Jennie, a member of the group BLACKPINK and a solo artist, completed her solo concert while wearing sunglasses throughout the performance. Voices of disappointment have emerged regarding the lack of richness in the production, setlist, and running time of the concert.
On March 15, Jennie held her first solo concert, ‘The Ruby Experience,’ at Inspire Arena in Incheon to celebrate the release of her first solo studio album, ‘Ruby.’ ‘The Ruby Experience’ was an opportunity to experience all 15 tracks from Jennie’s first solo album. The concert began on March 6-7 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, continued on March 10 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, and concluded at Inspire Arena on the 15th.
Many stars, including broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk, actress Kim Ji-won, and singer-actress Hyeri, attended the concert. BLACKPINK member Rosé also showed her support by attending. Big Bang’s Daesung and WINNER’s Lee Seung-hoon, who were part of YG Entertainment, also made appearances. The audience erupted in cheers when NewJeans appeared in the audience.
Jennie opened the stage with songs like ‘Mantra’ and ‘Love Hangover.’ She expressed her gratitude to the audience, saying, “Thank you for coming to my first solo concert,” and greeted them for the first time 45 minutes into the performance. She shared her feelings, stating, “I feel shy now that I’m up here. It still feels like a dream. I am denying reality. Seeing you all face to face today makes it feel real.” Jennie added, “This album captures my true self, which is a bit silly and honest, rather than a glamorous and perfect image. Everything feels new and like a fresh start.”
Overwhelmed by the audience’s response, Jennie shed tears. She asked, “Can everyone shout for me?” and the audience erupted in cheers. Jennie said, “I promised I wouldn’t cry. It was hard to accept the love I received after releasing the album,” and wiped her tears, expressing her gratitude and happiness at seeing the audience.
Despite controversies over her provocative outfits, Jennie maintained a lingerie-style wardrobe. Earlier, during performances in Los Angeles on March 6 and 7, she drew attention with daring outfits, including a deeply plunging bodysuit and underwear-style bottoms. Notably, during the performance of ‘Filter,’ there was an incident where the bodice became excessively revealing, and Jennie had to hold her outfit with one hand while performing.
Jennie also wore outfits reminiscent of lingerie during ‘ZEN’ and ‘Damn Right (feat. Childish Gambino, Kali Uchis).’ The dancers also wore revealing clothing. However, for ‘Filter,’ she wore less revealing attire compared to her overseas performances. Instead of a white bodysuit, she wore a red sleeveless top and short pants, which had a zip closure. The top was also deeply cut, and during the latter part of the song, Jennie had to hold her chest with one hand while performing the dance.
There were notable shortcomings in the production aspect as well. Although Jennie has stable live performance skills, it was hard to appreciate these strengths. The AR sound overshadowed the live vocals. Additionally, wearing sunglasses throughout the performance was disappointing. Expression and eye contact are crucial elements of a performance, and Jennie is known for her strengths in this area. She performed most of the songs while wearing sunglasses.
The focus on the camera rather than the audience also detracted from the overall quality of the performance. Jennie frequently looked at the cameras instead of the audience. The concert was not broadcast live; only cameras prepared for the LED screen production were used. While this was intended to enhance the production, it instead diminished the sense of presence.
The talk time was only five minutes. Given that this was her first solo concert and a celebration of her album release, expectations for her talk were high. While some audience members viewed the focus on the performance positively, many expressed disappointment at not hearing Jennie’s stories.
The concert started 10 minutes late and ended after just 70 minutes. The cheapest tickets for Jennie’s concert were priced at 143,000 won. Typically, solo concerts at similar price points last about 2-3 hours. Solo artists often fill time with cover songs or group songs if they have a limited number of original tracks. Despite having numerous songs released as both a member of BLACKPINK and as a solo artist, Jennie only showcased tracks from her new album.
Although there was a justification for the concert being a celebration of her album release, many reactions expressed disappointment at how quickly Jennie’s performance ended. Audience members who remained in their seats after the concert ended looked bewildered when the lights came on. They reacted with comments like, “Is it already over?” and “I didn’t realize it was finished.”
Many audience members traveled from afar to see Jennie’s performance. The private shuttle buses from the metropolitan area, costing around 33,000 won round trip, were sold out. There were also many foreign audience members who arrived with large suitcases. For some, the time taken to reach the concert venue was longer than the concert itself.
