.jpg "BLACKPINK World Tours: Untold Stories, Cultural Impact & Backstage Secrets")
Backstage Logistics and Tour Planning
BLACKPINK's Born Pink world tour has become one of the highest-grossing tours ever by a girl group, but behind the 2-hour show on stage was months of coordination. The group performed in over 60 cities worldwide between 2022 and 2023, which meant performing in a different country every 4 days.
For each concert, stage equipment was transported via three separate shipping routes: one set was shipped to the next city, one was being set up in the current city, and the other was being dismantled and shipped back to the previous location. In other words, BLACKPINK's stage setup was physically in motion across three countries at the same time.
The hotels where the group stayed during the tour were carefully selected. Separate rooms were reserved for each member, and since some members, such as Jennie, were more sensitive to noise, upper floor and corner rooms were preferred whenever possible.
Efforts to Achieve Cultural Harmony Between Countries
After delivering a lengthy opening speech in Thai during her performance in Bangkok, Lisa brought the audience to tears. The speech was prepared in collaboration with the local consultant in Thailand, but Lisa made changes and shared some of her own childhood memories. Rosé watched a special video message from her family for the first time on stage during the Australia concert. This moment was even kept secret from the production team. Rosé, who became emotional when she took the stage, continued her performance with tears in her eyes.
At the Paris concert, Jennie's stage costume featured a special touch inspired by the Louvre Museum. As a result of a collaboration with the Chanel team, a miniature “Venus de Milo” figure was hidden in the top part of her outfit. The audience didn't notice it, but it was talked about in the fashion press for days.
Fan Interaction and Surprise Moments
At the Sao Paulo concert, Jisoo noticed one of the surprise banners prepared by the audience and came down from the stage. Security tried to intervene, but thanks to Jisoo's determination, she hugged her fan. This image went viral on social media. At BLACKPINK's Los Angeles concert, Billie Eilish was backstage and met with the members after the show. However, what was interesting was that the outfit Jennie wore during her performance that evening closely resembled the colors Billie had used in her music video a month prior. This similarity was interpreted as a deliberate nod.
During the Bangkok show, children from Lisa's former dance school were specially invited and surprised her by sharing the stage with her. Lisa learned about this for the first time on stage and experienced an emotional outburst. This moment was not repeated in any other city during the tour.
Health and Challenges During the Tour
During the group's In Your Area tour, Jennie suddenly lost her balance on stage and fell to her knees, causing concern among fans. However, behind-the-scenes footage revealed that she had experienced a brief drop in blood pressure backstage just before the fall. It was later revealed that she had received an injection due to fatigue before taking the stage.
Rosé's vocal cords were partially damaged five days before her Coachella performance. The doctor advised her not to perform on stage. However, Rosé prepared for the performance by resting and not speaking for three days with special vocal warm-up therapy. As a result, she did not speak at all backstage after the performance that day. Jisoo took the stage with a slight fever during the Japan leg of the Born Pink tour. Neither the media nor the fans noticed this. However, footage of her receiving support with hot water and honey backstage later surfaced in the tour documentary.
Special Preparations for BLACKPINK in Different Cities
Before the Dubai concert, the Burj Khalifa presented a completely customized light show for BLACKPINK. The show lasted only three minutes, but the organization process took four weeks. The company worked with a team from South Korea to program LED screens with visuals specific to the group.
Before the Copenhagen concert, a massive billboard featuring a BLACKPINK poster was displayed on Strøget, the city's largest shopping street. What's interesting is that this project was entirely funded by fan donations. Over 700 Danish fans contributed small donations to make it happen. On the day of the Newark concert, the New Jersey Governor's Office declared the day of the concert “BLACKPINK Day.” A celebratory message was shared on their official Twitter accounts. Such an official declaration of a day is quite rare for K-pop groups.
Tour Costumes and Fashion Details
Most of the outfits the group wore on stage during their world tour were designed separately for each city. For example, Jennie's outfit for the Thailand concert was designed exclusively for Bangkok and was produced in Paris using local silk.
The special choreography outfit prepared for Lisa's solo dance performance was inspired by Thai martial arts and was secured to her body just 15 minutes before she took the stage. This was because the main part of the costume was held in place with magnets and had to be redesigned six times during rehearsals to prevent it from falling off during the performance. The dress Rosé wore at the Paris concert was not from Saint Laurent's collection for that season but a special archive piece. This dress had only been used once before, in a fashion shoot in 1990.
Behind the Scenes – What Happens on BLACKPINK Tours?
