When P!nk’s Truth About Love tour was announced months ago, I never considered going. I’m not a big fan; in fact, I'm not sure I could have been considered a fan at all. And honestly, I’m not big on arena concerts in general. It’s great that we have a venue like Verizon Arena for big-name acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Elton John to make an Arkansas stop, but I’d usually rather be at a smaller, more intimate show where I can move around instead of resigned to a seat at the back of an arena. But I’m a sucker for a cheap ticket, and when a friend texted that she could get a whole row of $7.50 tickets just days before P!nk’s North Little Rock concert, I was in. I’d heard that P!nk put on a spectacle of a show, and I figured it couldn’t be a bad way to spend a Sunday night.
And a spectacle, it was. The pop star opened the night with party anthem “Raise Your Glass.” She was lowered onto the stage in a bungee-corded harness and showed off a bit of Cirque du Soleil-type choreography with accompanying acrobats, all while still belting out the song. It was obvious by both a six-pack and mid-air twirls that she’s spent a lot of time training for this tour. She looked pretty comfortable up there.
During “U and Ur Hand” I caught myself wondering how many kids were in the crowd. P!nk performs the radio edits of her songs, choosing not to sing the curse words. I figured she knows what it’s like to be a mom, so maybe she’s trying to respect her young fans and their parents. Until her jester-dressed hype man gave a strange monologue on sexual fetishes while P!nk was off-stage during a costume change. But wait, no b-word during “Just Like a Pill”? There was a bit of a disconnect there, but it didn’t bother me, and if you’re taking your child to see a pop star with a song called “F*ckin’ Perfect,” surely you know what to expect going into it.
Though for many the finale was the highlight of the show — with P!nk back in the harness, flying from one end of the arena to another, almost grazing fans’ heads and touching down near the back of the arena a couple of times — my peak was the throwback medley of “Most Girls” and “There You Go.” The difference in generations in the audience really came out here as the younger set hit their iPhones to check Instagram while those of us alive in the ’90s reveled in the nostalgia.
As the show rolled through the chart-toppers — with a handful of songs from her newest album thrown in — I realized I was starting to kind of like P!nk. Not necessarily as an artist. She put on a great show and is super-talented at what she does, don’t get me wrong. But she actually came across like a real person, as well. She was goofy and cute. She took the time to introduce and tell some anecdotes about her band, back-up singers and dancers, and there was great chemistry on stage with all of them. She also seemed to have a lot of respect and appreciation for her fans. When she and her guitarist pulled up a couple of stools for “Who Knew” in the section of the stage that jutted into the pit crowd, she looked down and said, “Is that for me?” taking a stuffed bulldog from one fan, and then a bouquet of roses from another. She gushed about both and took a small break to sign autographs, thanking those fans and letting the rest of us know it wouldn’t be long as she reached for a few more. And the arena waited patiently.
I’ve read about Rihanna and Justin Bieber coming on stage two hours late with no explanation, so it was refreshing to see a pop star act like she cared. Those fans paid good money to be so close (unlike me and my crew in our $7.50 nosebleed seats); it was nice of P!nk to make them feel special, and she came off as genuinely caring.
As we left, my friends and I couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it must be to be a part of her crew. Her dancers, back-up singers and band all looked like they were having a ball. And P!nk did, too — like she really enjoyed getting out on stage every night, wowing a crowd and connecting with some fans.
But I can’t help but wonder what they call her backstage. P!nk? Her real name, Alecia? I may have a new-found respect for the pop star, but I think I’d be able to relate just a little bit more if there wasn’t an exclamation point in her name.