The In Your Area World Tour (also known as Blackpink World Tour [In Your Area]) was the first worldwide concert tour and the second overall by South Korean girl group Blackpink. The tour began on November 10, 2018, in Seoul, South Korea, and ended on February 22, 2020, in Fukuoka, Japan, in support of their albums Square Up (2018) and Kill This Love (2019). The group held 36 shows in 26 cities in 17 countries around the world. The tour became the highest-grossing tour by a Korean girl group, before it was surpassed by Blackpink's Born Pink World Tour (2022–2023).[1]
Background
Blackpink 2018 Tour [In Your Area] Seoul x BC Card
On September 12, it was announced that the group would hold their first concert in Seoul, titled Blackpink 2018 Tour [In Your Area] Seoul x BC Card, on November 11 and 12 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena. Each member of the group played an active role in planning the show;[2] it was revealed that the title of the tour, In Your Area, was chosen by the members themselves.[3] Tickets became available to the group's fan club members for pre-sale on September 14 via Auction Ticket and to the general public on September 18. All 20,000 tickets for the two concerts quickly sold out.[4]
During the two-day concert at Seoul, member Jennie performed for the first time her debut solo song "Solo", which was released later on November 12, 2018.[5] Blackpink released a 14-track live album recorded during the Seoul concerts, Blackpink 2018 Tour In Your Area Seoul, on August 30, 2019.[6]
Blackpink 2019–2020 World Tour [In Your Area]
On October 31, 2018, Blackpink announced their first tour dates for the Asian leg, with shows in Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur commencing in mid-January 2019.[7][8][9] On January 28, 2019, Blackpink officially announced the concert dates and venues for the European leg; the tour kicked off in Amsterdam on May 18, 2019.[10] The group later shared the tour's North American shows, on February 11, 2019, via social media.[11] The North American leg kicked off in Los Angeles on April 17, in between the two weekends of Coachella, where the group performed.[12] On February 22, 2019, it was reported that all 60,000 tickets for the group's first North American tour were sold out.[13] Blackpink announced tour dates for Australia on February 25.[14][15]Kia Motors served as the tour's official sponsor.[16]
On April 15, the group announced they would hold four dome concerts in three cities in Japan, starting in Tokyo on December 4, 2019.[17] On January 22, 2020, it was announced that the tour's last concert at Fukuoka Dome would be broadcast live in 96 movie theaters in Japan.[18] A live album, DVD and Blu-ray of the Tokyo Dome concert, Blackpink 2019–2020 World Tour In Your Area – Tokyo Dome –, was released on May 6, 2020. The DVD ranked first on Oricon DVD Weekly Chart (May 4–10).[19]
Concert synopsis
The show begins with a montage of a Rubik's Cube spelling out "Blackpink" and the names of the members on the main stage's screen. The cube then explodes into pink glitter and rising smoke as the group rises to the stage to perform "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" in light pink outfits. On elevated platforms, Blackpink then performs "Forever Young" in front of an outer space-like backdrop.[20] After performing the two verses and the second chorus on the main stage, Blackpink returns to the raised platforms with dancers to sing the final part of the song. The group then greets the audience and introduces themselves on the main stage, performing "Stay" on chairs and walking to the B-stage during the final chorus. At the B-stage, the group begins "Whistle" before being accompanied by dancers and returning to the main stage at the end. The group departs the stage for a costume change.
Depending on the leg of the tour, the order of the solo performances changes. In the first Asian leg, Jisoo commences, singing a cover of "Clarity" by Zedd on a platform of disco balls. She is followed by Lisa, who dances to a medley of songs, both solo and with dancers. In Seoul, Lisa performed to "I Like It", "Faded", and "Attention"; the dance number changed to "Take Me" and "Swalla" from the first Bangkok show onwards. Rosé is third, rising to the stage with Dante Jackson from The Band Six on piano to sing a cover medley of "Let It Be" by the Beatles, "You & I" by former label mate Park Bom and "Only Look At Me" by Taeyang.[21] Starting on April 17, 2019, Rosé opens the solo performances in place of Jisoo. The final member to perform as a soloist is Jennie with her single "Solo" alongside multiple dancers in front of a dance hall backdrop.[22] The Band Six plays an interlude after Jennie returns backstage for her costume change.[21] Most members' solo set numbers changed for the final leg in Japan: Rosé with a cover of Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved", Lisa with a choreography to a medley of "Good Thing" and "Señorita", and Jisoo with a cover of AKMU's "How Can I Love the Heartbreak, You're the One I Love".
