Pink wows, breaks record in Milwaukee, as first female stadium headliner ever in Wisconsin

Alas the roof had to be closed on a rainy Monday for Pink’s “Summer Carnival” tour stop at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

But the glass ceiling was shattered.

The pop star became the first female artist ever to headline a stadium concert not just in Milwaukee, but the entire state of Wisconsin.

And she shattered an American Family Field attendance record too, with 46,644 in the Brewers’ ballpark for this historic occasion, the most people since it opened as Miller Park in 2001. That bested a record set by George Strait just two months ago − by just three people. (Sorry George, but we'd love it if you'd come back soon and try again.)

It’s ridiculous, though sadly not surprising, that it took so long for a female artist to headline a Wisconsin stadium show. But Pink was the perfect woman for this milestone. Gender aside, Monday’s show reaffirmed that she is the most daring, and often most dazzling, music star touring today.

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Beyond all the cardio-demanding choreography expected of most pop stars, with Pink keeping up with her nine dancers for setlist highlights like "Trustfall" (the title track of her latest album), she found several opportunities to push the envelope. A gorgeously rendered slow-dance routine with three male dancers for "No Ordinary Love" was especially spellbinding, with Pink's radiant voice doing Sade justice as she flawlessly hit all her complicated marks with a mic in one hand, and sang several sections of the song upside down in her dancers' arms and on their shoulders.

And that was essentially performed on terra firma. Keeping with the tradition of her last few tours that transformed Pink from a superstar to a bona fide legend in the making, she opened and closed Monday's two-hour opus with two set pieces that remain untouchable by her peers − the bungee jumping routine for kickoff "Get the Party Started;" and the literally high-flying finale for "So What," with Pink literally soaring, somersaulting and diving through the air like a Marvel superhero, reaching the very top of the stadium, and nonchalantly waving hello to fans, like a friendly co-worker saying hello on a routine Monday in the office.

But for this tour, Pink complemented those acrobatic feats with a new routine for "Trustfall" track "Turbulence," performing a gorgeous aerial ballet, at times spinning upside down, with one of her dancers while suspended from silk ropes. It was one of the few moments where Pink really seemed to sweat, taking a deep breath before she was hoisted in the air, but the execution − of the choreography, yes, but also her rich and vulnerable vocals − was exquisite.

That smooth vocal performance during "Turbulence" showed that for all the feats Pink pulls off in concert, her voice remains a stunner. Pink may have some of the best dancers, stage production and musicians money can buy. But even with all of those elements going into overdrive during a firework-splashed performance of Tiesto's revved-up "What About Us" remix, it was her voice − from the high notes to the striking, emotional finish − that burned brightest of all.

Which is why even the show's quieter moments were just as captivating, from Pink ripping off her shoes for a barefoot hootenanny at the end of the catwalk for a gospel-tinged, stripped-back version of "I Am Here," to a powerful acoustic performance of "Please Don't Leave Me" powered by glistening vocal harmonies with four backing singers.

Complementing those intimate moments was some seemingly off-the-cuff banter that felt candid and personal − as did three songs in particular Monday.

Nearly two decades after her squishy, subpar protest song "Dear Mr. President," Pink delivered a rousing political anthem pushing back against trolls during "Irrelevant," the song ending with a rousing twist on Cyndi Lauper's signature hit, with Pink and her singers chanting "Girls just want to have rights." An especially visceral visual on the stage's screen juxtaposed protest footage from women marching in Washington from the Women Suffrage Procession in 1913 with protests following the Supreme Court's termination of Roe vs. Wade last year. (Pink's subject of her ire was also plain as day, with clips of Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Mitch McConnell and other high-profile and polarizing Republicans appearing on the stage's screen as she sang about "(expletive) hypocrites.")

Pink also gave a touching speech about her father Jim Moore, who passed away in 2021, ribbing him for suggesting she still needed a signature song. Likening the death of a loved one to unpacking a suitcase for the rest of your life, Pink channeled her raw emotion into tribute song "When I Get There" from "Trustfall," commenting on the people she could see crying in the crowd, half-joking she didn't want to look at them because she didn't want to cry too. (The woman next to me was also in tears, a loved one sweetly consoling her with an arm around her shoulder.)

And along with honoring her father, Pink also honored her daughter, with Willow, just 12, coming out on stage to confidently and sweetly sing part of "Cover Me in Sunshine," with mom standing by her side cheering her on. Dubbed "One Take Willow" by her mother, Pink was spot on when she suggested her daughter received the biggest applause of the night − and clearly wouldn't have it any other way.

