P!nk took the stage for the first U.S. date of her Summer Carnival tour last night and used the opportunity to shine her spotlight on Irish music legend Sinéad O’Connor with a special tribute.
Listen to P!nk Radio and more on the free Audacy App
Hours before P!nk took the stage, news of O’Connor’s unexpected death broke, prompting a last-minute change in her set. The 43-year-old took a moment mid-performance to turn down the bright lights, stop her acrobatics routine, and honor Sinéad’s life with a moving rendition of, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” alongside Brandi Carlile.
“When I was a little girl, my mom grew up in Atlantic City and I used to go down to the Ocean City Boardwalk with my ten dollars and I would make a demo tape,” P!nk explained in the heartfelt moment.
“I would make a little cassette tape and imagine it was my demo for the record company,… it would always be either ‘Greatest Love of All’ by Whitney Houston or ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ by Sinead O’Connor. So in honor of Sinead, and in honor of my very, very talented friend Brandi Carlile I asked her if she would come out here and sing this song with me.”
O’Connor’s death comes a year and a half after her son, Shane, took his own life after struggling with his mental health. No cause of death has been reported for Sinéad, who also struggled with her own mental health over the years, including several suicide attempts.
Related
“You never know what people are going through,” P!nk said after her performance. “It’s not that hard to give people a smile… we’re all learning that lesson together now.”
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign up and follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram