by Rahul K. Gairola - Special to the SGN

P!NK
KEY ARENA
October 20

P!nk's 'The Truth About Love' tour took Seattle by storm last week, coinciding with a gorgeous Indian summer while treating fans to one of the finest carnivalesque live shows in the U.S. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of the stupendous live show was the agile performer's ability to engage in aerial acrobatics for a number of the songs without allowing that extreme movement to affect delivery of her usually poignant and/or angry lyrics. With such grace of form, even in her angrier numbers, P!nk gave a performance that seemed more characteristic of a Marvel super-heroine than of a mere mortal. Against a backdrop of props, dancers, and smoke, P!nk seemed to transport fans into a mythical otherworld within the walls of Key Arena.

On the upswing, P!nk delivered a number of epic ballads that highlighted the versatility of her vocal and lyrical range. Amidst her heart-shattering ballads was an electrifying delivery of 'Try' that featured the performer dangling only feet above a sea of recording iPhones. Perhaps most impressive was P!nk's undisputable talent of maintaining composure of voice and form while engaging in athletic acrobatics in mid-air. Her uncanny ability to deploy her body as a work of art in motion was flaunted in 'Glitter in the Air,' which featured her and a few other dancers engaged in a complicated aerial maneuver while spinning at high speeds. Numbers like this again fashioned P!nk as a super-hero or goddess with precise control of her body.

Other graceful, slow numbers included a haunting cover of Chris Isaak's epic ballad 'Wicked Game,' with P!nk emerging from a shower of mist dressed in what appeared to be black bondage gear. As she finished crooning the song, she disappeared into the mist again, this time lowered into a chamber beneath the stage. In a respite from the aerial acrobatics, P!nk took a seat on the stage with a solo guitarist and treated the arena to an acoustic version of 'Who Knew.' The juxtaposition between these slower songs and the more frenetic ones provided fans an eyewitness account of the impressive range of talent that P!nk possesses, which was also highlighted in her more upbeat songs.

INTIMATE ATMOSPHERE
Her performance of 'So What' had her cartwheeling through the air while suspended by four thick cables. Coming back down to earth, so to speak, she performed 'Just Like a Pill' in a tight, black halter-top and stretch pants splashed with glittered borders with matching stiletto pumps. The details of these intricate costumes and titanic body maneuvers were made visible by massive, heart-shaped video screens, which switched viewpoints from close-ups of P!nk, to long shots of the audience mixed with close and medium shots of all the dancers and musicians in her entourage. Thus, despite the grandiose aerial performances and operatic vocals, the venue seemed an intimate and personal space, one that was both aurally and visually marked by the raw, intense emotions that characterize most of P!nk's songs.

This was also emphasized at the end of the show, after more upbeat numbers like 'U + Ur Hand,' 'Blow Me (One Last Kiss),' 'F**kin' Great,' and 'Raise Your Glass,' which opened the Seattle show. P!nk exclaimed, 'Goodbye, Seattle!' and then proceeded to recognize and commend each member of her entourage. Closing the night on a personal note, one couldn't help feeling that they had been in the presence of bright stars, but down here on earth.

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