It's fitting that Pink's concert, with thousands filling the stadium dressed in pink, would happen the same summer that millions of pink-adorned people around the world are flocking to theaters to see "Barbie," turning the movie into a billion-dollar-plus juggernaut.

It's the kind of game changing movie people have clearly and desperately craved, that speaks to our times, that could actually change things for the better. Pink's Milwaukee concert, this long overdue Wisconsin stadium headlining performance by a woman, felt just as revelatory.

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Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Grouplove and Milwaukee's own KidCutUp opened

Pink brought three openers to warm up the crowd Monday, including a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

Halfway through her set with husband Neil Giraldo, Pat Benatar talked about how early in her career she was told women rockers couldn’t sell out arenas.

“Now look where we are,” she said to the roaring cheers of a primarily female crowd.

Forty-four years into their career, Benatar and Giraldo continue to epitomize arena rock, with her soaring voice and his blustery guitar making a formidable pair for set opener “All Fired Up.” But the Hall of Famers proved they were masters at making a huge stadium feel small for a sparse, piano-touched intro for “We Belong."

The night’s first band, sugary alt pop act Grouplove, weren’t phased by the big room and still somewhat sparse crowds, with lead vocalists Hannah Hopper and Christian Zucconi commanding Pink’s catwalk − even crawling to each other at one point during set opener “Deleter” − with the rest of the band offering their own hair-flipping swagger.

Making this historic Wisconsin show all the sweeter: a Milwaukee native kicked off the night.

Tim Zick, aka KidCutUp, has been Pink’s touring DJ ever since Summerfest booked him to open for her Big Gig show in 2017. And his set Monday showed he absolutely deserves to travel the world opening for one of the planet’s biggest stars. Beyond mixing stadium-seizing snippets of natural party starters like OutKast’s “Hey Ya” or Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl,” KidCutUp was full of surprises, from his inspired mashups − including Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” over the ringing bells from Missy Elliott’s “Work It” − to some delightful curveballs, like a chopped-up remix of “My Projects” from another Milwaukee artist, Coo Coo Cal.

5 takeaways from Pink's Milwaukee concert

• The closed roof kept fans dry but there was one drawback: the stadium was sweltering, with Pink commenting about the heat multiple times throughout the show.

• Out of about a dozen outfits Pink wore Monday (she joked she changes just as much at home), two stood out: a shimmering, silver hooded dress for “Last Call,” and a flowing, pale pink skirt that descended from above the stage, with Pink raising her arms directly underneath it and adjusting it to rest at her waist.

• Monday’s show continued a tour-long game Pink’s been having with her pianist Jason Chapman, where he plays a snippet of a song, and if Pink guesses right, she gets some candy. (The stage was the one place where she could have candy where her kids wouldn’t try to take it from her, she half-joked.) Unfortunately for Pink she couldn’t figure out the song (nor could I), but she saw a fan in the front singing the words who got the reward. “Don’t take candy from strangers. Catch,” Pink quipped.

• Also covered Monday was Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” which Pink sang as she played the piano herself Monday. “Get This Party Started” also had a snippet of the Eurythmics' “Sweet Dreams,” while fans got to hear Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” a second time when Pink merged it with "Just Like Fire," after Benatar herself sang the song during her opening set Monday.

• Among the items Pink received from fans in the Dairy State: a foam Cheesehead with the words “Wisconsin Loves Pink” written along the three sides that Pink briefly cuddled with, and a bag of cheddar popcorn. (The items were handed over, not tossed at her. Thank you for being courteous fans.)

Pink's American Family Field set list

1. "Get The Party Started"

2. "Raise Your Glass"

3. "Who Knew"

4. "Just Like a Pill"

5. "Try"

6. "What About Us"

7. "Turbulence"

8. "Make You Feel My Love" (Bob Dylan cover)

9. "Just Give Me a Reason"

10. "F**kin' Perfect"

11. "Just Like Fire"/"Heartbreaker" (Pat Benatar cover)

12. "Please Don't Leave Me"

13. "Cover Me In Sunshine"

14. "Kids In Love"

15. "When I Get There"

16. "I Am Here"

17. "Irrelevant"

18. "No Ordinary Love" (Sade cover)

19. "Trustfall"

20. "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)"

21. "Never Gonna Not Dance Again"

22. "Last Call"

23. "So What"

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Pink wows, breaks record as Wisconsin's first female stadium headliner