A larger-than-life inflatable Eminem. Arena-wide aerial acrobatics. Killer vocals in a glittery jumpsuit. P!nk’s Beautiful Trauma World Tour visited the KFC Yum! Center last night after the pop star missed two shows due to the flu. No one could have guessed she’d been sick, though. She belted her bombastic hits like “Just Give Me a Reason,” “Try” and “Perfect.” When the lights dimmed and the red curtain dropped to start the show, P!nk wasted no time in putting on a spectacle. Her 2000 chart-topper “Get the Party Started” set the stage for a concert that was indeed a pretty-in-pink party, as she came swinging in on an enormous chandelier. Below her stratospheric stunts, a cast of eccentric dancers shook in unison. There were no dull moments across the heart-shaped stage. With everything from a waterfall of pyrotechnics cascading during “Just Like Fire” to more intimate moments realized in a three-song acoustic set, P!nk captivated the entire arena. In a special moment, she broke from the music and shared words of self-empowerment and solidarity that have lingered long after the confetti fell. “We don’t change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.” She blew Louisville “one last kiss” as she soared around the Yum! Center in a harness system that allowed her to interact with concert-goers even in the nosebleeds. And with a final bow after “Glitter in the Air,” the punk popstar waved goodbye and disappeared under the stage.
All photos by John J Miller Photography
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