Words and Photos by Jose Serrato
After 14 months of waiting, P!NK’s Summer Carnival Tour finally took over Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX. Originally scheduled for September of 2023, the tour had to be rescheduled a couple of times due to illness. With a new date came new opening acts with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sheryl Crow and electro-pop artist Noga Erez.
Israeli artist Noga Erez opened up the night by delivering an electric performance all while being 7 months pregnant with her first child. There was no hiding her pregnancy as she wore an open shirt exposing her belly. Erez, who studied music composition at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, is out in support of her third studio album “The Vandalist” which was released this past September on Neon Gold Records. Erez made her way up and down the catwalk grabbing the attention of fans who arrived early. Fans that were lucky to catch this show as Erez was only set to open for two shows on this tour. It’s not easy to describe her music as it’s influenced by so many genres that she masterfully combined together to make her own sound.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Sheryl Crow in 2023 for a career that goes all the way back to the late 80’s when she recorded commercial jingles for McDonald’s and soon after becoming a back up singer for Michael Jackson on the Bad World Tour. Of course we all became aware of Crow in 1996 when she released her self titled album with her hit song “If It Makes You Happy” among others. The nearly completely full stadium were treated with all of her hits including “My Favorite Mistake,” “All I Wanna Do,” and “Soak up the Sun.” Crow doesn’t need much to put on an amazing show. Her band and a few lights were all that were needed to completely entertain the crowd. For those that already didn’t know, Crow showed us why she is one of the most influential songwriters of our time and why she is more than deserving to forever live as part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I didn’t really know what to expect at a P!NK concert. I honestly didn’t know how she is able to consistently sell out stadiums across the country. It didn’t take long for my ignorance to get checked. An exhilarating mix of circus spectacle, emotional resonance, and powerful music kept the sold out Globe Life Field captivated from beginning to end. As she descended from the rafters with her very appropriate opening song, “Get The Party Started,” I knew we were in for a night to remember.
The show consisted of 4 Acts within a 2 hour set. Acts that consisted of joyful tracks that kept the crowd dancing to songs that pulled tightly on our heartstrings. The Cirque du Soleil style show kept our eyes wide open as we tried to see everything that was happening on the stage. You could watch the full band play flawlessly, or maybe the dancers gliding across the stage, or maybe the guys in the background that are flying up high off of trampolines. But let’s not think that the spectacle of a show took away from the talent of P!NK’s voice. Act III stripped down to a semi acoustic set that really showcased the effortless voice of P!NK. Songs like “Please Don’t Leave Me” and “All I Know So Far” made the stadium feel like we were in a coffee shop. Her voice sinked into our pores to feel every word, but no song hit as hard as when P!NK’s daughter came onto the stage to sing “Cover Me In Sunshine.” P!NK told the story of Willow recording her vocals on this track in one take. Not only did Willow touch every single person of a max capacity stadium with her voice, the emotions went even higher as the camera panned over to P!NK as she watched her daughter sing so perfectly with so much love and pride. I can’t imagine how proud she must’ve felt watching her baby captivate thousands of people with her voice. It was amazing to witness and that moment will forever be embedded in my brain. Which is great for me as I will gladly take all the sunshine I can get!
There was no hiding the mix emotions on this first night post election. Although none of the acts mentioned it by name, there were many hints of it throughout. P!NK has been very vocal when it comes to social issues, so I was wondering if she would say anything coming into this show. I believe she played it perfectly by not directly talking about it as I’m sure many of her fans were wanting an escape for at least one night. At the end of ACT III, P!NK told the story of getting in trouble for disturbing the peace as a young teen for singing a song. A song that we all know very well. “What’s Up?” by 4 Non Blondes is that song and P!NK’s version was perfect. All of that post election frustration felt like it was released as the entire stadium screamed “I pray every single day for revolution.” Chills run through my body every time I hear this part of the song, but having 50,000 people sing it together made those chills intensify a hundred times.
For my first P!NK experience, I have to say this is up there as one of the best shows I’ve seen live. If you’ve been to one before, you obviously know, but if you haven’t then I suggest you try to make it out to one if you can. I walked into Globe Life Field knowing a handful of P!NK’s pop songs and walked out with a whole new respect for P!NK as a singer, an artist, an entertainer, and as a person.
