Jennie Brings ‘The Ruby Experience’ to Los Angeles for a Sweet and Sultry Intro to Her Solo Era: Concert Review
Blackpink member Jennie played the first of her four “intense but intimate” concert dates at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Thursday night, taking the stage at practically the moment her first full-length solo album, “Ruby,” was released.
When the red curtains split, Jennie‘s vision became clear: a ballerina, nimble and delicate and draped in white, pranced across the stage, disappearing only when the K-pop superstar emerged, powerful and statuesque, in an oversized fur coat and baby blue stockings, to sing “Start a War,” a song about loving someone so ferociously that you’d go to war for them.
This contrast — sugary sweet yet rugged and sexy — set the tone for “Ruby,” and for Jennie, who by nature, has been labeled the more rebellious or edgy member of the highest-charting Korean girl group in the United States. No stranger to commanding the attention of thousands of rabid fans, Jennie debuted “Ruby” in a theatre, a more intimate setting than Blackpink’s usual arenas and stadiums.
About five songs into her 15-song setlist (see the complete lineup below), Jennie addressed the audience at length for the first time that night — “I’m having a hard time taking all of this in,” she said. “I wanted [‘Ruby’] to be something that truly represents me. Not just the polished parts and not just what you guys have seen over the years, but I’m presenting myself for the first time again with this raw and honest side of mine. Every song and every lyric is a piece of my story and it’s my story that I’m telling you.”
Jennie delivers this narrative with an elaborate production: floor-to-ceiling LED screens, a full live band and at least 10 dancers choreographed by Charm La’Donna, who recently worked on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show and the Oscars. Dancing, while a hallmark of a K-pop performance, remains a focal point of Jennie’s, despite her sound leaning more R&B pop than anything else.
While Jennie completed one of several quick costume changes, the audience was treated to the music video for the Mike Will Made-It-produced “Seoul City,” a slower-paced track featuring the same style of moody falsettos we heard from the singer on “One of the Girls,” a song featured on HBO’s “The Idol.” Another standout moment was Jennie’s delivery of “Ruby’s ballads, from “F.T.S” — an abbreviation for “Fuck This Shit” — to the acoustic guitar-led closer, “twin.”
“Ruby” is the latest album in a series of solo projects that Blackpink’s four members have released: Rosie’s “Rosé” arrived in December; Jisoo released her mini-album “Amortage” on Valentine’s Day; Lisa’s “Alter Ego” debuted on Feb. 28. Jennie will continue “The Ruby Experience” through March 15 and will return to playing stadiums with Blackpink this summer for a “limited” run of large-scale shows in 10 cities around the world. The tour begins with two dates in Seoul, South Korea on July 5-6.
“The Ruby Experience” setlist
Intro: JANE with FKJ
start a war
Handlebars
Mantra
Love Hangover
ZEN
Damn Right
Seoul City
like JENNIE
with the lE (way up)
ExtraL
F.T.S.
Filter
Starlight
twin
When the red curtains split, Jennie‘s vision became clear: a ballerina, nimble and delicate and draped in white, pranced across the stage, disappearing only when the K-pop superstar emerged, powerful and statuesque, in an oversized fur coat and baby blue stockings, to sing “Start a War,” a song about loving someone so ferociously that you’d go to war for them.
This contrast — sugary sweet yet rugged and sexy — set the tone for “Ruby,” and for Jennie, who by nature, has been labeled the more rebellious or edgy member of the highest-charting Korean girl group in the United States. No stranger to commanding the attention of thousands of rabid fans, Jennie debuted “Ruby” in a theatre, a more intimate setting than Blackpink’s usual arenas and stadiums.
About five songs into her 15-song setlist (see the complete lineup below), Jennie addressed the audience at length for the first time that night — “I’m having a hard time taking all of this in,” she said. “I wanted [‘Ruby’] to be something that truly represents me. Not just the polished parts and not just what you guys have seen over the years, but I’m presenting myself for the first time again with this raw and honest side of mine. Every song and every lyric is a piece of my story and it’s my story that I’m telling you.”
Jennie delivers this narrative with an elaborate production: floor-to-ceiling LED screens, a full live band and at least 10 dancers choreographed by Charm La’Donna, who recently worked on Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show and the Oscars. Dancing, while a hallmark of a K-pop performance, remains a focal point of Jennie’s, despite her sound leaning more R&B pop than anything else.
While Jennie completed one of several quick costume changes, the audience was treated to the music video for the Mike Will Made-It-produced “Seoul City,” a slower-paced track featuring the same style of moody falsettos we heard from the singer on “One of the Girls,” a song featured on HBO’s “The Idol.” Another standout moment was Jennie’s delivery of “Ruby’s ballads, from “F.T.S” — an abbreviation for “Fuck This Shit” — to the acoustic guitar-led closer, “twin.”
“Ruby” is the latest album in a series of solo projects that Blackpink’s four members have released: Rosie’s “Rosé” arrived in December; Jisoo released her mini-album “Amortage” on Valentine’s Day; Lisa’s “Alter Ego” debuted on Feb. 28. Jennie will continue “The Ruby Experience” through March 15 and will return to playing stadiums with Blackpink this summer for a “limited” run of large-scale shows in 10 cities around the world. The tour begins with two dates in Seoul, South Korea on July 5-6.
“The Ruby Experience” setlist
Intro: JANE with FKJ
start a war
Handlebars
Mantra
Love Hangover
ZEN
Damn Right
Seoul City
like JENNIE
with the lE (way up)
ExtraL
F.T.S.
Filter
Starlight
twin