BLACKPINK’s Born Pink World Tour ‘Shut Down’ Los Angeles
Written by Paolo Nicola & Giannina Fredo | GIFs & Photos by Giannina Fredo
Photos & GIFs by Giannina Fredo
Saturday, August 26, 2023 — BLACKPINK was in our area and it was a blast. The K-pop supergroup consisting of members Lisa, Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosé, closed out the U.S. portion of their Born Pink Encore World Tour at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. They have been touring since last year in support of their second studio album, Born Pink. Their immense stage presence, catchy songs, fun visuals, and talented backup dancers and band members made the night unforgettable!
Before the show commenced, the stadium full of diverse fans (nicknamed “Blinks”) flocked to the merch tables and watched the group’s music videos on the massive screens. Many sang and danced along like it was a pre-party. Nearly every person had BLACKPINK’s signature Bl-ping-bong in hand, a light-up pink and black heart hammer that was designed by the girls in 2018. These unique light sticks glowed and flickered throughout the concert, making the stadium look like it was full of pink fireflies.
Fans of all ages and backgrounds were in attendance, including families with young children and many people in their early 20s. Our favorite encounter was with a large group of young men wearing BP shirts. Some had seen the group in concert three times before, while others were introduced to their music at their headlining Coachella performance earlier this year.
BLACKPINK’s dancers kicked off the show with bold moves as the crowd’s deafening screams filled the Dodger Stadium. Finally, the silhouettes of the four girls emerged in front of the glowing purple pyramid at the center of their huge stage before performing the first song, “Pink Venom.”
After a few more songs, they took the time to chat with the audience and expressed their gratitude. “We’re still not used to playing stadiums this big” Lisa said at one point. There were a few moments throughout the night where they appeared happily teary-eyed. A memorable moment was when Rosé accidentally said Las Vegas instead of Los Angeles. She appeared mortified for a moment but then laughed along with everyone else. She quickly corrected herself with “Alright LA, you can do better than Las Vegas”— a smooth save.
Their setlist of Korean-English hits lasted around 2 hours, including “Lovesick Girls”, “How You Like That”, “Shut Down”, “Playing With Fire”, and many more. The night was full of non-stop dancing and jumping from both the performers and fans. Each member also had the opportunity to perform their solo songs:
Jennie — “Solo”
Jisoo — “All Eyes on Me” & “Flower”
Rosé — “Gone” & “On the Ground”
Lisa — “Money”
Jisoo’s single, “All Eyes on Me”
They are all captivating performers with great energy, the effortless ability to hype up the crowd, and strong vocals. The stage lighting designer and camera crew also deserve praise as this was one of the most visually appealing shows we have seen in a long time, complete with fireworks and pyrotechnics.
As soon as the show ended, fans started chanting “BLACKPINK” and “encore.” Their wish was granted because messages appeared on the screen saying “We’re not done yet” and “Ready for more?”, which made everyone go absolutely wild. Before they returned to the stage, they had the crowd play a fun interactive dance game where they played parts of their music videos on the screens and fans had to recreate the choreography. Several fans ended up having the cameras spotlight them and they nailed the dance moves.
They performed three additional songs for the encore, ending with the longtime fan favorite “As If It’s Your Last”— the perfect track to end the U.S. leg of their tour. The group will soon be returning to their homebase of Seoul, South Korea on September 16 and 17 for the finale of their world tour.
We look forward to their future music releases and tours— both as a group and as soloists!
