Review: Pink - Live at Auckland's Vector Arena

Pink Where: Vector Arena, Auckland When: Sunday, June 10 She may be among pop music's biggest talents, but it seems Pink really wants to be a rock star. There were enough guitar solos, hairy axe men and tight leather pants at Pink's climactic Auckland show to rival a Metallica concert. And that was before the Harley Davidson arrived on stage. Pink began her show like a true metalhead, dressed head to toe in black leather and rocking out with guitar-fuelled versions of Trouble and Like A Pill, played to a crowd warmed up with classic AC/DC, Rolling Stones and Guns N' Roses tracks. What a way to start. Luckily, that wasn't the only trick in Pink's impressive book. She spent the rest of the show proving why she's one of the world's biggest pop stars, pleasing a near sell-out crowd with a 90-minute set full of impressive theatrics, quick-fire costume changes, self-deprecating humour and upbeat pop songs. And there wasn't a sign of end-of-tour fatigue, something many may have been worried about after Pink delayed this show to fit in three extra dates during her exhausting - and record-breaking - Australian tour. She certainly couldn't have been tired to perform the thrilling high-rise theatrics scattered throughout the set. During the song Fingers, Pink stripped down to a fluorescent bikini and worked her way through a series of raunchy manoeuvres in a net soaring above the stage, no doubt pleasing the men scattered among the mostly teenage audience. There were plenty more theatrics, with flamenco dancing and a hilarious version of recent hit single Stupid Girls complete with ditzy mock-celebrities stumbling along the catwalk in front of the stage. That song sounds even more prophetic now that Paris Hilton is behind bars. And when the poptastic thrills ground to a halt with a sit-down acoustic campfire sing-along - including the politically-charged Dear Mr President and several covers - Pink managed to make it entertaining with some great singing and well-timed jokes. Those covers - Bob Marley's Redemption Songs, Janis Joplin's Me and Bobby McGhee and 4 Non Blonde's What's Going On - showcased both Pink's taste in music and her impressive vocal range. If anyone ever doubted Pink - don't. People, this girl can sing. And she couldn't resist donning those leathers one more time for U + Ur Hand, getting in touch with her inner bogan by performing while draped over a giant Harley Davidson. She ended - ironically - with Let's Get the Party Started, complete with confetti drop and more high-rise theatrics. Whew. Pink, you've earned a break. Fellow pop chart-toppers Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera are due to perform on the same stage in the next couple of months. They should probably be taking notes from Pink, because they're going to have to be really impressive to top this performance.

Reviewed by Dougie