After the release of their Kill This Love EP in April 2019, Blackpink opens the next segment of the show with "Kill This Love" in street-style costumes.[23] The main screen features different scenes from the song's official music video as a backdrop. A group of dancers join Blackpink for the ending beat drop of the song in marching band costumes before leaving the stage for Blackpink to perform "Don't Know What To Do". The group then interacts with the audience. "Kiss and Make Up" is performed next, with each member standing on moving raised platforms while the screen displays tropical patterns and imagery. The Band Six and dancers later return to the main stage to accompany Blackpink for "Really" and "See U Later". They all exit the stage as a video interlude featuring Blackpink racing and drifting in Kia motorcars plays on the screens.[22]
Blackpink, in sparkly costumes, returns to the stage from below and performs "Playing with Fire" with a gate-like setting on-screen. The backdrop changes to kaleidoscope-like graphics as the group sings "Kick It". They move to the B-stage and perform the final two songs, "Boombayah" and "As If It's Your Last", after a short interaction with the audience.[23]
For the encore, the group reappears on stage in casual clothes to perform a remixed version of "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du". Blackpink introduces members of the touring band and dancers to the audience and thank them before enjoying an instrumental performance by The Band Six. Only the group remains onstage afterwards to sing the final song, "Hope Not"; they say goodbye to the audience before departing the stage.[24]
Critical reception
The concert received generally positive reviews from the critics. Variety drew comparisons between the all-dancing concert to Beyonce's 2018 Coachella performance, calling it "within the realm of earthly aspirational possibility" with "semi-rigid, semi-relaxed synchronization" and "major charm offensive from four quintessential Girls Next Door".[24] Evan Real, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, stated that the girl group delivered "impressive vocals, dancing" that "not even the stage's extravagant light display or frequent bursts of fireworks could pull the group's focus from their exceptionally polished routine".[25]Billboard described the concert as "hugely engaging" and applauded Blackpink's "remarkably natural aura" as opposed to the usual rigidity that K-pop concerts usually have, thanks to the group's improvisations and audience interaction. However, the magazine criticized the solo performances, calling Lisa's dance number "as baffling as it was boring" and Jisoo's cover of Clarity "uncomfortably close to a filler".[20][26]The Guardian shared similar sentiments regarding the solo segment and gave the concert three stars out of five, stating that while the show had "brilliant moments throughout", it did not "take enough risks".[21] On the other hand, Jan Lee of The Straits Times felt the solo performances were enjoyable and the concert's energy was infectious; he described the members of Blackpink as "exuberant, charming and visually stunning onstage", though he felt the show needed more original material from the group.[27]
The In Your Area World Tour became the most successful tour by a Korean female group in history.[30] It recorded a 96.6% rate of seat occupancy for the first 32 concerts, excluding the concerts in Japan. Among them, 22 concerts in cities such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, Chicago, Hamilton, Newark, Fort Worth, Paris, Macau, and Melbourne were sold out.[31] All four dome concerts for the Japan leg were also sold out.[32]
Setlist
The North American setlist was performed at the show at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on May 1, 2019. It does not represent all shows throughout the tour.[33]
During the show in Los Angeles, they performed "Whistle" acoustic version instead of the original version. During the encore stage, "Stay" was performed instead of "Hope Not".
