In June, my family dragged me to Charles Schwab Field, eager for the final round of the College World Series to begin. They were overflowing with giddiness and excitement for the long-anticipated game, but the overbearing afternoon heat, aggressive fans, and my general disdain for the sport made the Charles Schwab Field experience one I didn’t long to repeat. But much to my parents’ chagrin, I broke that vow a mere two months later to see one of America’s most iconic performance idols: P!nk.
The three-time Grammy award-winning artist brought her awe-inspiring performance to Omaha on August 21st as part of her Summer Carnival tour. With stops from central Europe all the way through America and Australia, P!nk has been busy bringing her spectacle all across the world. Despite her twenty-plus-long career, the artist shows no signs of slowing down, and her performance proved her to be a seasoned veteran in the music industry.
But even before P!nk dominated the stage, Grouplove and Brandi Carlile opened the show with a smash. Despite the heat warning trapping Omaha in a sluggish haze, that sentiment was promptly squashed by the show’s openers. Both acts managed to play through the heat, ironically combating it with their powerful on-stage energy. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the audience. While the amazing openers rewarded the ones who braved the heat with a stellar performance, many decided to wait until the headliner before venturing out into the heat.
Separating the two openers from P!nk was DJ Kid Cutup. DJs usually aren’t thought of as an opening act, but the choice was a carefully calculated one. By far the biggest disadvantage of opening acts is the setup time between them: the audience is left to wrestle for a place in line at the concession stand or waste away in their seats. Kid Cutup provided a much-needed break in this pattern. Since DJs require far less equipment than a full band, Kid Cutup could entertain the crowd while P!nk’s crew set up in the background.
Only ten minutes behind schedule (a remarkable feat for the elaborate concert set-up), P!nk began her performance with “Let’s Get This Party Started.” Already setting the bar high, the artist wouldn’t be content with merely walking on stage. Instead, she entered with a smash: dropping from over a hundred feet in the air in a sparkling leotard, she awed the audience with dozens of flips while miraculously singing live. In a world where stagnant artists are praised for lipsyncing behind a shield of funding, P!nk proves that performance isn’t all about budget: it requires remarkable skill and athletics to truly call yourself an entertainer. Learning the difference between inauthentically going through the motions versus interacting with your audience and adding a different touch of flare each time is what separates a singer from a performer, and P!nk truly fits the latter.
P!nk further proved her performance chops and powerful vocals while continuing her setlist. While she took a brief break from the acrobatics, her on-stage energy kept the audience screaming. She continued the opening with “Raise Your Glass,” “Who Knew,” and “Just like a Pill.” However, where I think P!nk shines beyond the normal manufactured pop star is what she does while the music is off. Instead of relying on a script or simulated crowd chants, P!nk spoke with the audience like we were people rather than customers. Talking breaks ranged from the highs and lows of touring with children, her artist role models, and even the heated debate of Red Vines versus Twizzlers. This down-to-earth nature isn’t what you would expect from a person who fearlessly dropped from hundreds of feet in the air minutes earlier, but it created a comfortable concert experience dominated by her lovable charisma.
P!nk took to the air again for a performance of “Turbulence,” a track from her latest album, Trustfall. True to the name, P!nk gave the audience an aerial piece of choreographic art, complete with plenty of turns and live singing. The next brunt of the show was on the ground, including two covers––”Make You Feel My Love” and “Nothing Compares 2 U”––paying tribute to legends Bob Dylan and Sinéad O’Connor. At first, I was skeptical of a break from the music I had paid to see, but the new vocals mixed with these classic songs felt cleansing––perfect for leading into the next part of the show.
After the serenade section of the show, we were driven full force back into the energetic opening of the show with a multitude of dance routines. “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” featured bright colors reminiscent of the music video, while “Runaway” gave the audience choreography worthy of one.
One of the big inquiries I had coming into the show was the use of an outdoor venue. Artists tend to gravitate to indoor stadiums––CHI Health Center being the most popular. I assumed that this was to accommodate more seats, and while that was an added bonus, P!nk proved her need for an outdoor stadium in the grand finale. Strapped in tight, the artist sored all the way up to the nosebleeds belting out an extended version of her classic “So What.” Fans who had only expected to see the fearless singer as a tiny dot from up high were ecstatic to be personally greeted by the artist-turned-acrobat. The gesture was both flamboyant and kind, giving everyone in the stadium the honor of a front-row seat.
Overall, the heat didn’t seem to degrade the experience, which was the main worry of most ticket holders. Dismissing the opportunity for significantly increased bottled water sales, the venue permitted concert-goers to bring clear water bottles and provided filling stations in the stands and field. By the time P!nk made it on stage, the blazing afternoon heat had been replaced with a refreshing twilight breeze.
An additional bonus of the show was the well-thought-out setlist. While P!nk highlighted her classics for the causal fans, she performed a number of songs from her newest album––perfect for any number of deep-cut enthusiasts. Either way, the performance was engaging whether you knew the song or not––a true statement to their performance abilities of P!nk.
The main drawback of the show was venue management. While the heat couldn’t be prevented, crowd chaos definitely could’ve been. Fourteen floor-seat sections filled with over a hundred people each were only allowed two field access points. This created a massive clog up in the concourse level and downright dangerous conditions on the stairs leading to the field. The venue should’ve provided more entrances to streamline the process and forge a safer audience path.
But besides the venue setbacks, P!nk performed like no other. Her thorough setlist mixed with a healthy but not obnoxious budget mesmerized the audience. I can only hope that other artists adopt the message of authenticity that P!nk brings to her show, and am eager to see her continue to top her own performances.
And if there is only one takeaway that this P!nk concert has taught me, it is to never complain about nosebleed seats––after all, you never know when the artist will come flying toward you, turning those twenty-dollar tickets into a lifelong memory.
