BLACKPINK’s tour is not a disappointment

By Isabella F.

At Airport High School, the music genre, K-Pop, has gained popularity as an effect of the hit movie KPop Demon Hunters. In response, all eyes have been on South Korea, especially the Korean Pop groups. One group in particular has broken countless records with few releases and is considered the biggest girl group in the world: BLACKPINK. 

The members: Kim Jisoo, Kim Jennie, Park Chaeyoung (Rosé), and Lalisa, their impact on the K-Pop industry has been nothing but influential and has helped shape the identity of the genre. However, as they have been on the DEADLINE world tour for the past couple of months hate against them has increased, many saying they should disband and continue their solo careers due to their lack of energy and interest in the tour. While others have been trying to defend them, saying that idols are not robots and they are humans who are allowed to have bad days where they mess-up. With this to say, BLACKPINK’s tour is not a disappointment due to their production value, interactions with the crowd, and the inclusion of their solo songs that promotes a high-energy, inclusive experience for anybody.

The production value brings an exceptional rounded stage that combines the use of lasers, screens, and a number of the best backup dancers to create an unforgettable experience. As stated by Billboard, a company known for posting accurate data on the latest music charts, the work that not only their touring team put in but “the members’ direct involvement in every aspect of production–from stage design to choreography, sets, and props” helped to form strong, unforgettable shows. This not only proves the dedication of giving fans a quality experience but also their love for what they are doing.

Calling BLACKPINK’s tour a disappointment is like leaving in the middle of a film at the movie theater only because you did not like one scene; all while overlooking elements such as the sound, visuals, and the special effects that make the whole story. This applies to the DEADLINE tour as the manufacturing that went into creating this once in a lifetime moment–the long rehearsing hours, sound checks, light checks, and even firework checks, are not meant to be there just for people to look at, they are intended to stay with you long after the lights come on.

Interacting with the crowd displays a loving, appreciation for their fans that provides countless memories for a lifetime. Afromannmuzzicc.com, a website known for helping independent artists, gives the insight that concerts “allow fans to experience music in an immersive environment, fostering emotional engagement and loyalty.” By utilizing these, it creates a strong connection, guarantees for fans to stay committed to supporting the artist(s), and drives for more engagement online and in-person. BLACKPINK’s fans, known as BLINKS, are extremely devoted to making sure that the group stays on top of charts as they stream songs and help sell-out the stadiums on tour. 

At one performance in particular in Chicago at Soldier Field stadium, the members of BLACKPINK would purposefully sing slower songs, compared to their upbeat, choreographed ones, that gave them time to walk around and interact with fans. During the show, many observations were made that sold the show to be special, like many of the other performances before and after this one. 

Rosé, the main vocalist of the group, made sure to pause and express her gratitude for their fans. This did not happen only once but multiple times throughout the night. You can clearly see the love they have for not only their fans but performing on stage with each other. Amid the end of show, they were performing the hit song “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and Rosé happened to miss her cue to dance as she was talking to the fans. Instead of everybody getting upset at this, they laughed–both the fans and the other members: Jisoo, Jennie, and Lisa. This had created a moment of lightheartedness and a special memory for everybody to take home with them.

Their solo songs have taken off to become huge hits; performing these keeps the crowd entertained and always anticipating a fun time. Speaking of solo hits, the members have released countless songs that took over charts. According to Forbes, Jisoo, the main visualist of the group, released her first solo “Flower” song back in 2023, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Global 200 Chart with 108.7 million streams. Her most recent release, Amortage, had over 5 million streams on the first day (with just four songs on the EP). With her small tour “Lights, Love, Action!,” she went around to ten cities and had an audience of over 100,000 people. As Jisoo has taken over Asia, Jennie and Lisa have been dominating the Western world.

At the beginning of the year, Jennia and Lisa served as sub-headliners for one of the most known festivals in the world: Coachella. Over one weekend, the girls had taken off on social media, and according to Indiatimes “#LISA [had] broken the record for the Most weekly mentions in Coachella history, surpassing 6.1 Million in one weekend!” Continuing to prove their impact on the industry, the revenue the two brought to the festival needs to be noted. Jennie was able to generate $13 million and Lisa generated $9.5 million all from two weekends. While these two have had successful releases with “Mantra” by Jennie debuting at #3 as stated by Forbes, along with Lisa’s single “Rockstar” reaching #1 within a week with 94.2 million streams, Rosé has taken a seat at the global stage.

Her hit single “APT.” off of her album Rosie, has earned multiple awards and has received praise from top critics in the music industry. Recently, Billboard initiated the news that Apple Music named it the “biggest song of 2025” across their platform. This collaboration with Bruno Mars has brought attention to her solo career as well as BLACKPINK all together. At concerts, this song is a part of the setlist and immediately gets the crowd on their feet and screaming the lyrics together.

Even with these reasons, many critics argue that the tour is not enough to justify its prices. They claim that the setlist is repetitive as they reuse the same songs since their debut in 2016. Along with this, people express that the solo sets take away from the full-group performances fans paid to see. From this point of view, the concert feels more like four separate shows put together instead of one cohesive performance. This has the fans wanting new songs and more focus put onto the group. However, once again, these points miss what the tour actually delivers. The consistency in songs is to ensure fans get the same high-energy, perfect shows everytime. Also, solo moments do not withdraw attention from the group, it instead strengthens their image; showcasing how their individualities and dualities come together to make BLACKPINK who they are today.

Curious to hear what the public at Airport High School has to say about BLACKPINK and their DEADLINE tour, I interviewed Anne E., a junior in the Early College program, who explained that while she does not know much about BLACKPINK themselves, she has heard many statements about their current tour. She believes that “it looks like a very fun experience, and is something [she] would absolutely love to go see if given the chance,” and while she admits that she has seen negative comments about their tour, “the music is very energetic, and the artist's energy seems to match that of their music.” Her perspective on their tour and as a group is important to show how their tour is able to reach out with success to those who may not be familiar with the genre or the group, bringing in new fans.

Another interviewee, Elena N., a junior involved in many activities here at AHS such as orchestra, had similar thoughts about BLACKPINK. She prefers other K-Pop groups such as Stray Kids yet that “does not excuse anybody who is choosing to hate on another group.” She “may not listen to the group, but [she] does listen to their solo songs” and finds herself to enjoy the songs made by Rosé as well as Lisa. With this to say, she would “go to their concert if [she] was able to” due to the “fans and the overall environment” brought into one venue. Her views emphasize how BLACKPINK’s solo careers does not create a negative view of the group and brings people together to enjoy their music as one.

Overall, the DEADLINE world tour brought to the stage by the girl group BLACKPINK is not a disappointment due to the production value that is brought to the table with the visuals, emotional connections, and their solo sets that bring depth to their show. The reasons that are stated, statistics that are used to back up the claims, everything that is laid out and displayed herein proves that their show is worth the money and not worth the time or effort to hate on. In order to avoid spreading negativity, choose to look past the mistakes that viral videos point out and view the overall image. Bandwagoning off what the mass media or trolls on the internet says is not, at the end of the day, a good look. Use your own brain and judge for your own self.