“It feels weird to perform in front of our Blinks after so long. I feel nervous and emotional and excited,” Rosé says at launch of K-pop stars’ biggest tour yet.

Global superstars BLACKPINK kicked off the Born Pink World Tour Saturday in the group’s home ground of Seoul, South Korea. The girls returned to the KSPO Dome, the same venue where they opened their first-ever tour “In Your Area.”

That was four years ago, when the venue was still called the Olympic Gymnastics Arena, and the tour concluded in late February 2020, right before Covid-19 lockdowns started happening around the world. Since then, the girls have shot up even higher into super-stardom: With The Album, the group’s Netflix documentary Blackpink: Light Up the Sky, and their livestream concert “The Show” all in 2020.

The group kicked off the show with “How You Like That” and “Pretty Savage,” dressed in custom ivory outfits with Asian-inspired silhouettes and prints. “It feels weird to perform in front of our Blinks after so long. I feel nervous and emotional and excited,” Rosé shared.

Blackpink made their return with their second full-length album Born Pink in Sept., and now with Covid-19 restrictions lifted in South Korea, fans from overseas flew in for the long-awaited show. The setlist included six of the eight newly released songs, marking the first time some of the tracks have been performed in front of an audience.

The KSPO Dome was flooded early in the day with fans eager to check out the merch tents and brand activations taking place. Vendors sold everything from Korean street food to binoculars so fans could get a better glimpse.

“It’s been so long since we performed in front of so many of our Blinks. I’m so happy to see not only our Korean Blinks but also Blinks from overseas,” Lisa said, tearing up. “It’s so meaningful to start our tour in Seoul. We made some mistakes due to nerves since it’s been four years, but I hope you still had fun,” added Jisoo.

In the middle of the show, Jennie introduced the group’s live band, and the rest of the show had new drum beats and guitar riffs to add to the concert atmosphere. Jennie shared that preparing for the Born Pink World Tour was one of their most hectic experiences, but “seeing all the Blinks before her eyes makes it all worth it.” Everyone was singing along and waving their Blackpink lightsticks in sync for the entire show.

As expected, Blackpink put on a stellar show with some surprises up their sleeves, and the girls’ efforts showed in their solo performance stages. Jisoo performed a cover of “Liar” by Camila Cabello, complete with a dance break routine she absolutely nailed.

Rather than performing hit track “Solo,” Jennie opted to perform an unreleased song reminiscent of her recent interpretative dance video for Tamburins. “I wanted to show you all something new, you might have been a bit surprised,” she said with a smile.

Rosé performed her newly released solo track “Hard to Love” before switching up the beat for “On the Ground,” and Lisa turned up the heat with a pole dance routine for her solo performance. “I watched her practice pole dancing through the pain. It’s much harder than it looks,” Jennie said of Lisa.

At the end of the show, there was a prepared event where the entire venue was echoing with fans singing a verse of “Forever Young.” Compared to the group’s first tour, Saturday’s show felt significantly more full than the last thanks to their expanded discography.

Saturday’s concert will be followed by one more night in Seoul before the girls head stateside in a couple of weeks. Blackpink is currently scheduled for 42 shows in total, concluding the trek in June 2023.

cr. Rolling Stone