The concluding show of a beautifully pink tour, right here in Vancouver
Jasmine Garcha (she/her) // Arts and Culture Editor
Sophie Serendip (they/she) // Crew Photographer
On March 6th, 2025, David Bowden—professionally known as Pink Sweat$—closed his Welcome Home tour in Vancouver, B.C. with special guest Aqyila. The show took place at The Centre at 777 Howe St, a venue that doubles as a church and regularly hosts orchestral music.
The show started promptly at 7:30 p.m., half an hour after doors were set to open. Aqyila started with We Keep On, her commanding spirit capturing the crowd’s attention. After the first song, Aqyila expressed her excitement saying, “It’s so nice to be here in Vancouver. If y’all don’t know, I’m actually from Toronto.” She mentioned it was nice to be ending the tour in Canada.
Before Bowden got on stage, his crew put up the set with pink fencing and a house in the background, and green bushes up front. The most important part came first, a pink microphone. Knowing no introduction was needed, Paradise began playing and Bowden emerged, grabbing his pink microphone and kicking off his set.
With the way the sound was mixed, Bowden’s microphone was a bit quiet and it was difficult to hear him over the music for the first couple of songs, but improved later on.
After those first two songs, Bowden said, “If you’ve been to a Pink Sweat$ show, you need to know this one is a little different. This one is especially designed so I get to know you and you get to know me.” He proceeded to point out people in the crowd and ask them about themselves, riffing with the audience, including an eight-year-old to whom he said, “You’re eight years old? Why you out so late?”
Multiple times throughout the show, Bowden sang Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds, inviting the crowd to sing along, even stopping to conduct the audience as they sang.
Before singing his hit song 17, Bowden invited couples on stage to dance. A fan favourite couple was a child he’d spoken to earlier in the show during his getting-to-know-Vancouver bit and her mom. They hugged each other tight the entire song, and the tour’s Videographer, Kujo, zeroed in on the two.
As the couples walked off stage after the song, Bowden pointed at a couple and announced to the crowd, “Yo, they just met on Tinder today.”
As a treat for long-term fans like the Courier, Bowden sang hits off of his 2018 album Volume 1, including Honesty, Would You and an incredibly emotional rendition of Cocaine.
When introducing Would You (a song that I will narcissistically add that nobody except I seemed to know the words to), Bowden suggested that some people in the crowd probably had some questions to ask about their relationship similar to those outlined in the song’s lyrics. “Sometimes, the answer be no,” he said, following up with, “Then, you hop on Tinder.” Bowden changed the lyrics for the ending, noting that it was a special rendition for Vancouver, singing, “Would you freeze for me? I would freeze for you.”
Vancouver got a special rendition of Body Ain’t Me, with the drums and guitar going in harder and the vocals sounding almost orchestral. This show was specifically for Bowden to entertain the audience with his vocal abilities, which was made clear in a bit he called, “Pink Karaoke.” He’d take a suggestion from the crowd and sing it, including Let Me Love You by Ne-Yo and Sorry by Justin Bieber. Someone also yelled, “Play FE!N.” The most impressive of these songs was All I Ask by Adele and the crowd was rightfully excited.
The show had a section just for the guys to show off their talents, with Russ G on guitar, Dante “5teakz” Bowden on keys, Kenneth Wright on bass and Tre on drums. This portion of the show included a drum solo from Bowden (Pink Sweat$) on a tiny set, a throwback to his roots as he started on drums when he was seven years old.
Bowden made sure to shout out his day ones like Wright, whom he credits with the start of his career. Back when Bowden was making music on his, “busted laptop” using a usb microphone, which he says he recorded most of his old songs on, Wright brought him equipment to record on.
After the show, Kujo went around handing out the setlist and pieces of the set to fans, even speaking to the Courier about the show and the team. He also asked fans outside of the show if they’d like to record a message for Bowden.
Overall, the Pink Sweat$: Welcome Home Tour closed in Vancouver with a bang, showcasing Bowden’s illuminating stage presence, incredible range of vocals and the love he has for his crew.
