The Born Pink World Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by South Korean girl group Blackpink in support of their second studio album Born Pink (2022). The tour began on October 15, 2022, in Seoul, South Korea, and a stadium encore tour began on July 15, 2023 in Saint-Denis, France. The tour concluded on September 17, 2023, in Seoul, South Korea, comprising 66 concerts in 22 countries. The Born Pink World Tour ranked at number ten on Billboard's 2023 Year End Top 40 Tours chart worldwide, with a worldwide gross of $148.3 million from 29 reported shows, breaking the record for the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group. In total, the tour was attended by 1.8 million people, making it the most-attended concert tour by a K-pop girl group as well.
Background
On July 6, 2022, YG Entertainment confirmed that Blackpink would release new music and embark on the largest world tour by a K-pop girl group in history later in the year.[1] On July 31, it was revealed that the group's second Korean studio album Born Pink would be released in September, followed by the world tour starting in October.[2] On August 8, Blackpink announced 36 shows from October 2022 to June 2023 spanning Asia, North America, Europe, and Oceania, with more dates to be added in the future.[3][4] On September 6, the group unveiled the dates and venues for the North American and European legs of the tour.[5] On October 6, Blackpink released two teaser images of the tour's visual setup, one featuring a black space with clouds of white smoke, and the other featuring a garden-like setting.[6] The tour opened with two concerts on October 15 and 16, 2022, at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea, which were attended by over 20,000 people.[7] On October 28, the group revealed the dates and venues for the Asian leg of the tour.[8] They announced four dome concerts in two cities in Japan, Tokyo and Osaka, on December 7.[9] On January 9, 2023, Blackpink announced four additional shows for the Asian leg of the tour in Singapore, Macau and Kaohsiung.[10] On January 31, Blackpink announced ticketing details for the concerts in Australia and that the originally announced Auckland concert was no longer feasible due to "unforeseen logistical challenges."[11] It was also announced that Blackpink would tour for the first time in Mexico City.[12] As part of the encore leg of the tour, Blackpink announced a stadium concert in Paris on March 23,[13] and several stadium concerts in United States on April 16.[14] On June 26, the group announced two shows in Hanoi on July 29 and 30, before their United States encore shows.[15] On August 16, the finale shows in Seoul were announced.[16]
Production
The O2 Arena in London during Blackpink's concert
According to the tour's creative director Amy Bowerman, the show was conceived as a celebration of Blackpink's dual identity, as well as the individuality of the members.[17] Split into four acts, the first act takes place in an enchanted garden and showcases Blackpink's "pink" side. Bowerman described it as a "woodland, nymph-esque world where it's very flirty and feminine." However, certain scenes hint at the group's darker side, with grotesque floral imagery such as a lily leaking metallic liquid and higher-energy music. The second act leans more into the mature aspect of Blackpink, featuring a "heavy monochrome that's very harsh and powerful." The lead single of Born Pink, "Pink Venom", was intended to be the focal point of the show; at the end of the second act, it serves as the turning point at which the color pink first appears in the production and is used heavily thereafter. The third act highlights each member as an individual with solo performances and a "weird trippy mix" of colors. The fourth and final act celebrates Blackpink's concept of duality as a whole, with imagery of dichotomies such as water and earth or fire and ice featured prominently.[18][19][20]
To produce the Born Pink World Tour, YG Entertainment approached Ceremony London—a visual production company that previously worked with artists such as Post Malone, Rina Sawayama, Holly Humberstone and Dua Lipa—providing the music and choreography of Born Pink in order to do so.[21] The production was ultimately a multilateral, collaborative effort between YG Entertainment's fully-female production team,[18] the group's American band and music director, and Ceremony London. Bowerman described the evolution of the show's concept as an "organic" process. Blackpink themselves were heavily involved in the show's planning and provided their input, especially regarding the set list. As they rehearsed for the tour, they determined which songs fit together and when, resulting in changes to the visuals, movements, and stage; however, "Pink Venom" remained the show's focal point. Fan interactions were also considered during the development of the show, with time allotted for Blackpink to spend engaging with their fans, called "Blinks".[19]
Concert synopsis
The show begins with a video interlude depicting Blackpink in an enchanted garden, after which the group rises from above the stage. Blackpink performs their harder-hitting songs "How You Like That", "Pretty Savage", and "Whistle", after which they introduce themselves and interact with the audience. The next portion of the setlist showcases the group's softer side with the songs "Don't Know What to Do" and "Lovesick Girls". The members then depart the stage for a costume change.
