P!nk at Barclays Center: The Truth About Love Tour

Seen Dec. 9, 2013 with The Hives

 

Dec. 10, 2013

 

I’m going to start by saying that the show got a half-star deducted for two reasons – one, she didn’t sing “True Love,” my new anthem, and two, the sound in the Barclays is not great and at times she was muffled. Other than that, P!nk did not disappoint!

 

I had wanted to see her when she came to New York at the start of her tour, but missed out. I heard how fantastic and entertaining the show was and immediately grabbed tickets for the end of her tour when she came to Brooklyn. The wait was excoriating, as I couldn’t wait for December to arrive! But it was well worth it.

 

P!nk never ceases to amaze me. I’ve been a fan of hers since she started out in the late 90s with the boy bands and pop princesses. She always stood out and her music just spoke to me over the years. I’ve purchased all her albums and couldn’t wait for her to tour on her own after seeing her open for Justin Timberlake years ago. However, it was a few years later when she took a break and had Willow, her daughter, and I knew I’d be waiting even longer. As I said, all that waiting was well worth it when I settled down in section 207, row 9 at the Barclays Center on December 9, 2013.

 

Her opening band, The Hives, were pretty good. They took the stage on time, as did P!nk, as her emcee for the night, Rubix Von Füchenhürtz,

 (Jimmy Slonina) not only kept us entertained as he climbed his way across the audience, but jumped up on stage at 9 p.m. on the dot. Already, I knew the night was off to a good start. As he explained that the night was about love, P!nk soon joined him, in a bouncing high wire, of course! She continued to fly high throughout the night, literally and figuratively. Her voice never wavered, and instead of relying on a track during her crazy stunts, she allowed her backup singers to shine, and they did.

 

P!nk sang a mix of new songs from her Truth About Love album, as well as some old classics, such as “Try,” “Raise Your Glass,” “So What,” as well as a medley of even older hits, including “You Make Me Sick” and “Most Girls.” Never once did she seem tired, though I’m sure she was, as her show is filled with high-flying stunts, high-energy dancing and emotional acoustic ballads. She showed off her vocal skills during those acoustic songs, and her musical talent while she played a little bit of drums and piano. My favorite songs included “Try,” “Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely),” “Slut Like You,” “Sober,” “Who Knew” and “Just Like a Pill.” (However, I really wish she had sang “True Love!”) During “Sober,” she gets into a cage with several other dancers, and by the end of the song it’s spinning really fast. It was amazing that everyone was able to hold on and it looked great!

 

You can tell she’s genuinely happy, and think at times she may have softened over the years, but then that hint of badass comes through, and you realize she’s the same P!nk that you know and love, just more mature and truly loving her life and her fans. She speaks fondly of her daughter. She has grown with her fans after all this time, but never once does she not seem grateful. She even took the time to collect gifts from the audience, well as many as she could carry, as well as shook their hands. Something other artists don’t often do.

 

All in all, a fabulous night. I recommend trying to catch her on tour, she has about six weeks left of The Truth About Love Tour. However, I don’t recommend seeing anything at Barclays (sorry Jay-Z, fix your acoustics!!).

 

Click here for tour dates.

 

Setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm):
Raise Your Glass

Walk of Shame

Just Like a Pill

U + Ur Hand

Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely)
Try
Wicked Games (cover)
Just Give Me a Reason

Trouble

Are We All We Are

Sober

The Great Escape (on piano)

Who Knew (acoustic)
F**kin’ Perfect

Most Girls/There You Go/You Make Me Sick (medley)

Slut Like You

Blow Me (One Last Kiss)

Encore: So What