After each concert in every city, the group members hold short “debrief” meetings among themselves. During these meetings, they discuss what went well in the performance and which scenes were difficult. Notes are taken during these meetings and revisions are made before the next concert.
During the Born Pink tour, BLACKPINK distributed small gifts to the crew in each city. In Berlin, they gave chocolate, in Tokyo, traditional furoshiki cloth, and in Mexico City, specially designed pins. These small gifts were intended to connect with the local culture.
BLACKPINK's backstage relaxation areas are designed entirely according to personal preferences. Jennie's space features black-and-pink lighting and aromatherapy candles, while Lisa has custom posters with images of Thai street food. Rosé always requests fresh flowers in her room, and Jisoo's space is decorated with cat-themed decor.
Travel Habits and Interesting Routines
The group members do not usually sit together on long flights. Lisa and Jisoo prefer to sit next to each other, while Jennie usually prefers to sit alone in a corner seat and read a book. Rosé, on the other hand, typically listens to music and takes notes throughout the journey. Jisoo has a habit of collecting phone cases from every country she visits during tours. This collection currently includes items from over 40 countries, and she keeps a notebook with small notes about each one.
Lisa has made it a tradition to try the local dessert of each city after every concert. She has tried mango sticky rice in Bangkok, macarons in Paris, and churros in Los Angeles. Her followers have dubbed this habit “Lisa's Sweet Map.”
Unforgettable Moments and Unexpected Situations
During the Berlin concert, a sudden rain shower affected the open-air stage, and the crew had to clean the floor with mops in the middle of the performance. However, the group's dance wasn't interrupted. Jisoo maintained the rhythm even while stepping on the water puddles on stage, and this moment went viral on social media with the hashtag “rain queen.”
During the Dallas concert, Jennie's microphone suddenly stopped working. Noticing the situation, Lisa approached Jennie while still in the middle of the dance routine and shared her microphone briefly. This moment was completely improvised, and the team later created a special choreography as a thank-you gesture. At the end of the Tokyo Dome concert, the fireworks that lit up the stage were strictly limited by regulations. However, since it was Jisoo's birthday, a special permission was granted to add an extra 10-second celebration. Obtaining approval from Japanese regulatory authorities took several weeks.
BLACKPINK and Coachella – A Performance That Pushes the Boundaries of the Festival
In 2023, BLACKPINK became the first K-pop group to headline Coachella's main stage. However, before the performance, a special “hallyu” consultant brought in from Korea was present backstage. This person observed and made suggestions to ensure that the performance did not seem foreign to American audiences.
The giant LED screens on stage showed a 4-second archive of the members' past performances. This detail was interpreted as a “hidden stage” quietly paying homage to the group's career journey. The special design Jennie wore on the Coachella stage was not technically a stage costume but a Haute Couture evening gown. This outfit, which was barely suitable for walking, was modified by four separate tailors for the 15-minute choreography.
Local Media and Cultural Perceptions
After the Mexico City concert, the country's largest newspaper ran the headline, “K-pop is no longer just music, it's global stage theater.” The article emphasized that BLACKPINK's performances were considered more stage art than music.
During the UK tour, BBC Culture analyzed Lisa's dance style under the headline “The Baryshnikov of the East” and compared her stage presence to classical ballet. Such a comparison had never been made for K-pop dancers before. Before the Seoul concert, English announcements were added to metro stations instead of Korean due to requests from the local community. This is because the number of fans who came from abroad to see BLACKPINK's concert exceeded the number of tourists visiting during the same period.
Fan Participation Performances and Special Shows
At the Sydney concert, the group's manager personally checked the identities of the first three rows of audience members before the performance began. This was because one person selected to appear on stage that evening was Rosé's childhood friend, and it was important that they remain unnoticed. When Rosé saw them on stage, she couldn't hold back her tears.
After the Paris concert, fans organized a small parade on the Champs-Élysées. Hundreds of people dressed in black and pink outfits gathered to thank the group. This event was completely unauthorized, but the police did not intervene, citing “peaceful and exemplary behavior.”
At the Toronto concert, in honor of Jennie's birthday, all the audience members organized themselves and lit pink LEDs at the same time. When the group noticed this on stage, the performance was interrupted, and Jennie gave a special thank-you speech.
BLACKPINK's Contributions to the Special Tour and Stage Creativity
BLACKPINK members do more than just perform on stage during tours; they are directly involved in the creative process. The scripts for the background videos used during stage transitions in the Born Pink tour were shaped by direct suggestions from Jennie and Rosé. Jennie, in particular, requested that some visual transitions be re-edited for tempo and emotional harmony. Rosé reached out to a musician friend she grew up with in Australia to prepare a special intro for a guitar solo performance to be used on stage before the world tour. This piece was only performed at the Sydney and Melbourne concerts.
