It seemed for the longest time that Alberta fans of P!nk would never get to see her in concert. Since exploding onto the scene in 2000, she has never come to Alberta. When a stop on her The Truth About Love tour was announced for Edmonton there was much joy, and then disappointment when the show sold out in a matter of seconds. Tickets were for sale on resellers for $300 - $1000 per ticket. Then due to laryngitis, the singer postponed her show scheduled for October. When January 16th finally rolled around you could almostsense a feeling of "is this actually happening" as thousands packed RexallPlace to finally experience all that is P!nk.
They had to wait a bit longer, as Australian trio The Kin warmed up the crowd with a fun set that got everyone singing along, which was impressive. They promised to return to Edmonton in the future and, based on the reaction from many in the audience who then lined up to meet them, they garnered some new fans for said show.
Exploding onto stage – literally with pyro and launching into the air on bungee cords – the singer kicked the show off with Raise Your Glass using three shirtless and incredibly built dancers hanging from the ceiling. P!nk spent almost as much time in the air as she did on the stage. From twirling through the air in Try to walking around a ball shaped cage suspended above the stage with no safety equipment, her acrobatics were both exhilarating and terrifying. At one point in the cage, where she sang Sober she hung from the side supported simply by the grip of two of her dancers. There is clearly a lot of trust in this show.
While the theatrical aspect of the show has been a focus of many reviews, the truth about P!nk is that she shines regardless of stunts or simplicity. Whether it was merely sitting on a stool singing a cover of Chris Isaac's Wicked Game, sitting behind a piano for The Great Escape or joining her guitarist for stripped down versions of Who Knew and F***ing Perfect,the power of her voice shone through. On earlier legs of the tour Family Portrait was also included, but unfortunately has been cut from the show.There were many cute moments, such as performing the more family friendly version of Perfect because "there are so many little ones I don't want to be dropping f-bombs."
If there was but one flaw to the show, it was that at 90 minutes it was too short. Previous sets have included a cover of Time After Time as well as Glitter In The Air, both of which are no longer included. With such a big catalog of hits, the show could have easily been 2 hours plus and still not covered her full career. While the set was impressive and a lot went into the performance, that remains a peeve of mine as concert tickets are not cheap.
And so in what seemed like no time at all, the show hit its climax with Slut Like You, Blow Me (One Last Kiss) and then P!nk literally soared to the rafters for So What, flying through the entire arena as well as stopping at platforms along the side. It is certainly one of the most impressive encores I've ever witnessed in a concert.
There have been many female artists emerging in the past decade or more, but there truly is no one like P!nk. Although her backup singers, powerhouses in their own right,carried a lot of the choruses of songs, there was absolutely no lip synching here. While the "female pop star" concert has certain cliches – ripped,shirtless male dancers, elaborate dance numbers, big sets – P!nk brings even more to the table.
From talented dancers to a strong band to an entertaining jester host who tied things together, The Truth About Love is concert perfection. It is only a few weeks into 2014 and the standard for the concert of the year has already been set. Already announced for later this year in Alberta are shows from Katy Perry and Cher. Although both put on incredible stage shows, it is doubtful that they will be able to top what those of us lucky enough to be in Rexall Place on January 16th, experienced.
It was a long wait, but in the end it was worth it. Let's just hope she doesn't wait so long to come back.