Pink flies higher than a home run above Petco Park at Curebound Concert for Cures

It goes without saying that Elton John is a nearly impossible act to follow, but Pink was the right person for the job Friday night at the Curebound Concert for Cures, flying high above Petco Park and achieving views and angles above the field previously only seen by birds and baseballs.

While the Padres were away in Seattle, she returned to the stadium to join such esteemed artists as John - who introduced and praised her in a video to start the show as part of an ongoing tradition - as headliner. Alicia Keys and Ed Sheeran are also previous performers at the annual fundraising concert.

Curebound, which supports cancer research, brought Pink back to perform at the ball field just under two years after she was last there for the Summer Carnival Tour. Those diehard fans also in attendance in 2024 may have had a sense of déjà vu, with a similar set list, including “Get This Party Started,” “Raise Your Glass” and “Just Give Me A Reason,” and similar staging and costumes as before, though there were a few less props and stunts.

But that didn’t seem to bother the thousands of joy-filled people attending, many of whom wore feather boas, necklaces, wigs, scarves, tutus and other attire in the color pink. Pink even referred to this show as the last time she and her dancers would be performing the Summer Carnival Tour, thanking the crowd for letting them do it one last time.

But this concert had a specific purpose: to put a spotlight on cancer research, treatment and survival. Curebound CEO Robin Toft kicked off the event, which had no other opening acts, by asking the crowd to hold up a light if they are fighting or have survived cancer and then asked loved ones to join. Petco Park glowed with what appeared to be about the same sized crowd as an average weekday game for the Padres, with the exception of Gallagher square and a few closed-off sections.

Pink opened her 1-hour, 43-minute show at the third base line dugout before spending several minutes high-fiving and hugging dozens of fans along her path to the stage in the outfield. It was just one of the many ways Pink used the stadium to its fullest capability.

Before using a harness and cables to zoom and flip above the field during the finale song, “So What,” she also used pyrotechnics, confetti, fireworks, a runway, aerial silk, motorized pool floaties, dancing lips and two big screens to entertain the crowds. She ran around dancing and jumping so much that at one point near the end of the concert, she said she injured her ankle. But she just kept going.

There was no sign that Pink recently underwent surgery to place “two new shiny discs” in her neck, which she announced to her fans on Instagram on New Year’s Eve. The 18-song setlist showed off Pink’s vocal power, as well as her seemingly endless energy level with performances of mostly up-beat songs, including “Just like a Pill” and “What About Us.”

This year, Pink was nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the first time, but Friday’s setlist and arrangements leaned more pop than rock, except for a few standout moments, including a transition of “Just Like Fire” into “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar and a cover of “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes, which received one of the loudest responses of the night as the crowd belted out the lyrics.

Even her cover of “Make You Feel My Love” was more inspired by Adele than it was Bob Dylan, she admitted. But even though her vocals were pure perfection throughout the show and her sparkly outfits and platform heels demanded attention amid the large stage and surrounding skyscrapers, the highlights of this show were the little moments that brought it back to the cause.

A group of cancer survivor friends wearing matching shirts and taking a photo together in section 217. Fans of every generation standing up to belt out various encouraging lyrics, including “You are perfect” and “May I feel in my bones that I am enough.” Pink sharing about her own father passing away from cancer. And Toft sharing before the show that she is a 20-year survivor of colon cancer.

“This life after cancer is so brilliant, it’s so bright, it’s so shiny, it’s so gorgeous and joyous. Do any of you also feel like every single day is kind of like a Pink concert?” she asked her fellow survivors in the crowd.

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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 11:47 AM.