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Live at Petco Park
September 15, 2024 Review by Matt Martinez
Growing up in the ‘90s, I watched the evolution of the boy bands and teen pop stars – NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, and many others.
Many of these artists were introduced to me by my mom who would play Radio Disney in the car and was a big supporter of the genre and its artists.
Another artist that became a trailblazer during this era was P!nk. She came with a bit more of a rock star edge, but backed by her powerful voice, she could hold her own. P!nk not only survived the early aughts, but continued to grow her career and fan base through the decades, and has been commanding stadiums on her Summer Carnival Tour. Her stop at Petco Park in San Diego included Sheryl Crow and The Script, and the stadium was packed to the brim with fans clad in their brightest pink attire in support of this megastar.
Opening the night was Irish pop rock band The Script. Right out of the gate, vocalist Danny O’Donaghue marched his way down the catwalk to be front and center with the fans. Performing nearly the entire set at the foot of the catwalk, O’Donaghue fed off the cheers and excitement he was seeing from fans.
Guitarist Ben Weaver, bassist Benjamin Sargeant, and drummer Glen Power could be seen grooving with their instruments on the backline of the stage.
Letting O’Donaghue’s front-man energy infect Petco Park to get the fans riled up for the show, they were the backbone of the music that held everything together.
The Script only had 30 minutes, but they made them count with songs like “Superheroes,” “At Your Feet,” “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” “For the First Time,” “Breakeven,” and ending with “Hall of Fame.” The Script was the perfect blend of rock edge and uplifting fun music to kick off this Summer Carnival night.
Up next was a legend in her own right – country/rock star Sheryl Crow. As soon as Crow hit the stage with her opening song “Steve McQueen,” the cowboy hats started popping up all around the stadium.
Though Crow is a solo artist, she has a five-person backing band that she regularly dances and plays up against to make sure they’re not ignored by the crowd.
It’s awesome to see her share the love with her bandmates.
Before going into “Real Gone,” Crow shared how special it was that she was asked to contribute a song to the Pixar movie “Cars,” and how that became her son’s favorite movie. It truly felt like a serendipitous moment for her. About halfway through the set, she expressed her love for San Diego and the Padres by putting on a colorful, decorated Padres jersey, which elated the San Diego crowd.
Throughout the set, groups of women could be seen dancing and boogying with their friend groups to songs like “A Change Would Do You Good,” “If It Makes You Happy,” “My Favorite Mistake,” “The First Cut is the Deepest,” “All I Wanna Do,” “Soak Up the Sun,” and “Everyday is a Winding Road.”
Sheryl Crow has been performing for four decades and she still sings and entertains with such a warm glow and happiness, it is easy to see why fans fall in love with her music.
As we waited for our headliner to take the stage, a quick video package played where P!nk was animated like a glitching ‘90s 3D cartoon character to hype up the crowd. All of a sudden, the giant decorative lips hanging high above the stage opened up to reveal P!nk sitting nearly 50 feet above us.
Blasting into “Get the Party Started,” P!nk free fell 30 feet out of the mouth before being caught by her harness, and going into an aerial routine. Landing safely back on the ground, P!nk was then surrounded by her dancers for “Raise Your Glass.” After free falling through the sky and performing an aerial acrobatics routine, this talented star hit her choreography with her dancers, and we were only two songs into the set. I understood at this moment, this was not going to be a normal concert experience.
The specific performance that sat with me as I was leaving the show was the aerial routine she did for “Turbulence.” Ropes were lowered down from the sky, and P!nk did a proper aerial acrobatics routine with no harnesses and no safety net.
She used her genuine skill in the arts to stay connected safely to the ropes as she flew over the front row, all the while still singing her song with no hindrance to her vocal abilities.
Throughout the show, P!nk went through multiple costume changes, from a rhinestone-studded bodysuit and battle vests, to cocktail dresses, and some colorful street wear.
All of this excitement was kept up for songs like “Who Knew,” “Just Like a Pill,” “What About Us,” “Just Give Me a Reason,” “F**kin’ Perfect,” “Please Don’t Leave Me,” “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” “Try,” and “Blow Me (One Last Kiss).” But it was with her final song, “So What,” that she performed her most extravagant aerial stunt.
As P!nk was flown around all of Petco Park – up into the nose bleeds of the stadium to get up close and personal with those fans, to hovering over the center of the stadium, and across everyone in the venue.
She put time, effort, and love into crafting a live show that was more theatre than concert. Hell, it was the Summer Carnival everyone didn’t know they needed to experience.
I’ve always heard about P!nk’s high-flying antics during her live shows, and it sounded amazing, but finally getting to see them firsthand was a whole new experience.
Pop sometimes gets a bad rap for their performers phoning it in, but P!nk is an outlier in that regard. Her live show is one for the ages because of all the different arts she incorporates into the show. You aren’t just getting singing and dancing. The aerial acrobatics takes it to a whole new level, and the different variations she incorporates shows she has true passion for this art form.
P!nk’s live show is worth taking the time to check out. I can guarantee you will not be disappointed!
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