They are currently the biggest girl group in the world and <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/who-are-blackpink-meet-the-all-girl-band-set-to-be-k-pop-s-next-big-thing-1.844974" target="_blank">Blackpink</a> proved exactly why in their debut Abu Dhabi concert. The four-member K-pop band, which consists of Jennie, Jisoo, Rose and Lisa, hosted an entertaining two-hour set as they brought their <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/on-stage/2022/10/16/blackpink-begin-born-pink-world-tour-with-a-slick-set-full-of-hits/" target="_blank">Born Pink world tour</a> to Etihad Park on Saturday, performing in front of tens of thousands of excited fans who waited hours to see the band live. Although doors opened at 6pm, some fans (affectionately known as Blinks) lined up at the gates as early as 9am to secure a good spot at the venue. Blinks could watch the group’s music videos from around 8pm, as they sang and danced to the group’s biggest hits, until the ladies hit the stage at 8.40pm. Blackpink opened in grand fashion with lights, lasers and pyrotechnics, wearing white outfits as they performed their hit <i>How You Like That</i> from 2020’s <i>The Album</i>. It immediately proved why they are so popular, as their strong vocals mixed with an impressively choreographed routine — a theme that would be repeated throughout the night. They continued with other songs such as <i>Pretty Savage</i> and <i>Whistle </i>from their 2016 debut single album <i>Square One</i> before taking a break to chat with fans. “Abu Dhabi, are you excited?” asked Rose to an ecstatic crowd, who roared back in response. They then performed <i>Don’t Know What to Do</i> from their second EP <i>Kill This Love </i>before a lively performance of<i> Lovesick Girls</i>, which ended with streamers flying through the air much to the delight of those close to the front of the stage. There was an interlude before the band returned with lasers and fog once again while performing their 2019 <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/this-k-pop-video-from-blackpink-just-hit-100-million-views-on-youtube-in-record-time-1.846752" target="_blank">breakthrough hit <i>Kill This Love</i></a>, which was their first top 50 tune in the US and UK. During another break, the group talked about how excited they were to be in Abu Dhabi. “This is quite a cool venue you guys have here,” said Rose about Etihad Park. Jennie also said how impressed she was with the city’s beaches and admitted she hadn’t known much about the emirate prior to the gig. Lisa said how special it felt for her. “For me, it’s different than the other concerts we did.” They picked back up with group performances of two tracks from their <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/2022/09/16/born-pink-takeaways-blackpink-showcase-their-versatility-in-new-album/" target="_blank">latest album, <i>Born Pink</i></a><i> </i>— pop-infused <i>Tally</i> and the hip-hop-inspired, pop-rap-influenced <i>Pink Venom</i> — the latter of which hit No 1 in the US and South Korea — much to the excitement of fans who chanted the group’s name ahead of the song. Members also had time to show off their vocal prowess with solo performances as Jisoo sang a sultry cover of Camila Cabello’s<i> Liar</i>, while Jennie performed <i>You & Me</i>. Rose sang a mix of her two solo tracks, <i>Hard to Love</i> and <i>On The Ground</i>. Lisa brought back the energy with <i>Lalisa</i> and <i>Money</i>. After the solos, they returned for a group performance of more of their chart-topping tracks such as<i> Ddu-Du Ddu-Du </i>and <i>Forever Young</i>. After about a 10-minute break, Blackpink returned in fresh outfits for an encore of <i>Yeah Yeah Yeah</i>, <i>Stay</i> and fan-favourite <i>As If It’s Your Last</i>. During the final moments, the band also celebrated Rose's birthday early, presenting her with a cake and giving her well-wishes before spectacular fireworks went off<i> </i>as the members charmed the crowds by saying “thank you” in Korean and Arabic. While this was Blackpink’s first time in Abu Dhabi, based on the passionate response they received from fans who have long waited for them to come to the UAE, it certainly shouldn’t be their last.
