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The many stages of ‘Blackpink: The Show’
Towards the end of “Blackpink: The Show,” as Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé fade into the backstage, the camera moves around to reveal the ten different sets that were used. That’s when it truly clicks: Every stage is a world of its own, with elements that speak to the performances within. Something that would’ve been virtually impossible to pull off in a physical concert.
Blackpink sets the tone with “Kill This Love” in a run-down building. It is similar to the war zone setting of the music video, only this time, their combat boots are paired with glitzy ingenue dresses.
Fashion is just as much a part of their performance, as Jisoo herself says: “We can’t leave out styling. When dance, vocals, and fashion merge into one, the synergy is maximized... Our goal is to come out with something that didn’t exist in the world before.” And as any Blink (Blackpink fan) knows, this is the group’s core aesthetic: pretty and feminine meets strong and badass.
They perform “Crazy Over You,” a rhythmic hip-hop track off “The Album,” before officially welcoming virtual audiences to their livestream concert with “How You Like That.” This seems no coincidence: Jisoo shares that they sing this “to give the message of not being daunted by dark situations, and to not lose the confidence and strength to stand up again.”
The next stage is a dimly lit cavern with string-light stalactites, onto which the girls perform two concert staples, “Don’t Know What To Do” and “Playing With Fire,” plus the EDM hit “Lovesick Girls,” in what would pass the most for relatable streetwear.
All three songs are deceivingly upbeat but lament the angst of heartbreak and relationships, and who hasn’t been there?
Jisoo’s solo follows this theme while breaking away from it visually. She performs her own translation of Tove Lo’s “Habits (Stay High)” in a stunning tiered floral gown backdropped against a retro-vintage house, with a couple dancing in the next room.
Her distinct vocals carry the vulnerability of this song so well one may forget about its famously risqué lyrics.
Lisa gets the next solo with a rap and her own choreographed dance cover of Doja Cat’s “Say So.” In case anyone misses the Beyoncé reference and inspiration for her look, the other girls call her Liyoncé at the end of her performance. Also true in the sense that Lisa totally owns every stage she takes on.
For “Sour Candy,” Blackpink goes quite literal with their black and pink ensembles while maintaining the juxtaposition of sweet and sultry. Lisa looks like Harley Quinn, Rosé is Barbie in a hot pink feather bolero, Jennie is a baby doll in pastel pouf sleeves, and Jisoo is in a Lolita-inspired dress. Lady Gaga joins them as a prismic singing head hovering over their heads via CGI. The set of mirrors and lights, too, seems to borrow visual aspects from Lady Gaga’s album “Chromatica,” where this song appears.
The girls sit down for the English song “Love To Hate Me” followed by “You Never Know,” both from “The Album.” The two songs speak of self-empowerment: the first about finding the strength to leave a toxic relationship, and the second about standing up to judgments and misconceptions of people who don’t know better.
Fittingly, the backdrop is a stripped-down concert stage, the kind you see in intimate performances that almost make you feel like you’re sitting in front row.
Jennie’s “Solo” shows a reworked version of the one she released in 2018: a new musical arrangement, a new choreography, and a new and longer rap verse she wrote about how she has evolved since then. Whereas the original music video had more generic visuals, Jennie’s stage is decidedly East Asian in theme, featuring black changho (the doors of the hanok or traditional Korean house) against a sky as red as the rose top she’s wearing.
These are two of South Korea’s traditional colors. Red is associated with summer, fire and the southern direction, and represents masculine energy, passion, and creation. Black is associated with winter, water, and the northern direction, and represents feminine energy, wisdom, and calm. Jennie’s hair style, too, seems to be a nod to the keun meori (big hair) hair donned by Joseon-era royalty.
Rosé’s long-anticipated song, which she talked about being scared to write on Netflix’s “Light Up The Sky,” is finally revealed in full. (The preview on Blackpink’s YouTube channel garnered 31 million views in the last five days).
“Gone” starts with the music video—presumably to give Rosé time to get ready on her stage. In the video, she is at times a pastel-clad girl in love, talking and giggling on the phone, and at times a glamorous train wreck crying or waiting at a gritty bus stop. The message is pretty straightforward, even as the video transitions into Rosé on stage: sitting on a swing, an empty one right next to her, singing of a love that’s gone and turned cold.
With all the solos clinched, they perform together “Pretty Savage” from “The Album” and “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” (or “4D” to Blinks). These songs are actually connected. Blackpink is unapologetic about being confident, successful, and “pretty savage” in “4D,” while truly owning this title in the more recent song.
The set and the black sparkly corsets are reminiscent of 2019, when Blackpink made history as the first K-pop girl group to perform on Coachella. But as they move on to “4D,” the stage and choreography are unlike anything they’ve ever shown. As fire burns behind them, the girls are dancing in shallow waters, in what seems to be the stomping grounds of men—quite literally as they employ stomp choreography at this part. By the end of the song when the last “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” shots are fired, no man is left standing.
Just when you think “The Show” will go on without further mention of the pandemic and its effects, a video shows the girls in an empty stadium, sitting by the bleachers which would have otherwise been filled with shrieks and waving lightsticks. The first bittersweet chords of their staple penultimate song, “Stay,” starts to play. Before everything changed, they would sing this to ask fans to stay with them after every concert, they would walk offstage, and then come back for an encore. But whom do they ask now? Everyone is watching them from home.
Instead, “Stay” is the backdrop as Jennie, Lisa, Rosé, and Jisoo open up about the challenges they’ve faced that got them here: from their days as trainees, to when they finally achieved their dreams, and the challenges of mounting performances during this pandemic. If there’s one thing that didn’t change, it’s that “Stay” remains the emotional climax of their concert.
Perhaps the last set can be considered as their encore: As the exterior shot of the stadium is shown, Lisa shares that it’s where they held the first leg of their world tour in 2018. The next shot is Blackpink on a literal global stage—a backdrop of the world’s famous skyscrapers—singing “Whistle” (their debut single), “As If It’s Last Your Last,” and “Boombayah.” Their outfits are a mishmash of winter boots, corsets, cheerleader silhouettes and early 2000s hip-hop (not their best, but at this point the audience is probably still heady to notice).
These are some of Blackpink’s most recognizable hits, especially with the memorable choreo.
Their final performance, “Forever Young,” is a tribute to Blinks worldwide. In physical concerts, “Stay” is when they would reach their arms out and accept gifts like stuffed toys and cards thrown by fans onstage while they sing. Since COVID has rendered this kind of interaction impossible, they asked Blinks last month to send in their messages—which in turn adorned the final stage.
The group also take the time to acknowledge their band (who breathed new life into familiar songs with the new arrangements), dancers, and production staff. There is no change of outfit, no choreography—just Jisoo, Lisa, Jennie, and Rosé having fun on stage and interacting with their fans through the message cards.
The global success Blackpink is enjoying now did not come fast and easy. In an industry where female artists have a slower trajectory and much shorter life span than their male counterparts, these four women have poured a decade of their lives to get here. COVID-19 may have derailed both their plans for “The Album” and “The Show,” but when they couldn’t give us a world tour, they toured us to their world—and there’s bound to be more in store. — BM, GMA News
“Blackpink: The Show” will be replayed over the next two Sundays, February 7 and 14, at 8 p.m. Philippines time for premium members of their YouTube channel.
