Backstage with music superstar Pink
This week, 60 Minutes met Pink, the powerhouse voice behind party anthems like "So What" and "Get the Party Started." The pop superstar broke attendance records last year on a massive world tour.
60 Minutes correspondent Cecilia Vega was in the crowd for the tour's homecoming stop, Pink's native Philadelphia.
"When you say 'concert,' it doesn't really begin to describe a Pink performance," Vega told 60 Minutes Overtime. "It is Broadway. It is rock. It is Cirque du Soleil, it is flipping, and acrobatics. It's really amazing singing. It's a spectacle."
During one part of this high-energy show, Pink hangs high above the stage, spinning and entwining herself in silk ropes until she is fully upside down, still singing. And there are no safety nets.
"She is someone who trained in childhood gymnastics, and all of that is reflected in her concerts," Vega told 60 Minutes Overtime.
60 Minutes traveled to the singer's California home to see how she trains for this awe-inspiring aerial performance.
With her aerialist coach Dreya Weber and aerialist partner Khasan Brailsford, Pink practiced on a large metal structure with ropes dangling from the center, going through the moves from her show.
Pink credits coach Weber for a change in her pre-show routine: she does not drink before she hits the stage.
"You can never, ever, ever not think about what you do, and respect it for the craft that it is," Pink recalled Weber telling her when she began adding aerial performance to her shows.
Pink invited Vega and the 60 Minutes team backstage after her concert in Philadelphia to see her take a cold plunge in frigid water, on many nights a post-show routine. As she stepped into the ice-cold bath, wincing and mashing her teeth, Vega asked why she does it.
"You don't wake up hurting. You hurt while you're in it," the singer replied.
Pink's now 13-year-old daughter, Willow, jumped in after her, and broke her mom's record time of six minutes and seven seconds. Willow challenged her dad and Pink's husband, motocross star Carey Hart, to jump in. He got in up to his neck but got out in less than ten seconds.
"This motocross star, who is a famous daredevil, couldn't hang in comparison to his daughter," Vega said.
The video above was originally published on October 22, 2023 and was produced by Will Croxton and Brit McCandless Farmer. It was edited by Will Croxton.
Video of Pink in concert courtesy of Charlie Alves