The second act of the concert begins with a black-and-white video interlude of Blackpink in a dystopian setting. They return to the stage with "Kill This Love", followed by "Crazy Over You", "Playing with Fire", "Tally", and "Pink Venom". Afterward, the members depart for a costume change, while the dancers participate in a dance circle onstage and the touring band plays guitar, bass, drum, and keyboard solos. The third act of the concert features solo performances by the members, each preceded by backdrops with their names on the main stage screen. Jisoo commences with a cover of Camila Cabello's "Liar", which is replaced by her song "Flower" from the Tokyo shows onwards. Jennie is next, performing her song "You & Me" as a partnered dance with dimmed lighting and a backdrop of their projected silhouettes. The third solo performance is by Rosé, who sings her songs "Hard to Love" and "On the Ground". Finally, Lisa performs a shortened version of her song "Lalisa" followed by her song "Money", which includes a pole dance routine and an extended dance break.
Blackpink performing "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" with backup dancers
After another video interlude, Blackpink returns as a group for the fourth act of the concert and performs "Shut Down" and "Typa Girl". The members then pause to interact with the audience and teach the key choreography for the next song, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du", whose performance features an extended dance break. The last song of the act is "Forever Young", after which Blackpink bids their goodbyes and departs the stage. However, Blackpink returns for an encore in casual shirts and sweatshirts from their tour's merchandise line. They perform "Yeah Yeah Yeah" and "Stay", taking different sides of the stage to dance with the audience and play with the cameras. Blackpink ends with "As If It's Your Last" and says a final goodbye before exiting the stage.[22]
The encore stadium shows in France and the United States feature a completely revamped setlist and stage design which was first performed on the group's headlining appearances at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and British Summer Time Hyde Park. The majority of the video interludes are absent from the show. "Pink Venom" starts off the new setlist with an explosive extended intro involving the backup dancers. "Pretty Savage" features a new chair dance break, after which Blackpink performs "Kick It" while sitting. For her solo stage, Jennie performs a remixed version of "You & Me" followed by her song "Solo". Jisoo performs her song "All Eyes on Me" followed by a shortened version of "Flower". Rosé performs a shortened version of her song "Gone" followed by "On the Ground". Lisa performs an explicit version of "Money" with an extended dance break. The performance of "Typa Girl" includes new choreography involving giant feathers and a new extended intro. The show ends with a series of fireworks as the members thank the audience and depart.[23]
Critical reception
Tamar Herman of Variety praised Blackpink's energy and connection with fans, writing that each member "vacillated throughout the show between a sense of exuberance and pure intensity" and explained that they. "hit their marks sometimes with intense fierceness and at others grinning while pulling another member towards the camera to do their part when they were busy playing with fans."[24] Reviewing the Dallas show, Consequence highlighted the group's impact "could be clocked before you even entered the building."[25]
Writing for Evening Standard, Ali Shutler gave the O2 Arena concerts five out of five stars, calling it "cherry-picked from a range of familiar genres to create something fresh and throughout the show, it felt like the four performers continued pop's long-standing legacy of girl power".[26] Likewise The Telegraph, Neil McCormick gave the same concerts four out of five stars, calling it "extraordinary".[27] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian and Rhian Daly of NME gave the tour four out of five stars, with the former regarding it as "exceptionally well made and high-impact."[28] and the latter called the show "the largest of its kind for a girl group in K-pop history."[29]
