September 19, 2024

Concert review:

Despite Friday the 13th mishap, Pink wows Las Vegas crowd at Allegiant Stadium

Pink in concert

Rob Grabowski / Invision / AP

Pink, pictured in concert Aug. 24, 2024, at Soldier Field in Chicago, brought her “Summer Carnival” tour to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.

Shortly into her “Summer Carnival” tour stop at Allegiant Stadium, the artist Pink made an observation:

“Friday the 13th in Las Vegas,” she said in greeting the crowd that shed its collective paraskevidekatriaphobia to attend the show.

Setlist: Pink’s Summer Carnival, Friday, Sept. 13, Allegiant Stadium

“Get the Party Started”

“Raise Your Glass”

“Who Knew”

“Just Like a Pill”

“What About Us”

“Heartbeat”

“Turbulence”

“I Don’t Believe You”

“Make You Feel My Love” (Bob Dylan cover)

“Just Give Me a Reason”

“F**kin’ Perfect”

“Just Like Fire” / “Heartbreaker” (Pat Benatar cover)

“Please Don’t Leave Me”

“Don’t Let Me Get Me”

“When I Get There”

“I Am Here”

“What’s Up? (4 Non Blondes cover)

“Are You Gonna Fall?”

“Trustfall”

“Blow Me (One Last Kiss)”

Encore:

“So What”

And what a show it was.

Pink, with her high-flying aerial stunts, high-stepping dancing and strutting, and highly pleasing hit songs made for a perfect way to forget about any bad luck that might accompany a Friday the 13th.

That is, until just before the encore. Bad luck befell the singer herself when she came up limping after apparently injuring her left knee.

But would Pink — the gritty songstress known in part for her tomboy persona — let an aching knee get in the way of a spectacular finale?

“You don’t need knees to fly,” the Grammy-winning singer proclaimed as she strapped into a harness for yet another high-wire aerial act. “I’m coming to see you in the back.”

With those words, Pink flew well above the Allegiant Stadium floor and jetted her way completely around the stadium, hovering in front of the third deck seats here and there, all while belting out the words to her 2008 hit, “So What.”

The song’s intro — “Na-na-na-na, na-na, na; Na-na-na-na na-na” — could have easily been mistaken for the artist thumbing her nose at her injury but instead led into a crowd-pleasing, rowdy walkoff number.

The “wow” factor of the spectacle was worth the price of admission itself, best filed in the “you have to see it to believe it” category.

But let’s dial back to the beginning of the concert. From the start, when Pink emerged from a smiling set of lips above the main stage to her 2001 hit “Get the Party Started,” the energy was palpable. It continued on with hits older and newer, including fan favorites “Raise Your Glass,” “Just Give Me a Reason,” “Just Like a Pill,” “What About Us” and “Blow Me (One Last Kiss).”

She introduced her rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” by telling the audience “I sing other people’s love songs.” Pink’s version of the song, which Dylan first released in 1997 and in 2008 was recorded by Adele on her debut album, featured Pink accompanying herself on the piano.

The night also included acoustic versions of “Please Don’t Leave Me,” and “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” a song she described as “old enough to drink.”

In covering “What’s Up,” the 1993 hit by 4 Non Blondes, she paid tribute to longtime friend Linda Perry, a former member of the group and a co-writer and co-producer of Pink’s “Missundaztood” album.

Throughout the night, extracurricular “Summer Carnival” activities reigned alongside the music. There were eye-pleasing silk aerobatics, hoop aerobatics and high-energy dancing.

And in the middle of it all was an ear-to-ear smiling Pink, even after the misfortune of suffering a bum knee late in the Friday the 13th concert.

As she sang in her encore, “So what. I’m still a rock star. I’ve got my rock moves.”

You are, Pink, and that’s why your fans love you.