Pink returns to stage, breaks silence on illness

Pink is back and swinging from the chandeliers. Photo / Getty Images

After a week of chaos, Pink has reignited her mega tour — exploding on stage and acknowledging the drama. James Weir reviews her triumphant return.

After causing havoc with a string of cancelled shows due to illness, Pink has finally exploded back on stage with both a mega performance and a message to fans.

"I hope I didn't screw up anyone's week … Sorry if I did," the singer told almost 20,000 screaming fans when she reignited her Beautiful Trauma tour on Saturday night at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena.

The show marked a highly anticipated return for the 38-year-old, who was forced to reschedule four Sydney shows this week after falling ill with a gastric virus.

You know how sometimes when you're in a job you despise it gets to the point where you have no problem lying and telling your boss you have diarrhoea just so you can go home?

Well it's a similar situation Pink found herself in this week. Only, she doesn't hate her job. She loves it. But when she cancelled this week's string of scheduled Sydney performances and a bunch of people started complaining about it on Facebook, she was forced to tell the nation she was in the grips of a fierce gastro episode.

The bout was so horrendous Pink was admitted to St Vincent's Hospital last Sunday and kept overnight.

Despite the medical certificate, some of the 80,000 ticketholders to those rescheduled shows weren't forgiving.

It's only appropriate the show opened with her 2002 hit Get The Party Started.

Dressed in a sparkly black catsuit, the singer gripped a gigantic pink chandelier as it crashed into the arena and swung through the air.

Renditions of Beautiful Trauma and Just Like a Pill followed. Pink was in overdrive, as if determined to prove to detractors why the high-intensity show can't be done in poor health.

It was only a matter of time before the singer acknowledged the drama that surrounded the rescheduled shows. And three songs in, she broke her silence.

"Thank you guys for being here tonight. I'm not contagious, I swear," she laughed. "[But now I'm] Sooo skinny."

Over the course of the two hour show, Pink bungeed around in the air above fans performing her biggest hits. Songs from her 2000 rap debut album Can't Take Me Home were omitted but surprise covers included No Doubt's Just A Girl and Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

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I don’t need to clear this up, but out of respect for my fans I will attempt it. I scheduled this tour meticulously, trying to do what was best for my children, while also putting on the best and most physically demanding and beautiful show of my life. This break in Byron has been scheduled since 2017, as a way to get outside the hotel and the winter and have some time with my children. I’ve already been sick twice (kids as well)on this Australian tour, but the first time we got sick, I was able to push through. This time, what these parasite paparazzi don’t show you, is two doctor visits in Byron on two consecutive days, antibiotics, steroids, Vick’s, nose spray, throat spray, more steroids, NyQuil, a screaming baby in the middle of the night, every night, while mama gives him warm baths and tells her daughter everything is fine. You can think whatever you want, it’s your right, but I have never taken advantage of any one in my entire life. I have never fucked off while disrespecting hard working people who spend money to come see me play. I have never phoned in a single tour, I have an impeccable record for not cancelling. I mother with everything I have whilst handling all the rest. The snark in this is unbelievable and makes me long for a nicer world. I’m doing the absolute best I can, and you can believe it or not. What they don’t show you in this picture is me drinking water and lying down while my friends try to entertain my 7 year old who is asking me why these creepy men are surrounding us and pacing back and forth and taking pictures of her every move. I will see everyone tomorrow whether I’m better or not, and the postponed show will be rescheduled. As I said, I’m sorry to the real fans who this situation has affected. Onwards and upwards.

A post shared by P!NK (@pink) on Aug 2, 2018 at 9:08pm PDT

While between song banter was minimal, the singer grabbed fans' hands and accepted a teddy bear and handwritten note. A wish for a selfie was granted and Pink made her way onto the general admission floor to take a photograph on a fan's phone.

A break to introduce her backup dancers ended with a surprise appearance from the mum-of-two's daughter, Willow — the seven-year-old running out on stage wearing industrial headphones to hug her mum.

In one final moment to address fans, Pink used the opportunity to again acknowledge the week's health struggles.

"You don't want to kiss me — it's not safe," she joked. "I'm feeling all right. St Vincent's is really nice. I had an awesome doctor. Usually doctors hate me 'cause I know everything".

In a spectacular end to the night, Pink employed her bungee cords one last time and soared to the edges of the arena to give fans in the cheap seats a closer look.

It was while she was strapped onto these cables and flying over the audience that one question hovered: Can you imagine the disaster if Pink's gastro reactivated itself as she swung over this crowd of thousands?

Sometimes, a sick day benefits everyone.