From thrilling acrobatics to a touching tribute, 4 memorable moments from Pink's Cincy show

The usual red hues of Great American Ball Park turned pink Wednesday night, as the 43-year-old pop-rock star of the same name took the stage for an acrobatic show.

Cincinnati – the second stop of Pink's Summer Carnival 2023 tour and the first in the U.S. – showed out for the singer throughout the night, almost as much as she showed out for the Queen City.

Here are the highlights from Pink's Cincinnati performance.

Pink is an acrobat and a half

Pink started the show in the rafters, about a 100 feet in the air. The crowd gasped as she jumped down, and landed safely on the stage, aptly singing her 2001 hit, "Get the Party Started." She wore a harness-skirt connected to a wire that carried her up and down. She spent half of this first song upside down, suspended 50 feet in the air, midway between the stage and the rafters, belting her lungs out.

It was an impressive cold open.

And the acrobatics didn't stop there. Pink returned to her competitive gymnast roots just a few songs later, with an unharnessed aerial silks display during "Turbulence," off her latest album, "Trustfall," which released earlier this year.

"But I hold on tight!" Pink sang, as she spun in circles above the audience, arms and legs wrapped tightly around the silks.

Finally, and most spectacularly, Pink ended the show flying around the stadium in her wired skirt-harness, singing the ever enthusing "So What." When I say flying, I mean Superman pose while soaring around the bases at Great American Ball Park, eye-to-eye with the nose bleed seats down the foul lines and behind home plate.

Similar to the wave at a baseball game, fans stood up and cheered wildly as Pink flew by.

Pink and Brandi Carlile sing special tribute to Sinéad O’Connor

Pink stopped the normal course of the show to pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor. The trailblazing Irish artist recently died, her family announced this week. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

For the tribute, Pink invited opener and nine-time Grammy-winning artist Brandi Carlile back on stage. Accompanied solely by a grand piano, the two vocalists showcased the full range of their talents in a touching rendition of O'Connor's breakout hit, "Nothing Compares 2 U," originally written by Prince.

Grand openers Brandi Carlile and Grouplove

Opening bands are often small-time acts, looking for exposure and stage practice. Maybe they have one big hit, and maybe half the crowd shows up by the time they start their set.

But that certainly wasn't the case for the Grammy-winning and an all-time vocalist in Carlile, and top indie-rock charters Grouplove. The latter got the show rolling with its cheerful singalongs to "Tongue Tied," "Colours" and "Ways to Go."

Brandi picked up the artistry in her signature raspy style with an especially stirring rendition of her breakout hit, "The Story." The stadium was just about full by the time Carlile reached her last song.

"I expected nothing less from Cincinnati," she said.

A Pink party at Great American Ball Park

At various points throughout the night, Pink hosted close to 20 performers on stage. Instrumentalists, backup singers, dancers and Pink herself bounced around, rode on flamingo scooters and flipped off trampolines.

The onstage party seemed a natural expression of the party-playlist that is Pink's discography. With hits like "Raise Your Glass," "Try" and "Never Gonna Not Dance Again," what choice do you have?

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pink's Summer Carnival tour: 4 memorable moments from Cincinnati