On the other hand, Le Parisien called the group's concert at Stade de France the "worst international concert this summer", writing that "Just because audiences filled the State De France doesn't mean the performance is good," criticizing the choreography for being "too textbook" and that "the members would often walk in front of each other due to miscommunication".[30]
The Born Pink World Tour drew 1.8 million attendees in total, making it the most-attended concert tour by a K-pop girl group.[32] The attendees included 55,000 people in Seoul, 540,000 people in North America, 215,000 people in Europe, 900,000 in Asia, 50,000 in Oceania, and 40,000 in the Middle East.[33] Blackpink ranked at number ten on Billboard's 2023 Year End Top 40 Tours chart and led the ranking of top K-pop tours of the year.[34] The group grossed $148.3 million and sold 703,000 tickets from only 29 out of 66 shows, as the group's Asian shows were not reported to Billboard.[35] With this, they broke the record held by Spice Girls' Spice World – 2019 Tour, which grossed $78.2 million, for the highest-grossing concert tour by a female group.[36]
On Pollstar's year-end report of the top 200 worldwide tours of 2022, Blackpink grossed $12.6 million and sold 47,362 tickets from only four reported shows in two cities.[37] Two of the four reported shows were held at Prudential Center in Newark, which grossed $6,595,517 and sold 23,928 tickets.[38] On Pollstar's mid-year report of the top 100 worldwide tours from November 2022 to May 2023, Blackpink grossed $21,363,484 and sold 128,845 tickets from only three reported shows.[39] Two of the three reported shows were held at Foro Sol in Mexico City, which grossed $19,938,131 and sold 113,498 tickets.[40] On Pollstar's year-end report of the top 200 worldwide tours of 2023, Blackpink grossed $61,468,319 and sold 299,080 tickets from only twelve reported shows in nine cities, leading the ranking of top K-pop tours of the year.[41] In North America specifically, they grossed $46,714,227 and sold 203,964 tickets from only five reported shows in three cities.[42] These included the two shows at Foro Sol in Mexico City, as well as two shows at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, which grossed $15,346,966 and sold 46,295 tickets.[43]
Blackpink set numerous venue-based records throughout the Born Pink World Tour. In North America, they became the first girl group to perform at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Oracle Park in San Francisco, and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.[33] Blackpink was the third female act after Beyoncé and Taylor Swift to sell out back-to-back shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.[44] They were also the first K-pop girl group to perform two sold-out shows at MetLife Stadium and Foro Sol in Mexico City. Blackpink became the first K-pop girl group to perform at a stadium in Europe with their concert at Stade de France in Saint-Denis. In Asia, they became the first K-pop act to perform at stadiums in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, and the first female act to perform at National Stadium and Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok. Blackpink also broke the record for the highest attendance for a concert by a K-pop act in Singapore. In the Middle East, they were first K-pop act to perform at Etihad Park in Abu Dhabi and the first girl group to perform at BLVD International Festival in Riyadh.[33] With their finale shows, Blackpink became the first girl group to hold a solo concert at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul as well.[45]
Set list
The first setlist is from the show at KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea, on October 16, 2022; the second set list is from the show at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, on April 8, 2023; the third set list is from the show at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on May 27, 2023; the fourth set list is from the encore show at Stade de France in Paris, France on July 15, 2023; the fifth set list is from the show at Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam on July 29, 2023; the sixth set list is from the encore show at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 11, 2023; and the seventh set list is from the finale show at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. They are not intended to represent all shows throughout the tour.
