After two nights in Seoul, BLACKPINK kicked off the North American leg of their “BORN PINK World Tour” (grab tickets here) with a thunderous show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on Tuesday (October 25th).
At the first of two shows in Dallas, the K-pop girl group’s impact could be clocked before you even entered the building. Fans were dressed in fashionable outfits reminiscent of the band’s signature style, and once inside the venue, merch lines wrapped around the halls. Attendees were then treated to the pre-show playlist of their dreams: BLACKPINK music videos were on repeat, each one met with cheers as if the band had performed them in person.
When BLACKPINK (comprised of members Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa) went on at 8:11 p.m., the general admission section was only two-thirds full and several empty seats could be spotted before the lights went down. If you were going off of screams alone, however, you wouldn’t know otherwise.
BLACKPINK’s fans, or BLINKS, are intensely dedicated, and their energy filled the room at the American Airlines Center. There were several moments throughout the show where the band would engage in banter, engaging with both one another and the audience with comments about their love for Dallas and their excitement to be back on tour. These moments could barely be heard over the sound of cheers and fans begging for their favorite member to look their way.
As for the music, BLACKPINK is known for energetic and bombastic electropop bangers, and their production design matched that energy. The show featured several costume changes, intricate choreography, a chorus of dancers and a full rock backing band that the girls thanked by name individually halfway through the set.
BLACKPINK in Dallas, photo courtesy of YG Entertainment
Fans were equipped with lightsticks shaped like hearts, pumping them to the beat of hits like “Kill This Love” and “Pink Venom,” and illuminating the stands with a pink glow. Multiple confetti firings and pyrotechnic moments throughout the night fortified the group’s reputation for having zero subtlety.
The show also gave each band member a chance to perform a solo. Jennie performed her unreleased single “You and Me (Moonlight),” while Jisoo did a cover of Camila Cabello’s “Liar” justice. Lisa and Rosé, who have spent more time in the past few years developing solo material, were the highlights of this segment, though; Rosé delivered powerhouse vocals on “Hard to Love” and “On the Ground,” while Lisa highlighted her strong rap and dance background, including a show-stopping pole routine, with her singles “LALISA” and “MONEY.”
After the final act of the show concluded with the feel-good “Forever Young,” BLACKPINK bid the audience goodnight and left the stage. Anyone who had looked at the setlist for their previous show in Seoul knew an encore was coming, but the band wasn’t afraid to let them wait in the dark for a few minutes, feverishly chanting for their idols to return.
BLACKPINK in Dallas, photo courtesy of YG Entertainment
At 9:48 p.m., their wish was granted. BLACKPINK came back onstage to perform “BOOMBAYAH” in street clothes, as if to imply they were just about to walk outside but had spontaneously been persuaded to stay a little longer.
Before finishing for good with “As If It’s Your Last,” BLACKPINK reiterated their affection for Dallas and asked if any fans were coming back for the second show, and almost all of the audience screamed in affirmation.
That’s the kind of impact BLACKPINK has. They may not be able to fill an entire arena for a two-night run in a secondary media market like Dallas, but the fans who did show will follow them to the ends of the world. And with the ambitious scope of this upcoming tour, the band seems to be counting on that.
BLACKPINK in Dallas, photo courtesy of YG Entertainment
BLACKPINK next play another night at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday (October 26th), followed by two nights in Houston. Tickets for those shows, and for the rest of the “BORN PINK World Tour,” are available via Ticketmaster.
Setlist:
How You Like That
Pretty Savage
Whistle
Don’t Know What to Do
Lovesick Girls
Kill This Love
Crazy Over You
Playing with Fire
Tally
Pink Venom
Liar (Camila Cabello cover)
You & Me (Moonlight)
Hard to Love
On the Ground
LALISA
MONEY
Shut Down
Typa Girl
DDU-DU DDU-DU
Forever Young
Encore:
BOOMBAYAH
Yeah Yeah Yeah
As If It’s Your Last
