The K-pop superstars delivered on their return to Sydney!
Images: Supplied by BLACKPINK, presented by YG ENTERTAINMENT.
Sydney, BLACKPINK are in the area. The K-pop supergroup have brought their Born Pink World Tour down under. Homebush was awash with black and pink outfits, not to mention illuminated with light sticks galore. For many of us, it’s our first K-pop concert, and what a show to start with.
The multi award winning, global pop stars brought something special to a cold winters night. The group, consisting of Jisoo, Rose, Lisa and Jennie, delivered all their classic moves and polished vocals for their adoring fans, affectionately known as BLINKS. Having faced some criticism during their Australian tour, the quartet were met with great energy on the first show of their Sydney leg. Yes, early on the group seemed to be cruising through their moves and opening tracks, but their energy heightened throughout the night.
The Sydney audience were pumped, feeding off a pre-show music video montage that helped to warm their vocals up in lieu of a support back. As the arena filled with devoted fans, the audience formed a powerful choir building up in anticipation for the main show. And of course, we lived up to it. You could hear the crowd singing along throughout the night and it didn’t drop off, as some of the louder songs came towards the end of the show.
Fans were treated to all the classic BLACKPINK tracks, including How You Like That, Pretty Savage, Lovesick Girls, Kill This Love, Crazy Over You, Pink Venom, Shut Down, Typa Girl, DDU-DU DDU-DU, BOOMBAYAH and As If It’s Your Last, to name a few. Add to that, we were given the ultimate in solo performances with the ladies giving their all with their individual tracks; Flower by Jisoo, You & Me by Jennie, Gone/ On The Ground by Rosé and Money by Lisa. Known as a group but establishing their own solo endeavours whilst still in a formed group state is something so genius. Their support and love of their solo ventures is so evident and just as successful, especially when it comes to their fans.
Everyone was singing and dancing along, and trust me, if like me you’ve watched all the dance videos for their tracks, you were dancing along. It’s one thing to hear the song blasting from your phone or radio, a whole other thing when you see it in person. Mixed with the lights, the special effects, and the dancers, you get the ultimate experience. The one thing I will say however is that whilst it was a beautiful show and a lot went into the production value through staging, lighting and special effects, there was something missing. I’m not sure the show itself catered to all angles, something that can be difficult when it’s a group. However, we've seen it done well before, so it is achievable. What I noticed was that a lot of it was more suited to what you’d see on a screen. Watching the live show was great, fun and exciting. Watching it on screen though, it was as if they were about to release their BLACKPINK on stage special for NETFLIX. Again, it was a minute issue, but I did notice a lot of people were facing, or rather recording the screens, stealing their gaze from what was right in front of them. It was still a performance I will never forget and the experience of a lifetime.
Nothing is more exciting than seeing and singing along with some of your favourite singers to some of your favourite songs and that was what BLACKPINK N1 Sydney was. A collective of people having a great time. Another note to be made is the ad-lib between the girls at times seemed a bit stale. Having seen their work before, I know how it can be and perhaps it was just an off night. The breaks in between also were a tad long. In an industry where you see the likes of Taylor Swift changing in the space of 100 metres, the transitions between acts could have been snappier. Again, these are all things that can be worked on, and yes it’s still early on in the girls careers so these things will get better in time.
Shows like this are so special and to soak up these shows after years where live music what halted and altered to suit a post-COVID world made it all the more exceptional. BLACKPINK are a must when it comes to a live concert experience. They curated the perfect collection of songs to perform from their back catalogue which is what made the night so successful. Each song delivered. The audience were kept enthralled by hit after hit, making it the ultimate show within the scope of the BLACKPINK universe. I left the show thinking every fan needs to encounter this level of genius in their life time. The culmination of great songs, a beautiful performance and an electric fandom created a stand out scene.
I went from watching BLACKPINK perform at Coachella, to watching them perform in front of me in my home state. It was definitely a core memory and one that live in my memories for years to come.
Born Pink is out now!