Concert Review: Pink Sweat$ Live In Auckland

Pink Sweat$ took over the Powerstation on Saturday night to a nearly sold-out crowd. The R&B singer and songwriter only has 2 EP’s out and a few singles and yet the venue was buzzing with good vibes and anticipation. Pink Sweat$ influence was very obvious walking into the Powerstation. There were so many people wearing pink outfits and I even saw a dude wearing a full-on pink tracksuit. It was a nice setting to walk into. You could tell while waiting for Pink Sweat$ to come on that the crowd was getting a bit impatient and just wanted the man of the hour to come on already which is pretty standard for concerts. Luckily, we weren’t kept waiting for long as his band started setting up on the stage.

The way he was introduced to the stage was definitely unexpected. Since the band was there, we knew he would come on very soon. The lights all of a sudden changed from blue to pink and this loud bass-ey (god forbid I find a better word) noise emitted from the speakers, the crowd started screaming and there Pink Sweat$ was, walking from the side to the middle of the stage. This all happened within, I’d say… a 5-second timeframe so that’s why it was a bit of a shock. Of course, the man was wearing a pink hat, pink shorts, pink top with comfy black slippers and black glasses. The energy was wild when he finally made an appearance. Whenever he’d reach out to the front of the crowd to touch someone's hand, everyone would literally just start cheering and screaming.

Of course, he does the standard crowd interaction artists do by getting everyone to repeat what he’s saying back to him which is always a great way to keep them engaged and hyped up. He had an unmanned drum kit in the middle which he was constantly having to walk around to go from one end of the stage to the other. I thought it was a bit of a bother until he started drumming on it, whether it was for 10 seconds or he does a full-on solo with it, it was cool to see his versatility. Pink Sweat$ definitely has the type of music you just wanna lose your voice singing to and it was really cool to see his Auckland fans singing their heart out to his stuff. Literally, each song majority of that crowd was going hard, it was like a collective anthem where people were just singing to their mate or had their hands swaying in the air while they were singing word for word. You could definitely tell Pink Sweat$ songs had personal meaning to some people in the crowd like it was the song they had on repeat during their recent breakup.

Whenever there was no singing the band would just jam while Pink Sweat$ danced a little bit and jams out with them. It’s always nice to see the band having a good time. The female guitarist came out from the back to the front of a stage to do a solo which was wicked. From my experience of going to concerts, I’ve never really seen a lot of women in the band so it was really awesome to see her in her element while everyone cheered. She was even wearing pink sweatpants. In the recordings of his songs, there is mainly just acoustics in the background and no percussion or beats in it but at the show, he was performing his songs with the live drums in the background and it was like he was playing a slightly different version and I was totally here for it. It still sounded great and it was a way to switch things up a little.

At one point, some idiot threw a Jack Daniels can onto the stage which in my opinion is pretty disrespectful but Pink was calm and just said that sh*t was wack. He brought it up again in a couple of minutes, saying to the crowd, “Should I do a freestyle. I don’t know I was gonna but someone threw a can”. Everyone screamed yes!!! He asked a girl at the front what her name was and he started singing a song that was about Carol. He made everyone in the crowd sing Carol wassup along with him and it was all very cute and I sorta wished I was Carol. His crowd interaction was so great. He announces to the crowd he wants some girls to jump on stage and at first, no one really jumped up and then one at a time girls started jumping over the barrier onto the stage and then all of a sudden there’s a whole mob of women storming the stage haha. As he starts performing the song, some dude jumps up on the stage and then straight away a guy comes out and pretty much tells him to get the f*ck off hahaha. He only wanted the ladies dude. Pink starts dancing with one girl on the stage and she turns around and starts throwing it back on him. Everyone in the venue is screaming and hollering like yes b*tch get yours!!!! Honestly, it was so fun. She hugs him at the end and I know her whole entire year is made. After that little segment, everyone in the crowd was a little bit rowdier. Also, it was very hot in the venue and there seemed to be no source of cold air which is 100% needed a small crowded space like that.

Pink Sweat$’ singing was not exactly mind-blowing but considering the short amount of time he’s been doing music and with no album out, he’s got a serious following and gave us a great show.

Reviewed: Breanna Tugaga-Rogers
Photos: 10Daniel16

About The Writer:

Breanna is a 21 year old uni student who was born in Australia and raised in South Auckland. Half New Zealand European and half Samoan, Breanna is undergoing a Bachelor of Arts, double-majoring in Communications and Sociology. Currently residing in Auckland, Breanna loves hip hop, rap, RnB music and enjoys watching TV shows, movies, travelling, going to concerts and keeping in touch with the latest of pop culture. Breanna especially enjoys writing and using it as an outlet to talk her sh*t. Breanna loves to always integrate her worldview, her background and her experiences into her writing and values your feedback.

About The Photographer:

10Daniel16 is a man of many talents. A photographer, videographer, editor and director, Daniel is a pillar in the local creative scene working with names like SWIDT, Melodownz and has shot some of the best gigs in Auckland city. 10Daniel16 has shot concerts of iconic musicians like 50 Cent, Jhene Aiko, Bas, Denzel Curry, Lil Pump and so much more. Popularly known for his music videos, 10Daniel16 is continuously expanding his skill set and since breaking through the international scene, he is excited for what 2020 has in store for him.