During the first show in Newark, Dua Lipa joined Blackpink to perform "Kiss and Make Up".[34]
During the show in Manchester, Blackpink modified elements of their performances with due respect to the approaching 2nd anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing incident. Specifically, "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" was removed from the setlist, "Whistle" lyrics and "Kill This Love" choreography were changed. During the encore stage, Blackpink dedicated "Stay" to the victims and those affected by the attack; another performance of "Don't Know What To Do" was added along with the original setlist.[35]
During the show in Melbourne and Sydney, Rosé added "Coming Home" to her solo medley performance.
During the show in Sydney, "Stay" was added to the encore performance.
Two live albums were released for the In Your Area World Tour: Blackpink 2018 Tour 'In Your Area' Seoul, and Blackpink 2019–2020 World Tour in Your Area – Tokyo Dome.
Blackpink 2018 Tour 'In Your Area' Seoul is the second live album by the South Korean girl group Blackpink. It was released digitally on August 8, 2019, and was released on DVD on August 30, 2019.
Track listing
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du"
"Forever Young"
"Stay"
"Whistle"
"You & I + Only Look at Me"
"Solo"
"Really"
"See U Later"
"Playing with Fire"
"Boombayah"
"As If It's Your Last"
"Whistle"
"Stay"
Blackpink 2019–2020 World Tour in Your Area – Tokyo Dome
Blackpink 2019–2020 World Tour In Your Area – Tokyo Dome
Blackpink 2019–2020 World Tour in Your Area – Tokyo Dome is the third live album by the South Korean girk group Blackpink. It was released on May 14, 2020.
Track listing
"Ddu-Du Ddu-Du" (Japanese version)
"Forever Young" (Japanese version)
"Stay" (Japanese version, remix)
"Whistle" (Japanese version)
"Kill This Love" (Japanese version)
"Don't Know What to Do" (Japanese version)
"Really" (Japanese version)
"See U Later" (Japanese version)
"Playing with Fire" (Japanese version)
"Kick It" (Japanese version)
"Boombayah" (Japanese version)
"As If It's Your Last" (Japanese version)
Gallery
The crowd at the Bangkok, Thailand concert on January 12, 2019.
Blackpink performing at their Manila, Philippines concert on February 2, 2019.
In Your Area World Tour in Toronto, Canada on April 27, 2019.
In Your Area World Tour in Amsterdam, Netherlands on May 18, 2019.
Jennie performing her solo "Solo" at the Los Angeles concert.
Jisoo performing a solo cover of "Clarity" at the Amsterdam concert.
^"블랙핑크, 아시아 투어 마무리…이제부터 북미·유럽·호주로 확대" [Blackpink wraps up their Asian tour... expansion to North America, Europe and Australia underway]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Naver. March 4, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
^Kim, Young-rok (July 17, 2019). ""4대륙·23개 도시·점유율 96.6%"…블랙핑크, 데뷔 첫 월드투어 '대기록'" ["4 continents·23 cities·96.6% occupancy"...Blackpink's First World Tour 'Big Record']. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved September 5, 2020.
^"[연예현장.jpg] 블랙핑크, 데뷔 2년 만에 첫 단독콘서트" [Blackpink to hold their first solo concert after 2 years of debut]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Naver. November 12, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
^Borcholte, Andreas (May 25, 2019). "Hammer, diese Herzchen". Spiegel Online (in German). Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
^"블랙핑크, 첫 도쿄돔 공연에 5만 5천명 열광..日돔투어 성공적 스타트" [Blackpink, 55,000 people enthusiastic about their first Tokyo Dome performance ... successful start of Japanese dome tour]. Osen (in Korean). Naver. December 5, 2019. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
^""日 쿄세라돔 꽉 채워" 10만 관객 열광시킨 블랙핑크 매진 행렬" ['Kyocera Dome in Japan is full' Blackpink’s sold-out show that made 100,000 spectators excited]. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. January 6, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
.jpg)
.jpg)
_Jennie_performing_%22SOLO%22_during_In_Your_Area_tour_in_Los_Angeles_02.jpg)
