BLACKPINK in your area! Or at least the South Korean girl group was at Malawati Indoor Stadium, Shah Alam, on Feb 23 and 24 for its Blackpink 2019 World Tour with Kia [In Your Area] Kuala Lumpur.
Organised by MacpiePro, the two-day concert saw a total turnout of some 16,000 zealous fans all wanting to catch Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa, and Rosé perform live in Malaysia for the first time.
While the concert on Saturday began about 20 minutes behind schedule, Blinks – as Blackpink fans are known – didn’t seem to mind the wait.
The fans were instead singing along and cheering to the group’s music videos like Boombayah, which were interspersed with ads from car brand Kia, its worldwide sponsor.
And if the two sold-out concerts were not already an indicator of the YG Entertainment mega-girl group’s massive popularity, then the deafening screams when its four members appeared from platforms rising from beneath the bare stage, certainly cemented its influence among K-pop fans in Malaysia.
“What’s up, Kuala Lumpur?” Lisa exclaimed to the screaming crowd. “It’s so great to be here tonight. Thank you for having us here in your beautiful country. We’re here to have fun tonight. Are our Kuala Lumpur Blinks excited?”
“Kami rindu padamu,” said an adorable Jisoo, who continued with her cheery remarks in the local language like “Kamu bagus” and “Aku cinta padamu”.
Simple as that might be, loud cheers meant the crowd was happy at her attempt.
The momentum only intensified after the girls opened with its hit song, Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.
It was the first of 18 songs on the concert set list which included fan favourites such as Forever Young, Kiss & Make Up, As If It’s Your Last, and of course, Boombayah.
It was evident mid-way through, that Blackpink’s concert modus operandi was to go big or go home, after a selection of loud firecracker-like booms, lights, confetti, and even fire announced the beginning or the end of each song, making for one highly-charged night.
The in-between chit-chat also showed how comfortable the girls, who made their debut in 2016, was at commanding a big stage.
They confidently switched into the mode of carefree young girls having fun on stage, which belied their skill and focus while dancing and singing.
At one point of the concert, the girls even initiated a Mexican wave in the packed stadium.
“Let’s not forget our Mexican wave,” Rosé called out. On the count of three, she ran around the stage, quipping: “You guys are too fast! You’re getting faster and faster, I can’t keep up! But that was amazing.”
Each Blackpink member also got to perform solo on stage – Jisoo, who sang Zedd’s Clarity; Lisa, who danced to a mashup of Miso’s Take Me and Jason Derulo’s Swalla; Rosé, with a mix of The Beatles’ Let It Be, Park Bom’s You and I, and Tae-yang’s Only Look at Me; and Jennie with her own debut single, Solo.
Towards the end, in perhaps a feat that can only be achieved by the magnitude of Blackpink’s sway, several minutes of a Kia ad starring the members was enough to hold the attention of Blinks – even letting a small cheer escape at the end – giving the girls enough time for another wardrobe change.
Returning on stage for its encore dressed in casual Blackpink merchandise, the infectious, fun, and playful energy of the girls ended on a sweet note with Ddu-Du Ddu-Du and the original version of Stay.
