Review: Pink's Summer Carnival tour reaches new heights at PNC Park

Pink may have made one of the grandest entrances in Pittsburgh concert history Saturday night at PNC Park. And then she raised the bar — literally — with how she closed out her latest show on the Summer Carnival Tour.

The Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter bungeed down headfirst from behind a giant mouth atop the stage, flipping and kicking as the band launched into “Get the Party Started” to, well, get the party started at the packed baseball stadium.

It wouldn’t be the last time the 43-year-old (or members of her entourage) would take to the air in a crowd-pleasing two-hour performance. During “Turbulence,” Pink put on an aerial display that would not be out of place on Cirque du Soleil, as she spun and dangled upside down, intertwined with a dancer at the end. Later, four male dancers took turns defying gravity with a variety of moves on trampolines during “Trustfall.”

Wardrobe changes came quite frequently, with a sleeveless leotard the base layer for the night. Other outfits included a leathery, spiky sequined jacket, a glittery flannel, a feather boa, a leather jacket with giant lips on the shoulders, a silver, shimmering full length robe with a hood, and a pink gown lowered from the rafters.

Gifts arrived on stage from fans — thankfully, nobody threw their mother’s ashes at Pink this time. Notably, she received a few stuffed animals, a hockey sweater and a friendship bracelet … and a bag of Cheetos. Pink opened those and threw a handful to the crowd (awash in pink, by the way) and, about 10 songs later, she munched on them appreciatively.

Between songs, Pink chatted up the audience, taking some interesting detours that sounded like they surprised even herself. Those tangents included what her dad wanted to be reincarnated as, memories of her 21st birthday on tour with ‘N Sync, wedding planning, making demo tapes at the Jersey Shore as a teenager and comparisons to the “Barbie” movie.

“A lot of people have been telling me that I’m weird Barbie. Is that true? I’m OK with it. I’m just wondering,” she said with a laugh. “I always thought I’d be drunk aunt Barbie.”

She jokingly mentioned her love of the outdoors after being attacked by a pair of giant bugs on stage, with one nearly landing in her mouth.

“That thing just pummeled me in the chin. Beetle violence!” she said. “… I do go camping so shut up.”

Pink also lamented songs she wished she had written, like Europe’s “The Final Countdown,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” and the “Baby Shark” theme. Another was Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” re-popularized by Adele, which was the first of three covers in Saturday’s show.

“I don’t write love songs. I don’t know how,” she said. “I try to say nice things, but they just never find their way out of my pen. But other people do it really well.”

Another of the songs Pink said she wished she’d written was “Shadow on the Wall” by Brandi Carlile, who served as the main opening act Saturday. Carlile returned to the stage to duet on “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a tribute to Sinead O’Connor, who died on July 26.

Humor aside, Pink offered some tender moments, like before “When I Get There,” a ballad in memory of her late father.

“We’ve all lost people that we love,” she said. “I think that it’s a suitcase that you unpack for the rest of your life when you lose a parent, and it’s not something I quite understand yet.”

Pink showed she’s still a rock star and she’s got her rock moves, with bangers like “Just Like Fire” that featured perfectly timed pyro, a dive into Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” and an extended band flex of their talents. In displays of her versatility, “I Am Here” felt country-tinged, and songs like “Please Don’t Leave Me” showed off her softer side.

There were plenty of dance-friendly songs, both sonically and artistically. “Raise Your Glass” included dancers hanging from bunches of bananas, “Who Knew” featured a pair of interpretive dancers, and a cover of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love” used three male dancers who moved and morphed with Pink.

Pink soared through most of her hits, like “Just Give Me a Reason,” “Try,” “F—-in’ Perfect” and “Blow Me (One Last Kiss),” as well as a number of songs from her latest album, “Trustfall,” released in February.

Closing the concert with “So What,” a harnessed Pink rocketed high around the stadium, seemingly at the park’s upper deck, going from side to side and covering most of the stadium while singing, swinging and flipping. The impressive display of acrobatics ended with a return to the stage and, fittingly, fireworks.

Pink soars at PNC Park pic.twitter.com/BBhnVdATNI

— Mike Palm (@MikePalmMedia) August 6, 2023

Carlile, who has nine Grammys of her own, proved to be a strong opener for Pink, with a powerful and passionate voice.

Wearing a bright yellow suit, Carlile and her band delivered a stellar dose of rock, including absolute shredding violin (who knew that was possible?) and guitar on “Sinners, Saints and Fools.” She seemed impressed by the enormity of the crowd at PNC Park: “What a bunch of rad sweethearts.”

Other highlights included “The Story,” “Broken Horses” and a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.”

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Poppy alternative rockers Grouplove, who have drawn comparisons to the Flaming Lips and the Pixies, opened the show with uplifting, sparkly songs like “Tongue Tied” and “Colours.”