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P!nk and her pianist, Jason Chapman, have a deal where if she guesses the song he’s playing on the keys from just a few notes, he gives her candy. She said it’s the only time she doesn’t have to share the sweets with her kids. Yet, she gave some up anyway, throwing Laffy Taffy to fans in the JMA Wireless Dome.

“I’m keeping the Twizzlers for myself, though,” P!nk said as she transitioned into her next act.

In her first time performing in Syracuse, P!nk took the stage in front of a sold out crowd in the Dome Sunday night as part of her Summer Carnival tour. Alongside openers The Script and Sheryl Crow and DJ KidCutUp, P!nk joins a list of only eight women to ever headline a concert in the Dome.

As temperatures begin to drop and The Great New York State Fair becomes just a memory, P!nk’s stage setup helped Syracuse extend its summer into October. With dancers riding inflatable flamingos turned scooters and watermelon graphics dancing on the backdrop, P!nk brought the crowd back to that summer feeling.

The pop star’s Summer Carnival tour began on June 7, 2023 in Bolton, England, and was extended to Nov. 23, 2024. P!nk announced the added tour dates in an Instagram post on Dec. 5 and that evening, the Dome lit up in bright pink to announce the artist’s future stop.

Sunday night, the Dome glowed pink once again, its beams radiating onto the mass of people filing out of the Dome, reflecting on fans’ pink sequined tops, cowboy hats and body glitter.

Before the concert even began, groups tailgated the concert like it was a football game. From Colvin Street Lot to Skytop Lot to parking spaces behind the Barnes Center at The Arch, concertgoers put on their pink hair extensions and ate veggie platters out of their trunks.

Marianne Hanley, preservation librarian at Syracuse University, secured a prime tailgating spot for her friends and family before the concert. Her group gathered in front of Gate G, blasting music and applying the finishing touches of their body glitter.

Lars Jendruschewitz | Photo Editor

P!nk performs with her background dancers while singing “Raise Your Glass.” Her Summer Carnival tour started on June 7, 2023, and will end on Nov. 23.

Hanley’s friends and family came from New Jersey and Massachusetts for the concert. With seats in the “nosebleeds,” the group agreed they didn’t care where they were sitting, they were just excited to see P!nk. Hanley said she was especially looking forward to seeing the artist’s aerial acrobatics live.

“I heard she gets on a trapeze and flies through every level, so even the nosebleeds get to her flying past us,” Hanley said.

Amid nearly 10 outfit changes, P!nk swung through the crowd and hung upside down from silk ropes. The artist played her top hits like “Just Give Me a Reason,” “Raise Your Glass” and “So What,” many of which were accompanied with stunts from P!nk and her dancers. During the performance of her 2023 hit single, “TRUSTFALL,” P!nk’s dancers fell from a raised platform onto trampolines lying below.

“I don’t even understand how she has the stamina to (sing so well) while flipping upside down,” concertgoer Brittany Griffin said.

Throughout the concert, P!nk could be seen skipping across the length of the stage running to fans in the front row, her sparkling heels kicking up with each leap. For those who didn’t have floor seats, she took off her heels and scaled the stage setup to wave at the concertgoers sitting behind the stage who normally would’ve only gotten a “video view” of the artist.

For some, P!nk’s Summer Carnival was their first-ever concert. Six-year-old Magnolia Shih got VIP tickets with her mom, Debbie, to celebrate this “first.” With pigtails and a t-shirt that said “It’s My First Concert!” in gold glitter text, Magnolia was looking forward to the artist playing her favorite song: “Cover me in Sunshine.”

The 2021 single was released as a duet between P!nk and her now 13-year-old daughter Willow Sage Hart. In a surprise to the audience, Willow joined her mom on stage in the Dome to sing their duet together.

“I have a special guest joining us tonight,” P!nk said, introducing Willow. “My favorite singer ever.”

Rising from the stage in embroidered jeans and a t-shirt decked out in colorful flowers, Willow earned thunderous applause and made way for an emotional moment, with P!nk talking about how much her daughter means to her.

Lars Jendruschewitz | Photo Editor

Danny O’Donoghue, lead singer of The Script, opens the night with the group’s hit song “Superheroes.” The rock band from Dublin, Ireland supported P!nk on her tour stop Sunday night.

The artist coupled heartwarming moments like these with the extravagance of following acts. The scene came alive during songs like “Just Like Fire” with real flames bursting from the ground. Confetti cannons and fog machines were deployed throughout.

As the set went dark and it appeared as if the night had come to a close, concertgoers whipped their heads around to see where P!nk was flying in from next for the encore. The artist, who formerly aspired to be an Olympic gymnast, came flying from the rafters, soaring the length of the Dome.

P!nk reached out to every section, waving and smiling with an enthusiasm that made it seem as though she was waving to a group of her closest friends. Landing on posts throughout the crowd to stop and sing, she quickly flew back off into the sky.

“It was one of the top three concerts I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to hundreds,” Griffin said.

Published on October 7, 2024 at 11:59 am