As P!nk gears up for delivering a roaring rendition of the national anthem before the Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis on Sunday (Feb. 4), she unfortunately came down with a case of the flu. But as she proved just two days before her big national anthem moment, the “What About Us” singer isn’t going to let anything get in the way of performing for her fans.
P!nk played a sold-out show at Minneapolis’ The Armory — which has turned into Nomadic Live for Super Bowl weekend — on Friday night (Feb. 2), and came out swinging starting with the appropriate “Get the Party Started,” running around the stage and busting out some choreography from the start. I wasn’t until P!nk said hello in between songs that those in attendance realized she was feeling under the weather.
“As you can hear, I have the f—ing flu,” she said in a stuffy, almost gravelly voice. “Because I have two children that cough into my mouth and I can’t stop them ’cause it’s so cute. So, I don’t cancel, and I’m not gonna sound like shit all night, I promise.”
Related
While there were some points where P!nk let the crowd do the singing on songs like “What About Us,” and “U + Ur Hand” when she pushed through to hit her notes, it was clear she was giving all she had. When it came time to sing her latest single, “Beautiful Trauma,” though, she simply had to give in. She even attempted to start the song, quickly admitting “I can’t do that song, I’m sorry,” and joking for fans to listen to it at home.
That was really the only time all night that P!nk’s sickness was truly evident, as the Philadelphia-born singer (and yes, big Eagles fan) moved all around the stage and rocked out for higher-energy moments like “Funhouse” and “Just Like a Pill.” And even though her voice was clearly impacted by the flu, P!nk still managed to absolutely nail the belt-out moments on her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.”
Fans (and P!nk herself) will have to cross their fingers she’ll be better by game time Sunday, but if her Nomadic Live show was any indication, she’s not going to let a little illness stop her from putting on an unforgettable performance. Shortly after her show, P!nk took to Instagram to promise exactly what her performance at The Armory proved.
Related
“I’ve been waiting to sing this song since 1991 when I saw my idol, Whitney Houston, own this song. And now, my chance has finally come,” P!nk wrote, mentioning that her kids got her sick as she did at the show. “And here we are. I’ve arrived at another one of my dreams which is slowly becoming a sort of nightmare. I will tell you, this is one of the biggest honors of my life, singing this song in front of my family, my military family, my dad and brother and step mama and family and the world. And the EAGLES!?!?! I promise I will do my best, as I always do.”
Take a look at P!nk’s post below and tune into NBC before the 5:30 p.m. CT kickoff to catch her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”