Pink soars at first of two Toyota Center shows in Houston

PINK fans at the Toyota Center prior to her performance on Friday, April 27, 2018 in Houston Texas. PINK fans at the Toyota Center prior to her performance on Friday, April 27, 2018 in Houston Texas. Photo: Wilf Thorne, For The Chronicle Photo: Wilf Thorne, For The Chronicle Image 1 of / 72 Caption Close Pink soars at first of two Toyota Center shows in Houston 1 / 72 Back to Gallery

Thank goodness for Pink.

The gravity-defying superstar is one of pop music's most potent voices, using traditional formats to spread messages of hope, inclusion and rebellion.

They were woven throughout her Friday night show, the first of two at Toyota Center. She returns Saturday to the venue. Friday's show was originally scheduled for Sunday but moved to make room for a potential Houston Rockets playoff game.

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One of the most powerful moments was a reprisal of the speech Pink dedicated to her daughter at last year's MTV Video Music Awards about loving yourself and resisting conformity.

"I said, 'You know, I really want to know why you feel this way about yourself.' And she said, 'Well I look like a boy,' and I said, 'Well what do you think I look like?' And she said, 'Well you're beautiful.' And I was like, 'Well, thanks. But when people make fun of me, that's what they use. They say I look like a boy or I'm too masculine or I have too many opinions, my body is too strong.'

And I said to her, 'Do you see me growing my hair?' She said, 'No, mama.' I said, 'Do you see me changing my body?' 'No, mama.' 'Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world?' 'No, mama.' 'Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world?' 'Yes, Mama.'

'OK! So, baby girl. We don't change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.'

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It's an emotional, inspiring message – and all the more important for the young children in the crowd, many of whom were likely attending their first big concert.

Of course, there was also plenty of spectacle. Pink was airborne as soon as the curtain dropped, literally swinging from a chandelier in a sequined catsuit during "Get the Party Started." She sang atop a floating bed during "Just Give Me a Reason." She catapulted to every end of the venue during "So What." And she battled a giant Eminem puppet during "Revenge."

This is a big, brash show in the vein of so many other female pop stars. But Pink does it all with equal parts self-awareness and sincerity. It's meatier than a Katy Perry show. Less cloying than a Taylor Swift performance. And more accessible than a Lady Gaga spectacle.

And Pink does it all while singing live. No lip syncing for her life here, thank you very much.

Her voice cut through the thick air of frenzy and excitement on multiple occasions. She was especially compelling on "Beautiful Trauma," "Just Like a Pill," "Who Knew" and the revival shouts and claps of "I Am Here."

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She was joined by a crew of co-ed dancers existed as individuals. They weren't merely faceless links in a chain. There was joy and intention in every movement.

Pink managed solid covers of Nirvana ("Smells Like Teen Spirit") and No Doubt ("Just a Girl") amid her own hits. The final stretch typified her free-to-be, eff-everyone-else attitude: "Perfect," "Raise Your Glass," "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)."

There were more aerial stunts. More dancing. More flash. But she closed quietly and almost completely still, in a white top and baggy jeans, belting "Glitter in the Air."

It's just another side to the pop star we almost don't deserve.