Soaring into the air from a giant jack-in-the-box, Pink transformed the Sydney Entertainment Centre into a rocking circus complete with acrobatics, two-storey blow-up clowns, warped mirrors and a giant slide; and two months of training as a trapeze artist saw her singing more songs upside-down during Friday's Funhouse show than she did sitting still.
"Wind me up and watch me go, where she stops nobody knows" was the warning Pink gave to fans as she opened with 'Bad Influence' and later sent the sea of fans into a spin catapulting through the arena on a bungee cord. Fans were equally as pumped, and in a fitting response to the circus set threw personalised toys onto the stage: "A frog smoking a cigarette with a VB ... that's my new best friend," she said; she described another offering as "Gumby on smack" as she stood it up at the front of the stage.
Pink made her first appearance in a bright red and black feathered circus dress, but it wasn't long before she stripped down to tight red pants and a revealing top. Baring tattoos and a sharply toned body, she somersaulted and crawled down a runway, reaching out to fans and signing autographs mid-song.
The circus theme dissolved briefly into an erotic dim set as she performed a steamy cover of The Divinyls 'I Touch Myself'. Multiple sets of hands reached through an elegant red lounge to stroke her body clad in black lace as screens showed the intimacy up close. Changing the mood she then launched into 'So What', with dancers joining her in a pillow fight, sending feathers flying across the stage.
The pop star looked at home dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt while giving a barefoot acoustic performance of 'Crystal Ball', 'Trouble' and 'I Don't Believe You' from a stool. Her pianist, Jason Chapman, accompanied her in a recital-style version of 'Family Portrait'. She told everyone to "try to be sad" as she talked to the crowd about how her one-year separation from husband Carey Hart had given her a lot of free time to lie on the beach and write songs in the past year.
But it was clear she preferred to perform in leaps and bounds across the stage, and she braved a series of bungee jumps above the crowd while still managing to sing - and sing well. In a spectacular lead-up to the finale, Pink sang covers of Led Zeppelin's 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You', Gnarls Barkley's 'Crazy' and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. She then closed the show with an unexpectedly mellow and graceful acrobatic routine of 'Glitter in the Air' amid of shower of sparkling gold glitter.
Funhouse was without doubt bigger, faster and more spectacular than any Pink's previous tours, leaving fans wondering how much more adrenalin she can handle. Where she stops nobody knows.
Due to demand, more shows will be added. Check www.coppel.com.au for updates.
Josephine Asher
|
|