HOUSTON – Over the past three weeks, Houston has been a hive of entertainment. This past weekend featured plenty of chances for fun, performances by Post Malone and H-own Town’s Lizzo, and the start of the World Series against the Phillies. K-pop queens group BLACKPINK was one of them. They stood out for their genre alone. Their two shows, which appeared to be sold out, gave H-Town a new range of entertainment options.
The Korean girl group BLACKPINK, known as the “largest girl group in the world,” began the American concert of their Born Pink World Tour in Dallas last week before moving on to Houston.
This past weekend, “Blinks” (Fandom of BLACKPINK) went to Houston for back-to-back performances at the Toyota Center. On the enormous screens, there was a message, “Pray for Itaewon,” just prior to the opening of the concert. The Halloween disaster in Seoul, South Korea, where a crowd surge killed over 150 people, was commemorated by the tour, which expressed “deepest sympathies to the deceased, families, and all affected.”
A spirited rendition of their smash song “How You Like That” opened their 2-hour concert and set the tone for the remainder of it. The audience sang along to every song and matched the group’s enthusiasm. It was clear that BLACKPINK and Blinks could not wait to meet in person as they embarked on their first world tour in almost three years.
With hits like “Whistle” and “Boombayah,” the K-Pop group made its debut in 2016 to virtually immediate success. The girls, on the other hand, are back in full force with the Born Pink tour after a nearly two-year gap following the release of their first full album, titled “The Album.” Despite the effects of a lengthy hiatus being apparent, it is their first world tour in four years, and they are having a great time.
The girls introduce themselves to the Blinks audience before performing the well-known hits “How You Like That” and “Pretty Savage” to start the show. The girl’s second night in town seemed to have more enthusiasm in encounters than their first, which was probably a result of them feeling more at ease and getting to know the Houston crowd. Blinks were also very interested in their chemistry as a trio because after the Dallas performances, rumors of animosity between members Rosé and Lisa surfaced. Thankfully, nothing caught the audience’s attention, and the girls conducted themselves exactly as they had always portrayed themselves to be.
The idols had a real chance to display their personality on the second night, outside of merely their individual performances at the third stage. The audience erupted in applause when Jisoo said, “howdy,” Jennie tried to dance to Lisa’s solo song “Money,” and Rosé interviewed Lisa about her tour experiences (so far). It was just clear that they were having a good time, which is what makes fans happy. Houston had one of the loudest crowds they had ever heard, according to one of the group’s members, Rosé. She announced, “I know this is going to be a crazy night,” to the boisterous throng.
The K-pop phenomenon, which was founded by YG Entertainment in 2016, has been credited with spreading K-pop music across the globe, with more than one of its music videos topping one billion views on YouTube.
After a two-year break, BLACKPINK returned with their second studio album, “Born Pink,” in September.
Along with crowd favorites like “Kill This Love” and “DDU-DU DDU-DU,” some of the first live performances of more recent songs were given to concertgoers, including “Shut Down” and “Pink Venom.”
With the exception of the main dancer Lisa, the ensemble has never demonstrated exceptional dancing skills. Due to the girls’ busy schedules or lack of preparation time for the tour, there is numerous footage of what appears to be subpar choreography from Seoul and Dallas. The audience noticed that it was a late-in-the-show performance because they only saw one instance on night one where they seemed to lose themselves in the middle of a number. Sadly, some K-pop lovers will not be satisfied. Each member of BLACKPINK underwent at least four years of training, though training times vary depending on the organization and the trainee. Since the song they botched up on night one has been a performance since 2018, there really isn’t an explanation for the dance errors.
Blackpink is a master of their art vocally, and their solo performances really showcased this. However, rumors of lip-syncing have plagued them throughout their career. People also noticed one thing and stated confidently that their microphones were on both nights. They also asked questions like, did they have musical accompaniment? Yes, but in their opinion, it’s insufficient to discredit the efforts that were being made. Many people are eagerly anticipating Jisoo’s solo debut, which YG entertainment promises to look forward to by the end of 2022 or early next year. Fans applauded Jennie during her performance of a yet-to-be-released solo track for both her talent and the exceedingly attractive male dancer she was accompanied by.
The majority of K-pop concerts are G-rated to appeal to family audiences, but the choreography’s inclusion of brief body touching undoubtedly turned the audience off. Rosé’s incredibly popular solo single “On the Ground” immediately after her passionate and emotional performance of “Hard to Love” could only serve to detract from it. The last to sing her solo and the youngest member, Lisa: The Maknae, energized an audience which is not ever seen before like that.
Maybe it is due to her popularity, engaging behavior, and strong stage presence compared to other group members. With each rhyme and dance she performs, her charisma spills onto the stage and spreads like wildfire. She clearly cares about her fans, who have helped her follow her passion and establish herself as one of the most well-known K-pop stars now on the scene.
Both of BLACKPINK’s performances at Toyota Center were accompanied by an electric atmosphere. For both Blinks and tag-along fans, everyone involved in the production put on a standout performance, perhaps preparing Houston for the arrival of K-pop in the near future. Who knows, perhaps NRG will be lighted with light sticks and the smiles of fans who actually feel recognized by BTS by the time the group performs again in 2025.
With solo performances, each member got an opportunity to shine. Liar by Camila Cabello was successfully covered by Jisoo. An unreleased solo song by Jennie, said to be called “You + Me” was played. Rosé performed “On The Ground” and “Hard to Love” while showcasing her distinctive singing style (while wearing an incredible coat). During her performances of “LaLisa” and “Money,” the audience applauded Lisa’s dancing movements with nearly audible enthusiasm.
After an encore that included “As If It’s Your Last,” the show was over around ten o’clock. Their tour is off to a great start if the enthusiastic buzzing of fans as we departed the venue is anything to go by.
About Blackpink:
BLACKPINK is a K-Pop girl group consisting of four members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa. They were founded by YG Entertainment. With the release of their single album Square One in August 2016, the group made its public debut. The album featured the songs “Whistle” and “Boombayah,” which respectively became their first number-one entries on the US Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart and the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart.
Throughout its history, BLACKPINK has smashed various online records. In the first 24 hours after their releases, their music videos like “How You Like That” (2020) and “Kill This Love” (2019) each broke the record for the most views in a music video in 24 hours, with the latter breaking three records and creating two Guinness World Records. They are the first girl group and the first Korean female artists to have five music videos, and each receives one billion views on YouTube. They are also the most-followed girl group on Spotify and the most-subscribed music artists on the platform.
Other honors they have received include the New Artist of the Year Award at the 26th Seoul Music Awards and the 31st Golden Disc Awards, the Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Female Group in 2020, the first MTV Music Video Award won by a Korean girl group and being the first female Korean group to be listed on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia. They have been recognized as one of South Korea’s most influential celebrities by Forbes Korea.
