Sydney’s Pink era: Why the superstar deserves as much love as Taylor Swift

We don’t have to choose between Pink and TayTay. But Swift is attracting a grossly disproportionate amount of love for the short time she will spend in Oz. Pink’s here for the long haul, writes Jonathon Moran.

Think Taylor Swift would ever pop in for a Sunday arvo show for a local Sydney stage production? I say there’s a strong probability it just wouldn’t happen.

Pink, however, would. She proved just that at the weekend when she bought tickets for herself and her family to a community theatre group performance of In The Heights in Chatswood.

There was no VIP treatment. No fanfare.

That’s the difference between a pop superstar who has basically become an honorary Australian, and an artist who simply has Australia on their list of stops on a global tour.

Pop star Pink turns her concerts into a circus. Picture: Tom Parrish

As an analogy, Pink is the stable, full-time partner, offering us constant commitment, love, and support. You could say Swift is a situationship, or a passionate summer fling perhaps.

We are obsessed with her, clearly, so much so that we think that we are somehow special in her mind.

The fact is, though, us Aussies are just another concert, and cash bonanza, for the Cruel Summer singer.

Pink’s the girl Australia knows it could adopt, or it could marry: we love her, and she loves us right back.

Swift, we suspect, will say and do all the right things. And then she’ll ghost us for another country, another tour, another album, another Super Bowl, saying: “soz … it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me”.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Costume change: Taylor Swift stuns in sequins. Picture: Getty Images

With Swift, it’s not entirely one-sided. The NSW economy is set to rake in millions over her four show weekend.

Pink, too, is bringing millions to the economy with her run of shows.

But let’s call a spade a spade.

This fairytale approach to celebrating Swift’s love affair with Australia is not the right narrative. The Tooth Fairy simply isn’t real, people.

It is not much of a trust fall to see that our true LOVE STORY should be with Pink.

Let’s not forget the thousands of Australians that gave up days to sitting in the dreaded marketplace waiting room trying to buy Swift concert tickets. And the thousands more who have been scammed by scalpers online.

We seem to be looking through a pair of Swift’s heart-shaped, rose coloured glasses.

Pop star Pink at The Concourse Chatswood, with the cast of local production of In The Heights.

As she sings herself in her track, Mastermind: “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid; So I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since; To make them love me and make it seem effortless; This is the first time I’ve felt the need to confess; And I swear; I’m only cryptic and Machiavellian; ‘Cause I care.”

Despite artists shouting their love for (insert name of whatever country they are in at the time) – we all know they say similar things on each stop of their tour.

Facts are facts. Touring is expensive, particularly in the current global economic climate, which is why the likes of Beyonce and Madonna didn’t make it Down Under on their most recent global tours.

And that is perhaps part of the reason why Swift has limited her shows to Melbourne and Sydney.

Pink, on the other hand, is dedicating six weeks Down Under to her Summer Carnival tour, playing dates from Sydney to Perth, and even Townsville and Newcastle.

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the US leg of her Eras tour. Picture: Getty Images

Pink takes to the air as she performs in Sydney. Picture: Tom Parrish

When it comes to performance itself, historically there just isn’t a better live show than Pink in the pop space.

To be fair, Swift has improved her choreography game, but she is yet to soar to the heights of Pink’s extraordinary high energy Cirque du Soleil acrobatic levels.

Pink is as comfortable flying in the air above the crowd suspended by wires — singing all the while — as she is in a stripped back acoustic moment with her piano player.

Listen, you don’t have to choose one star or the other. Both are incredible artists.

Swift, though is attracting a grossly disproportionate amount of credit and love for the short amount of time she will spend here, especially in comparison to other artists like Pink.

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