When not writing a chart-topping hit or singing at a celebrity-filled awards ceremony, artist P!NK can be found jumping, dancing, balancing and even flying in her full-body performances.
The Summer Carnival Tour 2023 did not disappoint fans in Birmingham’s Villa Park Arena on Tuesday 13th June, whose expectations were exceeded by the singer’s extensive history in pushing the limits of vocal and physical entertainment.
TikTok sensation singer-songwriter GAYLE greeted attendees with a host of pop-rock tracks, gaining the attention of thousands of fans despite only entering the music industry recently at nineteen years old and already opening for P!NK and Taylor Swift on her current Eras Tour.
During the midst of their set, GAYLE stopped singing to check on an audience member who was struggling in the 27°C heat, ensuring that a medic was present to attend to the distraught fan. The performance swiftly continued, with a powerful performance of ‘everybody hates me’ and an exciting cover of Alanis Morissette’s iconic record ‘You Oughta Know’.
Their final rendition of their breakout track ‘abcdefu’ compelled the audience to powerfully, and alphabetically, sing alongside them and carry the heartbreak anthem’s sentiment across the city.
Irish rock band The Script then took to the stage with their empowering track ‘Superheroes’, before soulfully leading into soft renditions of ‘Rain’ and ‘Man Who Can’t Be Moved’.
Laughter broke across the stadium when frontman Danny O’Donoghue serenaded an attendee's ex-partner on FaceTime during his performance of ‘Nothing’, comically to discover that they were attending the event and in the front row of the show. In homage to the carnival’s ringleader for the evening, the band performed an edited version of their hometown-love track ‘Paint The Town Green’: “If I have to break the bank / Spend every penny on your / dreams / It’s alright ‘cause tonight / We’re gonna paint the town / pink”.
The band also provided a tear-filled performance of their record ‘If You Could See Me Now’ in dedication to guitarist Mark Sheehan, who passed away two months before the tour embarked and before the trio could announce their untitled 2024 tour.
Transitioning between artists and sustaining the upbeat optimism effervescent amongst the crowd, DJ KidCutUp remixed a variety of chart-topping pop, rock, and hip-hop tracks to keep listeners guessing and singing along to karaoke classic tracks. From Aerosmith’s ‘Walk This Way’, to Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’, and even Queen’s ‘Ay-Oh’ vocal exercises, each track reached a new genre and artist to delight all those present.
Shortly after, a colourful, graphic design, 90s nostalgic video of P!NK broke out and commanded the attention of over 45,000 fans and attendees in the stadium, as the crowning ‘Summer Carnival’ sign above the stage separated to reveal a bejewelled P!NK stood on a platform above the crowd. As the opening verse for ‘Get This Party Started’ kickstarted the punk, party attitude of the evening, the singer dropped to the centre of the stage and began bungee jumping to the rhythm; all before reaching the second chorus, and not missing a single breath-taking note.
After an energetic performance of ‘Raise Your Glass’ and stopping to introduce herself and the show, the performer slowed the tempo with a heartfelt and soulful mix of her early 00s hits ‘Who Knew’ and ‘Just Like A Pill’. Although the night was enriched with acoustic reimaginings of her past hits, including ‘Please Don’t Leave Me’, the evening was anything but unsatisfactory. Between hardcore in-air performances of ‘Turbulence’, dramatic pyrotechnics during ‘Fire’ and trampoline routines during ‘Trustfall’, it’s impossible to predict what limits the artist will break next.
P!NK didn’t shy away from sharing her vocal and piano talents, with a raw, stripped-back cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’ harmonising audience members in unison with the singer. Although the host of talented dancers and high-skilled band members on stage throughout the event each warrant their own individual praise (including the phenomenal BSL interpreters rocking out throughout the entire evening), the greatest shock of the night was when P!NK brought her daughter, Willow Sage Hart, onto the stage for a glowing duet of ‘Cover Me In Sunshine’.
If the firework encore of her major hit ‘So What’, performed on a 360° harness that quickly flew across the circumference of the venue in a sequin-emblazoned bodysuit, wasn’t an indicator of the success of the evening, it’s difficult to imagine what else the singer could have done to entertain and surprise attendees. Whilst seamlessly transitioning between genres, outfits, dances and acrobatic exercises, P!NK’s Summer Carnival is concrete proof of the artist’s effortless ability to charm audiences across their extensive career.
P!NK’s Summer Carnival Tour 2023 will be travelling across Europe and North America until November, with limited tickets available to buy here.
Alanya Smith
Image: ‘P!NK Summer Carnival 2023’ Official Tour Banner
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