P!NK at Fenway Park – July 31, 2023

The iconic singer/songwriter P!NK came to Boston, with not just one but two sold out shows at Fenway Park. Like a scene out of the Barbie movie, Lansdowne Street was buzzing with fans dressed in pink outfits, with expectations high for tonight’s performance.

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

While Pink is undoubtedly one of the top female singers of her generation, the night started off with an icon of an earlier generation, Pat Benatar. Benatar and her husband Neil Giraldo are celebrating 41 years of marriage, and 44 years of making music together. The 70 year old performer sounded amazing, belting out hit after hit. Opening with “All Fired Up,” the set included songs like “We Belong,” “Hell is for Children,” and “Love is a Battlefield.” Notably absent from the set was her 1980 single “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” which they’re apparently not playing on this summer tour. As her 10 song set came to an end, Benatar said “Here’s the song that started it all off,” before kicking into “Heartbreaker.” In the middle of the song, they added in a portion of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” which the crowd all loved singing along to. I had never seen Pat Benatar perform before, but her set was an absolute joy, and a great way to start things off.

P!NK

As Pink prepared to take the stage, the lights went out, and a video of a glitchy, AI-esque version of the singer addressed the crowd. As the introduction ended (“LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!”), the giant pair of lips above the stage opened up, revealing Pink, attached to a harness. The band kicked into “Get the Party Started,” and Pink dove face first toward the stage, dangling from bungee cords, as fireworks erupted around the stage. Known for her wild acrobatics, Pink’s performance did not disappoint. While she danced from the bungees in that song, later in the set, during “Turbulence,” she gave a ropes performance above the end of the catwalk, and during the grand finale of the night, “So What,” she was suspended from a harness that had her zipping back and forth around the stadium.

Tonight’s party got wild on stage, with an 8-piece band, and seemingly countless dancers who, at times, rode giant flamingos across the stage, came out dressed like giant pairs of lips, performed on trampolines, and kept the atmosphere lively. Pink’s band was phenomenal, with three backup singers, two keyboard/piano players, guitar, bass and drums.

The set started off with hit-after-hit, with songs like “Raise Your Glass,” “Just Like a Pill,” “Try,” “Fuckin’ Perfect,” and “What About Us” all coming in the first half of the show. The first half ended with “Just Like Fire,” which was mashed up with Benatar’s own “Heartbreaker.” While Pink has been doing this medley all year long, tonight was the first date on the tour that featured Benatar opening, so I wondered if perhaps she’d make an appearance during the song, but she did not.

Halfway through the show, the intensity of the performance was lowered for a while. Songs like “Please Don’t Leave Me” and “When I Get There” were performed acoustic, or at least stripped back, with often times just Pink and her guitarist Justin Derrico on the stage, or at the front of the catwalk. The rest of the band later came forward to the front of the catwalk, a handful of drums appeared, and the crowd was fired up and dancing along to “I am Here.”

As the show drew to an end, we heard songs like a cover of Sade’s “Ordinary Love,” and “TRUSTFALL,” which featured four of her dancers climbing stairs, falling onto trampolines, and bouncing back up them again. The show came to a close with “Last Call” and “So What,” and then Fenway Park was filled with an elaborate fireworks grand finale.

P!NK is a one-of-a-kind performer, and she puts on a one-of-a-kind show to match. The Summer Carnival 2023 tour is one not to be missed!