Pink Inc tour broke all records
The Sunday Telegraph
August 30, 2009 12:00AM
Record breaker ... Pink in final concert at Acer Arena, Sydney. Pic: Simon Bullard Source: The Sunday Telegraph
AFTER more than three months criss-crossing Australia, American pop superstar Pink has wrapped her record-breaking tour, grossing more than $80 million.
The inspirational singer played to a packed house at Sydney's Acer Arena last night. It was the 58th and final performance of her phenomenal Funhouse national tour.
In total, Pink performed before more than 660,000 concert-goers - 150,000 of those in Sydney alone - over the past three months.
"It is a huge commitment on her part but she loves being here,'' said tour promoter Michael Coppel.
"She didn't do it unwillingly. When we were doing (planning) the tour, we only had a month commitment and then all of a sudden the demand was there so we kept adding shows and ended up with three months. It was really meant to be a maximum of 30 days.
"She has graciously made the time available and I think she's had a great time doing it as well.''
Pink - whose real name is Alecia Moore - played her first show of the tour in Perth on May 22, then travelled the country tirelessly, performing sell-out shows.
She played 17 concerts in Melbourne, six in Adelaide, four in Newcastle, two in Wollongong and Canberra, 11 in Brisbane and four in Perth.
Combining ticket sales and merchandise, it is estimated the Funhouse tour would have grossed more than $80 million.
How much of Pink's multi-million dollar earnings will remain in Australia would depend on the type of contract she signed prior to arriving in the country, said University of Queensland taxation expert Stephen Marsden.
"There are special provisions in the Taxation Act for entertainers and sports people but it's not a flat rate,'' Mr Marsden said.
"If the contract was signed overseas, very little (of her earnings from ticket sales) may be subject to tax.''
Pink's high-energy, two-hour show covered all her biggest songs from her five albums, including Just Like A Pill, U + Ur Hand, Trouble, So What!! and Get The Party Started.
Reinforcing her reputation as one of the world's best live performers, her spectacular stage show included risque costumes, breathtaking aerial acrobatics and fabulous visual effects.
But it's not just Pink's concert tickets that have been selling.
She has sold more than 4.8 million albums and singles in Australia since releasing her debut offering, Can't Take Me Home, in 2000.
Her single So What!! has been in the ARIA Charts for the past year. Also over the past 12 months, all five of her albums made it into the top 30 at the same time.
Pink's Funhouse album has never left the top 10 in the 42 weeks since it was released last October, spending nine weeks at number one, which is a record for any female artist on the ARIA Charts.
It's not surprising Pink has often spoken of her desire to one day live in Australia.
"The Pink Australian success story has been extraordinary, it just doesn't get any bigger,'' said Sony Music chief Denis Handlin.
"Australians have affectionately embraced her as their own as she has done with us.''
Pink is scheduled to return tothe US today, where she will be reunited with her husband Carey Hart.
Hart spent some of the past few months in Australia, performing at moto-cross events in cities where Pink was playing.
Pink will celebrate her 30th birthday on September 8 before kicking off her first ever headline American tour.
She's has 12 American shows planned, starting in Seattle on September 15.
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