K-Pop

Southeast Asian Fans Complain of Paying for “Itaewon-like” Experience at BLACKPINK Concert, What Went Wrong?

“People spent $300 just to see phones,” “It was the worst concert ever”.

Reviews from local fans who attended BLACKPINK’s concert held on May 13th in Singapore expressing disappointment are flooding on social media. 

According to Singaporean online media outlet AsiaOne, most of the negative reviews regarding BLACKPINK’s concert were about the disorderly seating arrangement despite the high ticket prices.

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The concert held at the Singapore National Stadium sold VIP standing for 398 SGD (approximately 292 USD), standing A for 328 SGD (approximately 240 USD), and standing B for 248 SGD (approximately 181 USD), respectively.

A fan who went to the concert posted a video review on TikTok, stating that from the standing B area, they could only see (other people’s) cameras. The fan recalled, “I gave up and raised my phone to record everything,” and expressed dissatisfaction, “I couldn’t see BLACKPINK at all. They looked too small.”

They added, “People spent $300 just to see other people’s phones. If you’re not at the very edge of the standing area, you’ll die, give up.”

BLACKPINK

Similar comments were left under the video, such as “I spent $888 to experience the Itaewon incident” and “I paid $300 to see BLACKPINK’s phone advertisement.

Other comments comparing past experiences with other K-pop star concerts stand out, such as “Psy performed in the same place and he said, ‘I will perform Gangnam Style twice, once for using phones and the other for just enjoying it,’” or “I was lucky during Girls’ Generation’s concert. At that time, filming was prohibited.

Read more: Malaysian lawyer sues concert organizers of BLACKPINK’s “BORNPINK” up to RM1 million in compensation for “missing seats” 

Another TikTok user revealed that there were many bad manners in the standing A area at BLACKPINK’s concert. They shared a conversation with their friend saying, “Let’s give up on becoming good people today,” and pointed out, “There was no one trying to be a nice person. Everyone, including myself, became selfish.” They said, “The moment you try to become a good person, you will be pushed away from the very spot where you paid a lot of money. Everyone there was mean.”

Another TikTok user complained about the lack of etiquette among the audience, calling BLACKPINK’s concert in Singapore the “worst concert ever” and saying, “People were just pushing each other.”

VIP standing reviews were not significantly different. One VIP ticket holder complained that they were initially close to the stage, just an arm’s length away, but during the performance, they were pushed back, only seeing people’s arms and phones. They said, “I thought everyone was making a Netflix documentary. I couldn’t see anything at the concert, so I cried when they got home.

There are also reviews expressing regret for buying VIP tickets. One fan said, “There is no barricade separating the VIP section from other ticket areas, so you can keep getting pushed back.”

Some also criticized the organizers for their inadequate preparation and management.

Source: Herald. 

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