P!NK’S SUMMER CARNIVAL VISITS DC
Date: August 7th, 2023
Venue: Nationals Park
Washington, DC
Who Says You Can’t Fly In The Rain
Named the Summer Carnival tour, it was only fitting that pop icon P!nk’s stop in DC brought along with it summer weather… in the form of heavy rain, high winds, and tornado warnings. While mother nature made herself known just hours before showtime she also recognized the passion of P!nk’s fans and cleared up just in time for the stage to be prepped for the superstar. What’s up, everyone? Derek here, a.k.a. The Photographic Ginger and I’m back again with another incredible night of music in our nation’s capital.
While the weather created some uncertainty as to if the show would be able to go on, it all worked out in the end and made for an incredible and beautiful show. As we arrived shortly after 5:30 pm at Nationals Park, home of the 2019 MLB World Series Champion the Washington Nationals. Fans were running towards the venue, both in excitement and also to avoid the heavy rainfall covering the area. But around 6:00 pm the gates were closed as fans were encouraged to shelter in place. Almost an hour later the high winds and low clouds started to dwindle and gates were able to reopen.
Unfortunately, this meant openers Grouplove were unable to perform on this evening but thanks to a fast stage crew and improving weather conditions, additional opening act Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo were able to perform an abbreviated set for the still wildly excited fans.
Talk about a start to an evening! Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Award-winning Pat Benatar and her equally amazing husband and Grammy Award winner and nominee Neil Giraldo got the evening kicked off and “All Fired Up”.
This rock duo has made history over the years and they are still kicking ass, rocking out, and bringing their edge to each city they are performing.
While they only had time for a shortened set due to weather, they gave the fans some of their biggest hits and got everyone singing along to the likes of “We Belong” as Neil played the piano and Pat blew us away with her power vocals during the ballad.
Then we ventured into the battlefield that is love before they closed their set with a stadium-rocking version of “Heartbreaker”.
The stage was then clear and prepped as a giant mirror ball and various shiny oversized objects appeared on stage fans danced and cheered in excitement waiting for their favorite artist and all-around amazing humans.
There’s no arguing that Alecia Beth Moore Hart, better known as P!nk, has been making waves since she began her music career in the late 90s. She’s become one of the most iconic songwriters, fashion-forward, and mind-blowing performers of our generation. From her early years with music videos and songs that proved she wasn’t your average pop/rock star as she tackled topics often avoided in music at the time, but in ways that proved music could be fun, even when topics are dark.
Her unapologetic attitude has always made her stand out and it’s that paired with her relentless drive to fill the world with love that makes her an incredible human being. From her activism and allyship to her choreography and aerial acrobatics, she has set the bar for what it means to be an artist and performer.
As the show began we faced a digital and robotic like P!nk on the screens of the stage as she led us to “Get The Party Started” as the large mouth atop the stage opened and revealed the star herself hanging above the stage from within. She gave a quick wave to the crowd before energetically bungeeing downward before disconnecting her harness and dancing around the stage alongside her dancers, band, and background singers. She then was greeted by two aerialists who then lifted her high above the stage again as they began a choreographed moment filled with amazing moments and stunning vocals.
The show continued with many more iconic songs that have been in my music library rotation for the last 15-20 years. Songs such as “Who Knew” and “Just Like A Pill”. Special shoutout to my cousin who introduced me to those types of songs all those years ago.
As the night continued P!nk took to the skies again but this time performing a beautiful aerial piece in silks as she sang “Turbulence”, which is a personal favorite of mine from her latest album ‘TRUSTFALL’. As she performed, motors moved her, and the silks she hung by across the catwalk stage extended into the audience. Then following that, they kept the tempo a little slower as her pianist performed the intro to “Our Song” also off the new album, but as the song is not on the actual setlist it creates a different moment each night as she has to guess her own song played on the piano in a unique way. Her reward? On this evening, candy in the form of Whoppers. It was actually one of only a handful of shows in which she actually guessed correctly. Hence the candy.
While I could easily speak the praises of this incredible musician and performer for every single song, you can check out her setlist online. But other highlights from the evening included P!nk alone at the piano covering Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” in such a beautiful and elegant way; showcasing her band and the harmonies of her background singers within an acoustic version of “Please Don’t Leave Me”, remembering a fan from a festival from years ago as she signed a picture of the two of them and an iconic moment as she sang “Cover Me in Sunshine” accompanied by her daughter Willow.
But the moment that I think is safe to say was the most iconic and memorable for everyone was when she invited everyone to let loose, dance, and connect with the best parts of themselves as she and the band stood at the end of the catwalk and began to play “I Am Here”. As the beat of the drum pulsated throughout the park accompanied by the tambourine, it was almost a spiritual moment or what some may feel was similar to a rain dance as just a few seconds into the song… the rain reappeared on a previously cloudy but clear sky.
It began to not just rain but it poured! But it was legendary and fans embraced it and the moment and danced. You could see the joy on everyone’s face including the band.
As the set began to come to a close we were amped up to the power and message of “Irrelevant” which reminds listeners and the divided politicians in America that “girls just want to have rights”. Then the sounds of “TRUSTFALL” found her background dancers performing acrobatics on a trampoline and landing atop a heightened platform. We then danced the night away to the hit “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” as the rain continued to fall.
If you’ve ever seen P!nk live you know that her encore song “So What” isn’t just a performance, it’s a spectacle. She ran back onto the stage and proclaimed “Who says I can’t fly in the rain” and began to perform her song as wires lifted her high into the sky and zipped her around the entirety of the large ballpark. Waving to fans below as she effortlessly sang out her energetic anthem. All before flawlessly landing back onto the stage as the last note of the song hit.
If it wasn’t clear from all that you’ve read, this is a show and a tour that you do NOT want to miss. Check out when she’ll be near you as part of the Summer Carnival or later this fall the TRUSTFALL tour. Tickets are available now on her website and if you don’t see your date make sure to check Ticketmaster.
If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.
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