CONCERT REVIEW
Pink tickles audience with energy, flair

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

For a vocalist known for mastering the art of surprises, Pink's concert at the Blaisdell Arena last night kicked off with little in the way of them.

Pink, with her 2002 MTV music award for Best Song, sang nearly everything from her smash CD "M!ssundaztood" at last night's concert. Advertiser library photo • Nov. 14, 2002

A half-capacity Blaisdell audience dutifully stood up, danced and handed her some instant Honolulu love. Still, the choice of such a "Well, duh!"-themed hit as an opening salvo at first seemed the kind of less-than-adventurous choice that promised more tedium to come.

Funny thing was, when all was said and done, Pink actually did wind up throwing down an entertaining roadhouse-style party that offered more than a few unexpected snapshots of her bad girl vs. good girl split personality. For anyone who still knew her only for songs like "Party," the well-paced concert offered a daring kick-out-the-jams rock 'n' bluesy departure from Pink's dance-pop roots.

With a few days of Hawai'i rest under her belt after a monthlong tour of Australia and New Zealand, Pink's voice was in exceptional form and — because she abhors lip-synching — definitely live.

Her stage design was sparse — besides the singer, just her almost anonymous five-piece band and an air-brushed banner. But manufactured spectacle was hardly necessary when the real deal was working her kitten-with-a-whip appeal front and center for the better part of 80 minutes.

Can't take this girl home? Hardly.

Pink was as sweetly demeanored as her voice was roughly girly, chatting often with the audience between verbal jabs at her drummer William Johnson. Johnson was out on bail after being arrested at Honolulu International Airport last weekend on grand larceny charges for problems with new car payments.

"I have to tell you my drummer is a criminal," said Pink, to howling laughter from the crowd. "He's actually out on bail now thanks to me. I just thought I'd share." She released a throaty laugh, then, turning to Johnson said, "Hey, why didn't you get me a car?" More laughter from the crowd followed.

Cutting a somewhat small and tomboyish figure on the bare stage, Pink performed just about every track on her "M!ssundaztood" CD, saving "There You Go" as the sole hit from her debut "Can't Take Me Home." From the beginning, it was clear that the former dance-pop diva was going to be a vocalist of more than one musical color.

Early on, "M!ssundaztood's" uptempo title track had her crawling between the legs of her short shorts and fish-net attired female bassist crooning lustily to her ... well ... you get the picture. The album's down-tempo confessionals "Dear Diary" and "Lonely Girl," on the other hand, had the singer in a more somber pose seemingly hugging a dinner-table chair she sat on for dear life.

As a tribute to "M!ssundaztood" producer Linda Perry, Pink wailed and led an audience sing-along on a cover of 4 Non-Blondes' 1993 hit "What's Up." If you could forget the treacly lyrics you were listening to, the cheesiness of the campfire-style sing-along and just enjoy the ragged glory of Pink's voice, it might have been the night's best performance.

That spot, however, was reserved for a powerful medley of classic tunes by her idol Janis Joplin. The tribute may have gone over the heads of some of Pink's younger fans, but the singer's very real passion for Joplin on superb renderings of "Summertime," "Me And Bobby McGee" and "Piece of My Heart" shined through in a way everyone could appreciate.

A misfire on stage — as on CD — was "My Vietnam," a heartfelt but ill-conceived composition that compared her father's service in the conflict with her teenage battles with schoolteachers. Pink redeemed herself with a wonderfully bluesy solo take on her Steven Tyler duet "Misery," and an emotional reading of her biographical "Family Portrait."

She closed her set with the crowd-pleasing rocker "Just Like A Pill," bringing the Blaisdell audience, once again, to its feet. The singer returned to the stage with an encore of "Eventually" and "Don't Let Me Get Me." The latter track — in all of its self-loathing glory — included the line "tired of being compared to damn Britney Spears, she's so pretty, that just ain't me."

That may be so. But Pink made up in very real musical talent and honest to goodness 'tude what she playfully believed she lacked in look-at-me-I'm-jailbait appeal. Pink may carry Janis Joplin-size rock ambitions while equipped with the kind of less-than-legendary talent that signals a slightly more Pat Benatar-esque career track, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

As long as she never covers "Love Is A Battlefield," we'll all be just fine.