BLACKPINK: THE SHOW reinvents online concerts

BLACKPINK: THE SHOW, BLACKPINK’s first livestream concert held on Jan. 31 on their official YouTube channel, has proven that they are the Apple of K-pop girl groups.

Just like Apple, BLACKPINK has a powerful brand that has created a whole ecosystem. And while antis may say that other K-pop girl groups have better vocalists or whatever, BLACKPINK inspires brand loyalty and delivers a wonderful experience like no other, just like Apple. “It was us four. I don’t even know why, but it was us four,” Rosé said in their Netflix documentary, “BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky”. Fate somehow brought the four of them together, and together Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They just work well together. All four as one.

Every time they show up

I can honestly say that BLACKPINK: THE SHOW ranks among the most wonderful one-and-a-half hours of my life. I was counting down the days to BLACKPINK: THE SHOW from the moment YG Entertainment announced it on Dec. 3, and was disappointed when it had to be postponed to Jan. 31 due to new COVID-19 guidelines in South Korea.

BLACKPINK: THE SHOW was well worth the wait, however.

From the moment they kicked off the show with their popular anthem “Kill This Love” to wrapping it up with “Forever Young” while showcasing on the stage posters with messages from their fans all over the world, BLACKPINK: THE SHOW was a treat for the senses.

I had high expectations for this online concert, but the jaw-dropping performances and incredible stages just blew me away.

All my love is gone

There were so many wonderful moments, but of course the most important one for me was Rosé’s solo stage, where she was finally able to share her debut solo single with her beloved BLINKS. “Gone” is so good — and to think it’s the B side to her title track!

Another highlight of BLACKPINK: THE SHOW was the insane back-to-back performances of “Pretty Savage” and “DDU-DU DDU-DU”. The “DDU-DU DDU-DU” stage that mixed fire and water, plus the additional choreo, dance break, and backup dancers, brought the single that first made them international stars to a whole new level.

The other solo stages were a delight, as well, with Jisoo performing a Korean version of Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High)”, my bias Lisa doing a cover of Doja Cat’s “Say So,” and Jennie giving a rendition of “Solo” with new rap lines that she wrote.

Plus the Pinks sitting while singing “Love to Hate Me” and “You Never Know”. And the “Sour Candy” stage and performance.

In fact, I loved everything about BLACKPINK: THE SHOW, and can’t wait to watch the rebroadcast streaming on Feb. 7 and Feb. 14. I really hope YG Entertainment will release a DVD of the livestream concert, particularly since the live band performances with The Band Six elevates the songs.

I can’t tell you how much BLACKPINK means to me, and how grateful I am that they made 2020 bearable for me, especially with the release of their debut album in South Korea. I’m thankful that 2021 started with BLACKPINK: THE SHOW, and that I can look forward to the solo debuts of Rosé, Lisa, and Jisoo this year. And who knows, maybe BLACKPINK will have new content as a group this year as well.

Light up the sky

As a BLINK and Globe At Home subscriber, I’m really happy that Globe Telecom named BLACKPINK as its brand ambassador. And that Globe has been tireless in promoting BLACKPINK and BLACKPINK: THE SHOW, of which they’re one of the sponsors, together with Tokopedia. In fact, Globe even staged “The Opening Act,” a BLACKPINK-themed drone show on Jan. 29.

“The Opening Act” deployed 100 drones that lit up the sky with the names of BLACKPINK members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa, as well as Globe’s latest campaign “Reinvent Your World”.

By the way, as a disclaimer, I’d like to note that Globe gave me access to the livestream concert. As a diehard BLINK, I was going to pay for the YouTube channel membership to watch the livestream concert, and was pleasantly surprised when Globe provided access. So thanks for that, Globe!

Here’s to more wonderful things ahead for BLACKPINK in 2021 and beyond.

As Jennie said in “BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky”: “It’s just the beginning.”

BLACKPINK is the revolution!