American Music Awards 2012: Paint-Splattered Pink Sets Stage on Fire With 'Try' (VIDEO)

Posted November 18, 2012, 10:25 pm   •   by Cory Lopez   •   4 comments

After going glam on the red carpet, Pink turned grunge for a performance of her never-give-up anthem "Try" at Sunday night's American Music Awards.

On a stage set as a dirtied, barren home, the punk-pop singer opened the act balancing upside down on a burly male dancer's back. The paint-splattered pair then kicked off into a high-emotion contemporary dance, pushing and pulling in an interpretation of the mid-tempo tune's lyrics.

"Where there is desire, there is gonna be a flame," Pink, in a floor-length black dress, crooned. "Where there is a flame, someone's bound to get burned. But just because it burns, doesn't mean you're gonna die. You've gotta get up and try try try."

For the song's full lyrics, go to Direct Lyrics.

As pyrotechnic-enabled flames emblazoned the set, the choreography evoked a lovers' spat. Between tender embraces and in-sync twirls, Pink and the dancer tugged, tossed and dragged each other across the stage. And the pop star even put her athletic prowess on display, pulling off handstands, landing flips and even swinging from a chandelier.

As the song hit its crescendo, violence ensued: Pink shattered a mirror into flying shards of glass, and the dancer chucked a chair at the wall. Then with one hand, Pink flung her partner onto a table, which collapsed beneath him. After he found his feet, the dancer stumbled over to the singer, enveloping her and swiftly pulling her up over his shoulders as the song came to a close.

"Try" is the second single from Pink's sixth studio album, The Truth About Love.