Pink Performs With Arena Aspirations

Pink decided to “Get the Party Started” right off the bat Friday, launching her Wiltern Theatre performance on an upbeat, outta-your-seat note with that hip-gyrating hit from her multimillion-selling sophomore collection, “Missundaztood.”

The rising young singer was justifiably pumped up as her first headlining tour neared its end. (She also played the venue on Saturday.) After all, the 22-year-old Pennsylvanian achieved her success by following her own rebel-dreamer instincts rather than being shaped by her record company--as she has said was the case with her hit 2000 debut, “Can’t Take Me Home.”

She disliked being lumped with teen-poppers, but that didn’t keep her from joining in last year’s ubiquitous remake of Patti LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade” with junior divas Christina Aguilera, Mya and Lil’ Kim.

Indeed, the Wiltern audience included gaggles of tween girls and their good-natured chaperons, but gay couples and assorted hipsters were a significant presence among those who got their pink on, sporting hair, sunglasses, halters, T-shirts, ribbons, backpacks, pants and more in the hue of the pop-rocker’s name.

All apparently were united in their affection for Pink’s blend of I-just-gotta-be-me heartland rock, R&B-flavored; dance numbers and anthems of inner turmoil. The diversity was reminiscent of an early Madonna concert. And the grinning, bouncy Pink displayed some of the Material Girl’s blond ambition as well.

The 90-minute set felt like an arena tour in training, complete with costume changes, a sponsor plug, a 30-second guest solo by ex-Guns ‘N Roses guitarist Slash and a stage flanked by ramps and staircases.

Video presentations lent extra weight to such bombastic triteness as “My Vietnam,” a ballad that clumsily equates growing up today with the deadlier travails of her veteran father’s generation.

A blend of Pink’s own songs and outside material provided cross-generational appeal while revealing the breadth and depth of her pop inspirations. Her racially and gender-mixed quintet nimbly slipped from crunchy rock to swinging soul-pop, and Pink’s voice adeptly handled the mid-tempo anthem “Don’t Let Me Get Me,” the jangly, R&B-flavored; “Missundaztood” and the resilient rocker “18 Wheeler.”

Her strident-to-histrionic medley of such Janis Joplin numbers as “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Piece of My Heart” was ill-advised, but Pink’s enthusiasm for honoring her influences provided a sweet moment to former 4 Non Blondes leader Linda Perry, a key collaborator on “Missundaztood,” who was cheered mightily when she joined Pink for “Lonely Girl.” Pink’s instincts have certainly proved fruitful. But although her playful sexuality and need to twist things up was often refreshing and fun, occasionally her impulses were misguided--notably a segment in which she ended a flirtatious moment with a female dancer by slapping the woman to the floor.

No doubt she thought she was underscoring some point, or maybe being ironic, or possibly it was a joke. But, really, for all of Eminem’s misogynistic bluster, could even he get away with doing something like that on stage in 2002?

Oh, well. Madonna had her questionable moments with the naughty-girl antics too, and it certainly didn’t hurt her in the long run. So why shouldn’t Pink be allowed a few missteps on her way to the top?