Blackpink roars back after 2-year hiatus with Deadline world tour

Blackpink has made a dazzling return with its electrifying new song, “Jump,” igniting excitement for its first world tour in almost two years.

On Saturday and Sunday, the South Korean girl group band, often dubbed “K-pop Queens,” opened their latest world tour, Deadline, at a stadium in Goyang, Korea, attracting almost 80,000 people.

The complete reunion of the quartet – Jennie, Lisa, Rosé and Jisoo – for the concert marked their first performance together since their last joint act, the Born Pink world tour, in September 2023.

After wrapping up the two-day Korean leg, Blackpink will visit 15 cities across the globe for its Deadline world tour, starting with Los Angeles and lasting until Dec. 13.

The other cities the group will tour include Chicago, Toronto, New York, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, London, Kaohsiung, Bangkok, Jakarta, Bulacan, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

FIRST NEW SONG IN NEARLY 3 YEARS


The sold-out opening concerts of the Deadline tour did not disappoint Blackpink fans, who filled the stadium under the sizzling heat of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius.

The group kicked off the concert with “Kill This Love” and “Pink Venom,” greeted by a wave of cheers from its fans.

Without a break, the K-pop band sang its hit songs – including “Whistle,” “Playing With Fire,” “How You Like That,” “As If It’s Your Last” and “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.”

The members had solo sets, with Jennie performing “Mantra” and “Like JENNIE” and Rosé lighting up the stadium with APT, her 2024 hit collaboration with pop star Bruno Mars, which set a record with the longest-charting K-pop song on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.

The highlight of the concert was the world premiere of their new song, called “Jump,” performed exclusively onstage on Saturday. This is their first new song since the Born Pink album in 2022. 

The fast-paced track is a dance-pop anthem about the power of a night out with the girls. Departing from their signature hip-hop style, the electro dance music has received mixed reviews. Its official release is slated for later this week. 

However, the overall performance, powered by their synchronized and visually captivating choreography, as well as live band music, was met with massive fanfare, enhanced by spectacular fire and drone shows that turned the concert into a festival, drumming up excitement for their upcoming world tour.

“Opening our world tour in Korea together after two years means a lot,” said Jennie at the show.

Rosé added, “Having a concert at a stadium was unimaginable seven years ago when we first introduced ‘Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.’ I am so grateful for our dream come true.”

Since their last world tour about two years ago, the members have signed a contract with YG Entertainment Inc. only for a group tour, focusing on solo acts under individual agencies.

Despite Blackpink’s return, YG Entertainment shares ended down 2.5% at 82,700 won ($60.41) on Monday, extending the losing streak for the fourth straight session.

Write to Sookyung Seo at skseo@hankyung.com
Jennifer Nicholson-Breen edited this article.