular in the show; Tim Tams, teddy bears, tee-shirts and hats made their way to the stage, some with requests to sign and return which she dully agreed to do. P!nk fans are accustomed to her aerial performances and once again on the Summer Carnival Tour we are not to be disappointed as she was hoisted aloft over the crowds during ‘Turbulence’, with her dancers interlacing performance art throughout the show. Costume change time as P!nk reappeared in flowing white skirt for a ‘Name that Tune’ interlude, before sitting herself at the piano to deliver a beautiful rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘To Be With You My Love’.
More songs for the hit list as ‘Just Give Me A Reason’, ‘Fuckin Perfect’ and ‘Just Like Fire’ continued to please the crowd, before we were given a chance to draw breath with an acoustic session which saw P!nk joined by long-time guitarist Justin Derrico for a pin-drop version of ‘Please Don’t Leave Me’. The welcomed sight of daughter Willow joining ‘mum’ on stage for ‘Cover Me In Sunshine’ almost threatened to raise the roof. “Before you ask, she chose to shave her hair off. I’m the kind of parent that lets my kids be what they what they wanna be and do what they wanna do.” Cue huge cheers in agreement from the jubilant crowd.
Another cover song gave Optus’s 70,000 crowd the chance to audition for the P!nk choir as Four Non Blondes ‘What’s Up?’ exploded in a deafening roar of appreciation and sung with complete gusto. The dance-infused ‘Trustfall’ lead us into ‘Blow Me (One Last Kiss), as the exceptional band are introduced individually on the big screens with names emblazoned underneath. Another couple of ‘Trustfall’ tracks in ‘Runaway’ and ‘Never Gonna Not Dance Again’ keeps the crowd on their toes with their up-beat feel-good factor, as we closed in on the end of the show.
There is only one show closer at a P!nk show as the harness drops from the sky. Having seen P!nk; twice at RAC Arena before, I know all too well the spectacle of seeing a woman flying around and indoor arena but to see it at the huge Optus Stadium was something else. ‘So What’ fires from the speakers as P!nk is hoisted aloft and then she is off, soaring above her fans, many who have seen this many times before but not on this scale. The height and speed she reaches really creates a genuine jaw-dropping moment, all while waving and singing – she certainly looks to be having as much fun as we are!
As she touches down, we get a chance to pinch ourselves at the spectacle we have witnessed, the feel good factor we are all left with and the buzz of the crowd as we shuffle out of the stadium. P!nk, as always you never disappoint and tonight was once more an example of why you are one of the world’s biggest stars with a heart to match. Stunning.
Photos by Caris Bingemann Photography.
With special thanks to Revolutions Per Minute & Live Nation for the media access.
