P!nk leaves Indianapolis speechless with The Truth About Love

With the rising prices in concert tickets for many artists these days, fans are raising their expectations for getting their money’s worth when they go to a show. Often times, they don’t get anything special and go home happy but wanting more. Some artists and bands give their fans more than their money’s worth- Slipknot, Skillet, Motley Crue, to name a few. Let’s go ahead and add Pink to that list- an unexpected addition in that. Pink’s The Truth About Love Tour has received overwhelming positive reviews and has been selling out almost every city it hits. What do you expect, though, Pink is one of the most popular and influential female singers of our time. This leg of the tour features direct support from Australia’s The Kin, who are also the only opening band on the tour, leaving almost two hours for Pink to do her thing. Recently stopping in Indianapolis, The Kin had a chance to play to a new audience and show off their impressive sound and talents and the Indianapolis crowd took notice. The three-piece Aussie band was outstanding as an opener, featuring a sound similar to tribal-meets Imagine Dragons-meets Phil Collins. They were so impressive and different the crowd almost didn’t know how to react, just watching. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/The Truth About Love Tour/The Kin/\”] It wouldn’t be an Australian band’s set without the addition of the didgeridoo, which they broke out for an impressive tribal-reminiscent number that led into a great pop-rock song that had the crowd captivated. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of The Kin’s performance was drummer Shakerleg, who played the entire set with no drumsticks, pounding the drumkit with his bare hands, even nailing the symbols from the bottom for much of the night- he’s officially one of the most underrated drummers in the world right now and deserves some credit. After The Kin wrapped up a near hour-long set, Pink took the stage for a headline set that would end up as one of the most amazing performances- no, wait- experiences many of the Indianapolis fans will ever see. The Truth About Love Tour can best be described as Cirque du Soleil mixed with a Broadway show mixed with a concert. The lights hit, the curtain went down and, as “Raise Your Glass” started, there she was- Pink- hanging upside down near the rafters with an entourage of acrobats holding her by the arms and legs as she went up and down to meet the crowd, who were already losing their minds as the fireworks and pyro came flying from the sides of the stage. Next she breezed through “Walk of Shame,” “Just Like a Pill” and “U+Ur Hand” and the night had begun- it was on. With an elaborate stage, back-up singers, back up dancers and each song acted out to perfection, it was almost like watching a high-end Broadway show with Kickass music. The visuals were outstanding and dazzling during virtually each song. During “Sober” a giant steel cage ball lowered from the ceiling, filled with acrobats. As Pink climbed inside, it was raised above the stage just high enough that a fall would be near-fatal. As the song escalated, the ball began to spin and Pink made her way outside the ball and crawled around the outside as it spun. As she continued to climb around, the acrobats grabbed her by one of her arms and legs and held her as she hung from the side. She did all this while not harnessed or tied in- that’s true professionalism and guts. Pink also did a hauntingly good cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” which was very close to the original and was beautiful and almost eerie given the fog that illuminated floor of the stage and a male backup dancer gracefully danced slowly with Pink. As she got ready to perform a few acoustic numbers- “Who Knew” and “F**kin Perfect,” she noticed some fans wanting autographs. Most artists and bands wouldn’t pay any attention to it but not Pink. Pink took time to sign for a few fans in the crowd, including a man who wanted his head signed, to which Pink said “Of course I’ll sign your head! What is this? Talladega Nights?” as she laughed and signed. Another fan wanted her wrist signed for a tattoo, which Pink only signed in small print “Because that one hurts, trust me, I don’t like to sign people’s ribs either.” Perhaps the most touching moment of the night was when a little girl had broken her arm in gym class and Pink was her favorite singer. Pink noticed her and signed her cast. She had the parent bring the girl up and gave her a hug and signed her cast. As Pink sat back down on her stool for the acoustic songs, she wiped one tear from her eye- it’s clear Pink truly cares about her fans on a deep level. [lg_slideshow folder=\”2013/The Truth About Love Tour/Pink/\”] To end the show, she came back on stage for an encore of “So What,” wearing what looked like a steel tutu. However, we quickly found out it was far from that, as the backup dancers hooked a harness to what she was wearing- which launched Pink into the air above the crowd….for the entire song. What’s even more impressive is that she was singing the entire time she flew through the crowd- even up to the third deck and for the entire song as well. It all comes down to this- very few bands or artists put as much of their entire heart and soul into every aspect of their show for a tour as long as this one is. Very few perform for two hours straight without an intermission and very few will do it with as much theatrics, life-threatening stunts and signing autographs during the set at the same time. If you want a show that will blow you away in every way imaginable and if you want a show that is the true definition of getting your money’s worth, do yourself a favor and catch The Truth About Love Tour when it comes through your city. You won’t even know what to say when you leave. That’s right, you’ll be speechless.