7 Things That Happened at the Blackpink Concert on 13 May 2023

Even if you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware of the recent concert held by Korean girl group Blackpink at the National Stadium on Saturday (13 May).

Blackpink, one of the most internationally known Korean pop (K-Pop) groups, was in Singapore for the BORN PINK Singapore tour, which took place over two days on 13 and 14 May.

The 105-minute-long concert, with tickets ranging from $168 to $398, marked the first time since the group, comprising Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa, performed in Singapore after their IN YOUR AREA concert in 2019.

As for their performances, the group performed their hits across the years like How You Like That, Pretty Savage, Whistle, Lovesick Girls and Shut Down.

Individually, each of the four members also performed their solo songs. Jisoo performed Flower, Jennie performed You and Me, Rosé performed Hard To Love and On The Ground, and Lisa performed Lalisa and Money.

And because there are always amusing (and not-so-amusing) shenanigans that happen every time international superstars perform in Singapore, here’s a list of things that occurred during Blackpink’s concert.

Merchandise Store Opened at 9 am; Some Went Down to Queue at 4 am

Yup, people are willing to wake up at ungodly hours to queue for things other than the latest iPhone or Apple product.

Before the concert started at around 8 pm on Saturday, the merchandise store at the nearby OCBC Square opened at 9 am.

Items sold at the store cost fans anywhere between $20 to $100 per item.

The merchandise sold at the store included hoodies, plush toys, keychains, lightsticks and hair clips.

When interviewed by The Straits Times, a 20-year-old fan revealed that she had gone down to OCBC square at 4 am to start queueing.

She added that a “second queue” had started to form outside Kallang Wave Mall by around 7 am.

So now that you know, you might even want to start queueing the night before the concert next time Blackpink returns to Singapore.

Just to buy merchandise.

Blackpink Members Complained About Heat

Well, that’s one thing we all have in common with K-Pop idols now.

With temperatures in Singapore peaking at up to 37°C over the past few days, some might wonder if the Blackpink members were the cause of the intense heat.

But it seems like the members themselves felt the heat too.

In TikTok videos uploaded by fans in Singapore, member Jennie mentioned how she felt like her face was melting off and even wiped her sweat while on stage.

@itsmrpj weather became hotter today frs #blackpinksingapore ♬ original sound – Philip Joshua

She even said, “It is very, very, very hot today.”

According to The Straits Times, the temperature on the day of the concert rose (pun intended) to 33°C.

However, the ladies still checked in on the fans despite dealing with the heat too.

When speaking to the attendees, the group members asked if their fans were doing alright and reminded them to hydrate themselves.

Singaporeans Complained About Others’ Concert Etiquette

And because no experience is uniquely Singaporean without a series of complaints, Blinks (Blackpink fans) found something to complain about during the concert.

No, the complaints have nothing to do with their idols lah.

Instead, the complaints that fans made were mainly aimed at fellow concert-goers and their poor concert etiquette.

This was because some people felt that others were blocking the view by raising their phones high up in the sky.

@joeychok WATCH MY BLACKPINK CONCERT GUIDE TO SAVE YOU IF YOU ARE GOING TOMORROW! MONEY FLY BUT ITS OKAY PAY FOR EXPERIENCE 🥹 #blackpinkconcert #blackpinkconcertsingapore #blackpinksingapore2023 #blackpinkofficial #nationalstadiumsingapore #singaporetiktok #tiktoksg🇸🇬 #sgtiktok #tiktok #singapore ♬ original sound – joeychokdx

Yes, the “phone enjoys first” rule doesn’t just apply to aesthetically-pleasing food.

Such an issue seemed particularly present in the standing pen as people tried to get the best angles of their four idols on their mobile phone screens.

@shunicorn_ standing pen might not be so great after all 🫠 #blackpink #blackpinkconcert ♬ original sound – sher 🦄

Some expressed their disappointment and explained that it was because they had reached the concert venue earlier to try and get a better view of the stage.

Apparently, some people with standing pen tickets had arrived outside the National Stadium as early as 2.30 to 3 pm to try and get a better spot during the concert.

Someone Was Playing Angry Birds on His Phone

Well, it seems like someone’s still stuck in the early 2010s when the game just came out.

In a TikTok video uploaded by user @pollutedhq, a member of the audience was caught on camera after playing Angry Birds on his phone.

@pollutedhq 💀💀💀#bornpinkworldtour #bornpinksg #blackpink ♬ Angry Birds – Main Theme – Geek Music

When cast against the backdrop of pink-coloured lights from fans’ lightsticks, the attendee’s gleaming phone screen and the Angry Birds application being open on his phone seemed even more jarring.

As the (new) saying goes, in a literal sea of Blackpink fans, continue to be an Angry Birds fan instead.

Jennie Asked Audience Members to Put Phones Away Towards the End of the Concert

And it wasn’t only fellow attendees who noticed the poor concert etiquette that some members of the audience brought along with them.

Towards the end of the concert, Jennie commented on how it felt like many audience members had their phones out for the entire concert.

@jnkclip the phones again😭 #jennie #jenniekim #blackpink #fy #foryou ♬ original sound – jennie

“I’m seeing more cellphones than faces today,” the idol mentioned.

In a way that some might find similar to Asian parents’ style of parenting, she added, “I don’t know if I like that.”

She then encouraged fans to put away their phones and truly interact with the group while feeling the music for their last two songs of the night.

But because it was Jennie speaking to a group of die-hard Blackpink fans (and not everyone’s scary Asian mother), the fans cheered even after she “told them off”.

Local Celebrities Attended the Concert

And with the massive amounts of fame that Blackpink has garnered over the years, there’s no surprise that some local celebrities turned up to watch the girl group in person as well.

Local celebrities like Desmond Tan, Carrie Wong, Jasmine Sim and Jean Danker all attended the concert.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Carrie Wong 黄思恬 (@carriewst)

And, of course, they posted pictures of them soaking up the atmosphere on social media afterwards.

Because nowadays, did something really happen if you didn’t post about it on Instagram?

Other Mediacorp artistes like Tay Ying and Denise Camilla Tan also snapped photos when they attended the event together.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tay Ying 郑颖 (@tayying_)

Join our Telegram channel for more entertaining and informative articles at https://t.me/goodyfeedsg or download the Goody Feed app here: https://goodyfeed.com/app/

“Attendees” Outside the Stadium Participated in Their Own Ways

On the other hand (or the other side of the stadium), fans who were unable to get tickets to watch the actual concert had their own “concert” right outside the National Stadium.

TikTok user @valvalvalvalvalerie shared her “Cat 888” experience of “attending” the concert from outside the stadium with her friend, and it seems like the lack of tickets did not dampen these fans’ moods in the slightest.

@valvalvalvalvalerie 10/10 would do it again with my binoculars and camping chair. #blackpink #blackpinkbornpinktour #blackpinkinyourarea #blackpinksingapore2023 #blackpinksingapore #blackpinkconcert ♬ Pink Venom – BLACKPINK

In her video, she showed clips of people camping outside the stadium to watch the concert from outside.

Some people even brought binoculars to try and see what was going on in the stadium.

These fans also jumped and shouted excitedly while listening to the songs that Blackpink performed on stage.

They even danced like they were Blackpink’s backup dancers.

Towards the end of the concert, @valvalvalvalvalerie also showed clips of a security guard trying to get the “Cat 888” attendees to leave the area.

Based on her video, the security guard told them that they were about to close off the area.

However, it seems like the instructions (unfortunately) fell on deaf ears as those outside the stadium still continued to enjoy their “concert” and jump to the music playing within the area.