Act 1 The Enchanted Garden Interlude
1. "How You Like That"
2. "Pretty Savage"
3. "Whistle" (shortened)
4. "Don't Know What to Do"
5. "Lovesick Girls"
Act 2 Interlude I (contains elements of "Kill This Love")
6. "Kill This Love"
7. "Crazy Over You"
8. "Playing with Fire" (shortened)
9. "Tally"
10. "Pink Venom" (extended)
Act 3 – Solos Interlude II
11. "Flower" (Jisoo solo)
12. "You & Me" (Jennie solo)
13. "Hard to Love" (Rosé solo; shortened)
14. "On the Ground" (Rosé solo; shortened)
15. "Lalisa" (Lisa solo; shortened)
16. "Money" (Lisa solo; contains elements of "Lalisa")
Act 1 The Enchanted Garden Interlude
1. "How You Like That"
2. "Pretty Savage"
3. "Whistle" (shortened)
4. "Don't Know What to Do"
5. "Lovesick Girls"
Act 2 Interlude I (contains elements of "Kill This Love")
6. "Kill This Love"
7. "Crazy Over You"
8. "Stay" (remix)
9. "Tally"
10. "Pink Venom" (extended)
Act 1 The Enchanted Garden Interlude
1. "How You Like That" (extended; remixed beat)
2. "Pretty Savage" (extended intro)
3. "Whistle" (shortened)
4. "Don't Know What to Do"
5. "Lovesick Girls"
Act 2 Interlude I (contains elements of "Kill This Love")
6. "Kill This Love"
7. "Crazy Over You"
8. "Stay" (remix)
9. "Really"
10. "Pink Venom" (extended)
Encore
22. "Stay"
23. "Boombayah"
24. "Yeah Yeah Yeah"
25. "As If It's Your Last"
Notes
During the second show in Newark, Jisoo performed her solo cover of "Liar" last, after Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa.
During the first show in Los Angeles, Camila Cabello joined Jisoo on stage to perform "Liar".[46]
During the show in Amsterdam, Blackpink performed their cover of "Last Christmas" during the encore act.
Starting from the first show in Tokyo, Jisoo's solo cover of "Liar" was replaced with her solo song "Flower".
During both shows in Singapore, "Playing With Fire" was replaced by "Stay", and the encore segment only featured "Boombayah" and "As If It's Your Last".
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du (Remix)" is not performed at every show, except in the Bangkok encore show.
During the encore segment of both shows in Osaka, "Boombayah" was replaced by "Stay", and "Yeah Yeah Yeah" was added to the setlist.
Starting from the encore show in Paris, a dance challenge was organized by Blackpink's team before the encore act, where fans were filmed on a large screen onstage dancing to several songs of the group.
During the second show in Hanoi, "Hard to Love" was replaced by "Gone".
During the first show in East Rutherford, Jisoo performed "All Eyes On Me" for the first time. Blackpink also performed a cover of "Happy Birthday To You" to celebrate the group's 7th anniversary during the encore.
During the last three encore shows in the United States, Blackpink performed "Don't Know What To Do" after "Shut Down".
During the encore show in Los Angeles, Jennie did not perform "You & Me".
^ abFrom only 29 of 66 shows, as the group's Asian shows were not reported to Billboard.[35]
^For all 14 shows in the North American leg.[47] The two shows in Newark drew an attendance of 23,928,[38] and the two shows in Los Angeles drew an attendance of 46,295.[43]
^For all 10 shows in the European leg. The show in Cologne drew an attendance of 15,347.[48]
^Labeled as Manila shows in several sources, disregarding the technical city boundaries.
^Kim, Hyun-sik (October 16, 2022). "'체조경기장 재입성' 블랙핑크, 2만 관객 앞 '장족의 발전' 증명[종합]" ['Re-entering the gymnastics arena' BLACKPINK proves 'great development' in front of 20,000 spectators [Comprehensive]]. E-Daily Star (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023 – via Naver.
^Go, Seung-ah (September 17, 2023). ""올해 7주년, 앞으로도 멋있는 블랙핑크 될 것...사랑해" [N현장]" ["This year's 7th anniversary, we will continue to be a great Blackpink... I love you" [N Site]]. News1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
^ abcdMin-ji, Lee (September 20, 2023). "블랙핑크, 전 세계 211만 열광한 'BORN PINK' 투어" [BLACKPINK's 'BORN PINK' tour attracted 2.11 million people worldwide]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
^"2022 Year End Special Issue". Pollstar. Vol. 42, no. 46. OVG Media & Conferences, LLC. December 12, 2022. p. 30. ISSN1067-6945.
