Hearing the refrain “Blackpink in your area” live just hits different. The global K-POP megastars are in Australia for four sold out shows across Sydney and Melbourne, and the hysteria surrounding their arrival is very real. It’s been four years in-between visits, and their stardom is at an entire different level than it was before. 

A sea of pink lights filled the arena while music videos from the group played on the giant screens in the lead-up to the show. With the lights finally dimming the video intro begun that rolled into opening number, “How You Like That”, which was a big production number that introduced Lisa, Jisoo, Rose’ and Jennie to the crowd, as well as their dancers with a dance breakdown and pyro. Rolling straight into fan favourites “Pretty Savage”, “Whistle”, “Don’t Know What To Do”, and “Lovesick Girls”, they set a high level for how visually important this show was going to be. 

This was my first K-Pop show, and one thing that was immediately noticeable was how polite all the fans were. Everyone screamed and applauded at the end of every song, but they didn’t scream during the songs, and they didn’t get up and dance until they group invited them for the final two songs. They’re easily one of the biggest groups in the world right now, but the level of respect the fans gave them, and how drawn into the show they were, wouldn’t happen in any other pop fandom. 

After a video interlude they returned onto the stage for “Kill This Love”, which was unsurprisingly a clear standout moment in the show. “Crazy Over You”, “Stay”, “Tally” and “Pink Venom” followed, but then it was time for their solo performances. This is something I really love about K-Pop groups. There’s no competitiveness, and the idea of them all doing solo music is encouraged. So in this section of the show they all got to showcase who they are individually which felt like a special moment. Returning back to the stage as a group they closed out the show with “Shut Down”, “Type Girl”, “DDU-DU DDU-DU”, “Forever Young” and the encore tracks “BOOMBAYAH” and “As If it’s Your Last”. 

The group were joined on stage by a ridiculously big group of dancers, who elevated the choreography during big moments in the show and brought an important dynamic to the production. But it was the accompanying live band who stole my heart as they brought a new perspective and an edge to these electronic-pop songs. The guitars and drums behind “How You Like That” was game changing, and the live version of the song is now my favourite. 

By the time they made it to Sydney they’d already performed two shows in Melbourne, and are on the verge of a month break after a busy past couple of months which included a headlining slot at Coachella. They’ve all just got over having COVID, and Jennie mysteriously walked off stage in Melbourne night two and didn’t return, so signs of exhaustion was expected, and it was definitely obvious in Jennie’s delivery during the Sydney show. She didn’t speak to the crowd until the second last track, and left the stage for 3 minutes while the other members were chatting to the crowd. Rose’ and Lisa picked up the energy and interacted a lot with the audience, while Jisoo came across a little tired at the beginning of the show but picked up energy halfway through. But it’s hard to not be won over by each member during the show because of the way it’s choreographed, as well as the way they all manage to have an individual moment. 

As a production the “Born Pink World Tour” was a spectacle and a big upgrade from their “In Your Area World Tour”. From the stunning video interludes to the pyro, the multiple confetti drops, the moving stage parts, and the giant LED’s, they delivered a giant pop show that certified them of their global pop-star status.

Photo credit: supplied by BLACKPINK, presented by YG ENTERTAINMENT