Blackpink, the venerable K-Pop group consisting of Jennie, Rosé, Lisa, and Jisoo, joined in on the recent series of concert tour films successes, following the examples of BTS’s SUGA, Taylor Swift, and Beyonce, with the release of their [BORN PINK] World Tour concert in theaters. The film screened for one night only on July 31st with Korean subtitles in select theaters across the United States. The tour captured in the film began on October 15, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea, and it wrapped up back in Seoul on September 17, 2023. In total, the group performed in 22 countries with 66 total shows.
At $20 a ticket it was substantially cheaper than any seats for the tour likely were, so it was nice to see how in the film we the theatrical audience are brought in up close and personal with Blackpink throughout the concert. This likely alleviated some fans’ concern that they may have missed the live show as we got greater access than likely any ticket holder at the show. (Though by the end of the film, undoubtedly we all wished to have lived – or for some relived – that concert in person.) In my theater fans treated the show as a full on concert, with many Blinks – the K-Pop fangroup for Blackpink – adonning out their concert attire, including some tour shirts and light sticks in hand. Though our theater was not full by any means, it was a sizeable enough crowd to suggest such concert films will continue to be a success, and to provide at least some semblance of the energy undoubtedly felt seeing Blackpink live.
The concert began with a rousing rendition of their hit “Pink Venom”, which showcased the girls performances in various countries as the camera cut between venues around the world. This not only showcased their consistent vocals and incredibel stage presence, but it also was a cool chance to see the vibes between the shows as well as the amazing outfit changes. After awhile we largely settled in to watching the final Seoul show; however, off and on the concert would swap between venues again as a nod to all of the international fans.
Blackpink then went on to highlight a number of their career hits including “Whistle” and How You Like That”, as well as “Kick It” and “Pretty Savage”, all of which really fired up the crowd in the concert as well as in our theater. To give themselves a break, and a chance to again change outfits, the then transitioned to their solo stages. Going into this concert I was probably most aware of Jennie’s solo prowess, which was demonstrated yet again with her medley of “SOLO” and “You & Me”. Less aware was I specifically of the other three’s incredible talents, as watching music videos doesn’t do it justice. I was blown away though in particular by Rosé’s absolute powerhouse vocals, and I was reminded how hers are my favorite parts of most Blackpink songs. Jisoo’s come off the most recent Blackpink solo endeavor, so I was excited to her “All Eyes on Me” and her recent track “Flower” brought to life so wonderfully. Blackpink’s singer Lisa, who is also one of the best rappers in K-Pop to date, capped off the solo sets and stole the show not just on her stage but throughout with her incredible presence and rap fire skills.
As Blackpink transitioned into the back half of the set, they took time to introduce their live band, aka The Band Six, who performed with them on their previous tour. Their inclusion really made this more than just a K-Pop show with a backing track, as you could just hear how incredibly the songs came together with their live arrangements. The band consists of Omar on bass, Yung on keys, Justin on guitar, Bennie on drums, and Brandon on ProTools. They’ve performed for a number of YG artists over the years including BIG BANG and Psy.
Blackpink then moved on to their final act of the night when they brought out such heavy hits as “DDU-DU DDU-DU”, “Kill This Love”, “Lovesick Girls”, “Shut Down”, along with “Tally” and “Don’t Know What to Do”. The group took full advantage of the extended stage layout along with props including chairs, which allowed for an incredibly evocative performance piece. I think it’s fair to say between this, and some of the incredibly stunning performances with the talented back-up dancers, that to paraphrase this isn’t your momma’s K-Pop group to say the least. (Though if it is you have a cool mom.) While its clear how much effort these performances take, you’d be forgiven for thinking they didn’t break a sweat so effortless did they make it all look.
One exciting element of the theatrical version is that it was clear some of the moments were made for this film, including many turn to the camera performances. Here we got to see up close the girls styles, attitudes, and incredible vocals and dance moves. We also got to see that excitedly it was clear the members had so much fun too throughout, both engaging with the audience and each other throughout the songs, with at ease smiles. Especially in the final Seoul show they spoke about how this nearly two year tour was so special, but that the final night was all the more so as they realized this would be the last time for awhile that they’d be performing these songs for Blinks.
At last the curtain came down but fortunately for the theatrical audience by the time you yelled out encore, as some did in my theater, you were already greeted by the next song so quick the transition. Blackpink finished the night with my two favorites, their bombastic, and absolutely catchiest of tracks, “BOOMBAYAH” and As If It’s Your Last”. The latter always felt to me like a baton handoff from fellow YG artist 2NE1, as I could see them having performed such a song in their time. As Blackpink wrapped up the night we saw them again at various stages throughout the world, and we were treated to a cut scene with close-up highlights of the girls as a dynamic slideshow of sorts. Alas it all had to end though and after thanking the Blinks, the band, and everyone involved in the production of the tour, Blackpink left our area till the next time.
Blackpink “BORN PINK” World Tour 2022-2023 Poster