^ abc"Top 300 Concert Grosses"(PDF). Pollstar. December 12, 2022. Archived(PDF) from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
^"The Year Of The Blockbuster: 2023 Mid Year Special". Pollstar. Vol. 43, no. 25. OVG Media & Conferences, LLC. June 26, 2023. p. 23. ISSN1067-6945.
^ abc"The Year Of The Blockbuster: 2023 Mid Year Special". Pollstar. Vol. 43, no. 25. OVG Media & Conferences, LLC. June 26, 2023. p. 30. ISSN1067-6945.
^"Game Changers U2: 2023 Year End Special". Pollstar. Vol. 43, no. 46. OVG Media & Conferences, LLC. December 11, 2023. p. 32. ISSN1067-6945.
^"Game Changers U2: 2023 Year End Special". Pollstar. Vol. 43, no. 46. OVG Media & Conferences, LLC. December 11, 2023. p. 42. ISSN1067-6945.
^ abc"Game Changers U2: 2023 Year End Special". Pollstar. Vol. 43, no. 46. OVG Media & Conferences, LLC. December 11, 2023. p. 49. ISSN1067-6945.
^Lee, Tae-soo (September 16, 2023). "블랙핑크, 이번 주말 서울서 월드투어 대장정 마무리" [Blackpink concludes world tour in Seoul this weekend]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
^Yoo, Byeong-cheol (November 22, 2022). "'20만 관객 열광' 블랙핑크, 美 7개 도시 14회 공연 달궜다...유럽 투어 30일 영국 런던 포문" ['200,000 audience enthusiasm' Blackpink heats up 14 performances in 7 cities in the US... 30-day European tour begins in London, England]. Korea Economic Daily TV (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
^ ab"El Jefe del Reggaeton Daddy Yankee Goes Out On Top". Pollstar. Vol. 43, no. 8. OVG Media & Conferences, LLC. March 27, 2023. p. 48. ISSN1067-6945.
^Jung, Hyeon-tae (January 9, 2023). "블랙핑크, 리사 고향 태국서 월드투어 공연..뜨거운 열기에 '깜짝'" [BLACKPINK performs world tour in Thailand, Lisa's hometown. 'Surprised' by the heat]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
^이, 미지 (April 10, 2023). "블랙핑크, 日도쿄 돔 공연 성료..양일 11만명 운집 '압도적 티켓 파워'" [BLACKPINK, Japan Tokyo Dome concert completed.. 110,000 people gathered on both days, 'overwhelming ticket power']. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
^Kim, Ji-woo (June 6, 2023). "블랙핑크 3인, 日 투어 가득 채웠다[종합]" [3 members of BLACKPINK filled up the Japanese tour [Comprehensive]]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 4, 2023. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
^Han, Hae-seon (June 19, 2023). "블랙핑크, '로제 고향' 호주 시드니 뜨겁게 달궜다..'전석 매진' 성료" [BLACKPINK's 'Rosé's hometown' is heating up Sydney, Australia... 'all tickets sold out']. Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
^"블랙핑크 하노이콘서트 '대성황'...닛케이 "한류 영향력 더 커질 것"" [BLACKPINK's Hanoi concert 'great success'... Nikkei "The influence of the Korean Wave will grow"]. InsideVina (in Korean). July 31, 2023. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
^Park, Ji-yoon (August 30, 2023). "블랙핑크, 美 앙코르 투어 성료...4개 도시·23만 명 동원" [Blackpink successfully completes U.S. encore tour...4 cities, mobilizing 230,000 people]. The Fact (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023 – via Naver.
^Lee, Jae-hoon (September 17, 2023). ""앞으로도 멋있는 블랙핑크가 되겠습니다"" ["We will continue to be a cool Blackpink"]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
^Lee, Jae-hoon (September 17, 2023). ""앞으로도 멋있는 블랙핑크가 되겠습니다"" ["We will continue to be a cool Blackpink"]. Newsis (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
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