Blackpink fell in love with San Francisco at sold-out concert

“Blackpink in Bay Area,” declared the hit K-pop group, localizing a lyric from their 2016 song “Boombayah.” Blackpink would repeat the phrase throughout the night, blatantly enjoying the play on the original lyrics (“Blackpink in your area”) and relishing the cheers they evoked from the San Francisco crowd. 

“It’s really a perfect city to collaborate with our line,” said Jennie. “Probably the only city that we can put it in perfectly,” added Rosé.

A few months after a headlining Coachella performance, the sold-out Oracle Park concert by the wildly popular K-pop quartet was their first-ever concert in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of the few stadium shows Blackpink have performed in the U.S.

Seven years into their career, and just days away from their deadline for contract renewal with management company YG Entertainment, it was a night full of energy, excitement and playfulness as the pink-lit crowd of fans, known as Blinks, enjoyed a night of revelry with singers Jennie, Rosé, Lisa and Jisoo. 

“It’s a good life in San Francisco,” declared Rosé in response to Lisa talking about and imitating the sound of sea lions at Pier 39, who she called cute but smelly.

“I love this place. The energy is different, it’s actually really different,” Rosé followed up a few minutes later. She was followed by Jennie asking all the under-10-year-old “baby blinks” to scream, a nod to the young fans who may very well have been attending their first-ever concert. 

With around 40,000 concertgoers, the stadium was lit up in Blackpink’s signature hot pink as fans waved their squeaky heart-shaped lightsticks. The show began well after sundown, with the four members appearing with the anthemic “Pink Venom” around 8:50 p.m., and ending around 10:30 p.m. as fireworks lit up the night to the ever-so-fitting, and ever-so-excellent, “As If It’s Your Last.”

With a setlist built around last year’s “Born Pink” album, but not restricted to it, Blackpink performed some of their biggest career hits and b-sides throughout the night, showcasing the skills and charisma that have gotten them to the top of the pop world. Each woman had her own chance to shine with solo performances, and in between songs, their dance teams and band were given their own moments in the spotlight.

In the early parts of the show, the pacing felt fast, with only brief conversational asides from the four stars in between songs. But then towards the end — after burlesque-inspired feather dances, brash pop anthems and bold solo moments — the mood became more relaxed, with the singers chatting it up with the crowd in between verses. 

As the mood shifted toward a more casual tone, the free-wheeling nature of the women won out. Lisa was having such a great time wandering around the stage that Jennie had to shout at her to get back to her bandmates.

“Lalisa, get back here! Lalisa, come back!” she laughingly demanded, calling Lisa by her given name. Then, the act and their team began a chant of “Lalisa! Lalisa!” in what felt like the most amusing game of Red Rover ever, while Lisa ran back from the extended stage and apologized, even as Rosé declared her enthusiasm “so cute.”   

Despite being luxury brand ambassadors and some of the most prominent K-pop stars of all-time, Blackpink appeared surprisingly approachable at Oracle Park as they gracefully wowed thousands of fans. Being able to charm the entire crowd while simultaneously putting on a highly choreographed pop performance for the ages isn’t a task that most performers can handle — but Blackpink made it look easy.