Lisa recommended a Thai dance theater lighting director for the lighting design of her solo dance performance. This individual, who typically works only at local festivals, managed the stage lighting throughout the European tour. As a result, the lighting tones and transitions during Lisa's solo moments took on a more cinematic structure compared to the other members.
Tour Equipment and Surprise Details
The LED floor used on BLACKPINK's tour stage was a special panel system found on only five stages worldwide. The panels in this system were programmed to slightly change color tone according to heat and dance steps. In other words, the members' movements on stage triggered real-time visual effects. The confetti used in every concert was made from an eco-friendly and recyclable special paper. This decision was made after Jennie expressed her sensitivity toward “environmental impact” in an interview in 2021.
BLACKPINK members did not always choose the same airline for their flights. In some cases, commercial flights were preferred over charter flights because Jennie prefers to travel in the “quieter” cabins of certain airlines when she experiences flight anxiety. As a result, longer layover times were planned for some city transitions.
Tour Documentary and Behind-the-Scenes Restrictions
A significant portion of the behind-the-scenes footage filmed during the Born Pink world tour has not yet been released. This is because some of the group's rehearsals in certain cities were very personal. For example, Rosé's rehearsal in Seoul, which ended with her in tears, was only attended by the group members and two technical crew members. The camera footage was kept private.
Jisoo specifically requested that the cameramen not record her panic attack before the show in Japan. As a result, the Japan concerts were shown in a shorter format in the documentary. Despite this, fans noticed that Jisoo performed with a different energy on stage that day.
Throughout the tour, cameras were rolling not only on stage but also on buses and backstage. However, the group imposed a “no camera” day every week. On these days, no backstage footage was taken, and the members were free to spend their time as they pleased. Jennie usually meditated on these days, while Lisa watched TV series.
Impact on the Global Economy and Ticket Wars
Hotel and restaurant reservations in the cities where BLACKPINK performed sold out days in advance. In particular, in major cities like Bangkok, Los Angeles, and Paris, hotel prices rose by up to 40% two weeks before the concert date. The Singapore Tourism Board stated in a post-concert announcement that the city experienced “one of the busiest tourism days of the year.”
Concert tickets sold out in most countries within less than a minute of going on sale. However, in the US and the UK, some ticket websites experienced system crashes. In particular, over 300,000 people queued simultaneously for the London O2 Arena concert, setting a record in UK history.
Ticket prices were 25% higher than the average for other K-pop groups. Nevertheless, considering the stage technology, visual infrastructure, dancers, and sound engineering details, music critics deemed it “worth it.” BLACKPINK tickets were sold for up to five times their face value on the secondary market in some cities. A VIP ticket for the New York concert, in particular, reached $12,000 at auction. This was widely reported in the media as a concrete example of the group's economic impact beyond their concerts.
International Security Measures and VIP Behavior Protocols
The special security protocol used by BLACKPINK during their world tour was expanded to include not only the members but also the dancers on stage, technical staff, and the first three rows of audience members closest to the stage. In some cities, fans who approached the stage without permission using drones were quickly identified by security teams and removed from the concert area.
At the Dubai and Riyadh concerts, “women-only zones” were created in the concert area to enhance the safety of female attendees, as required by protocol. The BLACKPINK team specifically requested that these sections be monitored for both security and comfort.
At the Toronto concert, a VIP security protocol supported by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was implemented because there were diplomatic guests at the concert. Photos of several ambassadorial families who met with BLACKPINK members at the same event were not officially published but were recorded in diplomatic bulletins.
BLACKPINK Members' Post-Stage Habits
Each member has a different ritual after the concert. Lisa usually prefers to listen to Thai music and dance backstage. Jennie retreats to a quiet corner to watch video replays of her stage performance. Rosé writes a few lines about the night in a small diary. Jisoo usually removes her makeup immediately and washes her face with warm water because she thinks her face gets very dry on stage.
During the tour, the members eat only Korean food one day a week. A Korean chef or embassy staff member is assigned to prepare this menu in each city. The menu usually includes kimchi, bibimbap, and seaweed soup. Rosé requests carrot cake the most after concerts. The team therefore has to find a reliable bakery in every city during the tour. In fact, for the New York concert, the cake was delivered two hours before the performance and transported to the backstage in a special cooler.