P!NK – The Beautiful Trauma Tour
Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, Canada – 8/18/19
Review and Pictures: Tara Lakatos
P!nk closed out her Beautiful Trauma Tour with two last shows at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto Canada. I caught the second to last show on August 18th. Both of these shows were made up from previous illness cancellations in May. Shortly after her set started, she thanked the sold out audience for waiting for her.
P!nk’s life and career have been anything but textbook, and she’s never played by anyone’s rules but her own. She was originally part of a female pop group named Choice all the way back in 1995 but her label, LaFace, saw her potential as a solo artist. Her first album “Can’t Take Me Home” dropped in 2000, which went double platinum. She came back quickly with her sophomore album “Missundaztood” in 2001 which had more of a pop/rock sound that has stayed with her throughout her career. When P!nk was first starting, record executives tried to push her to mimic what Britney Spears was doing at the time, thankfully she was strong willed enough to carve her own path and sound. Eight studio albums later, a greatest hits album and “You + Me” collaboration with Dallas Green, she is as feisty as ever and on top of the world. In the past 19 years she’s sold over 40 million albums and has played in front of millions of fans worldwide. As the Beautiful Trauma Tour was in full swing, she somehow found time to record another studio album called “Hurts 2B Human” which has yielded a few more hits to her collection.
If you have never seen P!nk in concert you are really missing out on one of the best live shows that there will ever be. She sings live, while literally swinging from a chandelier. She dances, performs acrobatics, and then sits quietly for an intimate acoustic set midway through her show. Her dancers, aerial partner, musicians and backup singers are all phenomenal. She and her crew pour blood, sweat and tears into every show. P!nk performed 24 songs in just under 2 hours, opening with none other than “Get the Party Started”. She performed nearly all of this song from the air while swinging on a chandelier high above the stage. She was tethered to ropes and flipped down to the stage a few times during this song. I will never understand how she maintains such vocal control while performing aerials. She hit the ground for her next few numbers, “Beautiful Trauma”, “Just Like a Pill” and “Who Knew” showcasing her very talented crew of dancers.
Her second act contained a medley of her song “Funhouse” and No Doubts “Just a Girl”, every time I see this I hope that Gwen Stefani will pop out of nowhere and perform this with her. Next was a new song, “Hustle”. This song is a bit jazzy and a bit R&B. It’s definitely more fun live, the album version isn’t my favorite. Next she performed “Secrets” with her aerial partner. No ropes, no nets, just complete trust, that neither would falter during their performance. It was beautifully executed all around.
Her next act was filled with a few hits including “Try”, “Just Give Me a Reason” and “Just Like Fire”. It also included a Bishop Briggs cover called “River”. This song was bluesy and fit P!nk perfectly. The chorus was huge and powerful, the stage was lit with bright flashes to convey the passion of the song.
The second half of the show was jam packed with new songs, old favorites, a few collaborations and an acoustic performance. She performed new songs “What About Us” and “Walk Me Home”. Her friend and opening act Wrabel came out and sang their song “90 Days” with her. This was a show highlight for sure. P!nk performs several of her collaborations throughout the night either alone or with a track of the other artist so it was really cool to have one of the artists there to perform with her. They were both so passionate and real, it was a crowd favorite as well.
P!nk closed out the show with several more high octane hits including “Raise Your Glass”, “Blow Me One Last Kiss”, “Can We Pretend” and the high flying “So What”. During “So What”, P!nk soared high above the audience flipping across the arena. This part of the show always makes me nervous even though she is a pro. She lands at several different points in the arena to get closer to her audience. Everything about that performance amazed me. She closed out the show with “Glitter in the Air”. Her way of sending the fans home with her love letter. She performed with passion, control and ease. You felt every note that she belted out.
P!nk may be a little rough around the edges, but her show, her voice and her performance are highly polished. While this tour has come to an end, I know that P!nk will be back with more music and more tours for many years to come. She is one of the best, if not the best performer in the pop genre. Even if you aren’t a fan of her music seeing her live may just change your mind. Don’t be afraid to catch her next time she tours the globe.
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