Blackpink dominate BST Hyde Park with spectacular show despite delayed start

As a casual listener of Blackpink, I knew I was in for an impressive show but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer star power of this girl group.

Pink-clad fans flooded BST Hyde Park on Sunday, most of them bedecked in Blackpink merchandise, excitedly waving around a light-up pink heart hammer – costing a cool £65 – known as the BI-Ping-Bong.

Despite a reputation for being a flawless, well-oiled machine, the group was around 15 minutes late taking to the main stage, with build-up music blasting to appease an increasingly restless audience.

The delay only made it more heartstopping when Blackpink finally rose into view with screams of pure joy erupting from the audience of 65,000.

Blackpink, made up of Rosé, Jennie, Jisoo, and Lisa, made history at BST as the first-ever Korean group to headline a major UK festival and it’s easy to see why fans are so obsessed.

Pyrotechnics and precision choreographed dance numbers began immediately with opening number Pink Venom, much to the delight of hardcore fans, known as Blinks, and newcomers like me.

The strong beats and girl-power lyrics had fans excitedly singing along – even when Blackpink switched to Korean the predominantly young girls watching didn’t miss a beat.

The grip K-Pop and Blackpink have on school-age kids is truly a sight to behold with youngsters flawlessly rapping along in Korean to their favourite songs.

Rosé, with her recognisable blonde hair, shouted ‘What’s up Hyde Park?’ before launching into individual introductions, not that the eager crowd needed them.

Not slowing down for long, the group kicked things up a notch with How You Like That, from their debut album, with more fireworks and dance routines known by diehard fans.

Blinks screamed even harder as the girls, dressed in coordinating white outfits, came downstage to perform three more songs together before an impressive dance break from the male dancers.

Act two of the K-Pop group’s epic performance featured solo numbers for each of the girls, proving that there are no weak links in Blackpink- they are all the Beyonce of the band.

The Idol star, Jennie, was up first performing her two songs You & Me and Solo with Jisoo taking the stage next with new single Flower, which had dedicated fans mimicking the choreography.

Slow songs are few and far between in Blackpink’s discography so Rosé ballad was a welcome break from all the dance-heavy hits, albeit short-lived as she picked the tempo back up for her second song.

Unfortunately, British weather played havoc with streamers released at the end of her solo moment, which hung over the lighting, stage, and trees for the rest of the show, with Rose joking: ‘London, what a nice breeze you have.’

Up last was Lisa who has undeniable star power, dripping in red as she showed off her unmatched dance skills in Money, grinning for the entire number, clearly having just as much fun as the audience.

The crowd had completely forgiven the late start by this point as another dance break saw the female dancers taking centre stage before the iconic ‘Blackpink in your area’ could be heard over the speakers.

Blackpink walked out to more screams and performed another five songs, but with the show overrunning sadly the crowd was thinning quickly as parents rushed kids home.

Despite the smaller but still pink-hammer-filled crowd, Blackpink nailed their closing songs with the high-energy precision production fans had come to expect.

More hits like Shut Down allowed for big dance numbers before the group sang a poignant Forever Young together as they hugged and looked out over the enamoured crowd.

Some fans did express disappointment that the stars hadn’t played Kill This Love, which I understand as it is one of their biggest hits but it’s impossible to feel let down by the performances given.

Having walked into the show only knowing a handful of songs, I walked out truly in awe of the sheer stamina and performance ability of all four members of Blackpink.

The production value is up there with the likes of Beyonce, Pink and Taylor Swift but I can’t think of a single group right now who could compete with this quartet.

With not one foot wrong once the show kicked off, Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa are undeniable stars and I left Hyde Park thoroughly converted into a Blink.

Is it too late to go back and buy a pink hammer?

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Emotional Danny O’Donoghue honours late The Script bandmate Mark Sheehan with powerful BST Hyde Park tribute

MORE : Guns N’ Roses rip through rainy BST Hyde Park performance with electrifying fervour as guitar god Slash steals show