P!nk, Hampden Park, Glasgow review - a high-wire act with bravado and bombast

There was a point in this stadium spectacular when P!nk gave her fans two choices. They could either “make out with their partners or go queue for a beer” she suggested, prior to one of the first slow-paced numbers of the evening, but the latter choice was a dangerous one. Few shows, even among big pop jamborees, feature as much going on as Alecia Moore’s current Summer Carnival jaunt.

The stunts, choreography and pyro were relentless, to the extent that my friend pondered if every single number would feature fireworks accompanying them. It wasn’t far off that, and the overall result was an often thrilling show that made the most of Moore’s dynamism as a performer. It started with her emerging from lips perched high above the stage and then indulging in acrobatics as “Get the Party Started” boomed out, and proceeded to make use of her skills as an aerialist on multiple occasions.

It was great fun at its best moments, with an early “Raise Your Glass” featuring the many pink hatted hordes inside Hampden Park obliging while dancers zipped around onstage on scooters designed to look like flamingos. On the nifty “Turbulence” she was up the ramp that led into the crowd and then contorting herself above the audience on a wire, and main set closer “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” married infectiously catchy pop with a full on West End show dance routine, letting each individual dancer get a moment in the spotlight.

For all the pop gimmicks, there was time for her band, and Moore’s impressive voice to stand out. The night achieved a good balance between delivering as spectacle but also showcasing both her band and Moore’s chops as a live singer, in a way not all pop stars can manage. A run-through of early hit “Just Like A Pill” was muscular and the guitar heavy “Just Like Fire” slipped into a cover of Pat Benetar’s AOR favourite “Heartbreaker” with verve (and literal flames).

Moore carried a giddiness to her performance, all waves, bounces and, at one stage, throwing a few small Milky Ways to the crowd. That crowd interaction occasionally went too far, as a segment where she chatted to fans and signed items went on so long it became a convincing argument for paid meet and greets. Well intentioned it may have been,but combined with a couple of stripped back numbers like “Please Don’t Leave Me” the set’s pace slowed dramatically, before a big sing-a-long cover of “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes learned towards karaoke too much.

Moore is much more fun when there’s spikiness and wit in there, as when she quipped that keyboardist Jason Chapman couldn’t hear her and “is looking at me like Joe Biden during the debate”. She swiftly followed by saying she’ll still be voting for the incumbent President given the alternative, presumably to the relief of the many LGBT fans in attendance.

Some of those couples popped up on the giant screens during her piano cover of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love”, with the highlight being the one woman visibly yelling to her other half “that’s us!”, clearly full of excitement. The track itself proved a tender note amidst the bombast, and a reminder that Moore’s longevity in a career now over two decades long has helped her gain an emotional connection with her followers, with many teary eyed hugs exchanged among them. 

Yet in your face swagger is still what she does best, from a rousing “Fuckin Perfect” to an extended rocked up “Blow Me (One Last Kiss) and the stomping finale of “So What”, on which she flew around the stadium on a zipwire for a genuinely striking finale.