P!nk at Scotiabank Arena

Photos by Neil Van

Pink swooped and soared over an amazed crowd at the Scotiabank arena.

As spectacles go, Pink has hosted more than her fair share. With 8 studio albums and more than half a dozen world tours; she shows that she’s got stadium tours down pat.

It’s about six years since I first saw Pink live at Manchester arena on her Truth About Love Tour. Tonight’s show matches it easily for theatrics, acrobatics and panache – with added fireworks and flames for good measure. Pink careened through a full two hours stuffed with choreography, costume changes, interpretive dance, acoustic sets, duets, surprise covers and rope work.

She literally and lyrically gets the party started by hanging from a (12ft pink) chandelier. Surrounded by 10 dancers and backed by a band almost as large; Pink launches into Beautiful Trauma, moving around the stage on Mary Poppins-esque street lamps. Just Give Me A Reason sees the biggest sing along of the night and feature two dancers seemingly floating a spinning on lamps up into space. It’s quite the spectacle. Pink’s cover of Bishop Briggs’ River brings a country twang to the song and Dallas Green from City and Colour keeps the country going when he joins Pink for two songs from their 2014 album rose ave.

The set has a healthy mix of past hits squeezed into the packed 23 songs set – along with band introductions, stories and video breaks. The most affecting of which is a video featuring Pink’s charity work with organisations like UNICEF and HRC and championing of causes; not least of which are her speeches on marriage equality, the Women’s March and images of significant protestors including Emma Gonzalez and Janelle Monáe.

The night is topped off with So What? Bellowed from her trademark wires; she glides across the audience and twirls around the arena. This is pop at its manic, luminous best. We look forward to seeing Pink in a few years’ time with a new dazzling stage design and, dare I say, even more pyrotechnics.