"It's been about four years since we have been back here in Hong Kong and I must say, we have missed you guys so much!"
"Wow, it's been almost four years since we last visited Hong Kong and we've missed you all so much!" exclaimed Rosé from Blackpink, to the ecstatic cheers of the 14,000 fans filling up the AsiaWorld-Arena.
The K-pop sensations, consisting of Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa, have been on their Born Pink world tour since October, thrilling fans across the globe. Despite pandemic restrictions, fans like Charlotte Hofstetter from Singapore still made the effort to travel to Bangkok, Thailand in January to catch the group's performance.
"I was so excited for live concerts," Charlotte said. "We had front row seats, and it was a special place to be as Lisa's hometown was the first stop in the Asian leg of their tour."
However, tours of this kind are still highly vulnerable to Covid-19, according to Jeung Chi Young from their management company, YG Entertainment. To prevent any potential spread of the virus, the approximately 100 staff members who travel with the group are regularly tested and restricted to their accommodations and concert venues.
"We've taken measures to minimize staff movement," Mr. Jeung explained to the BBC. "If any of the artists or staff were to be infected with Covid-19, it could be catastrophic for the tour." Under the bright spotlights, the group may seem to be leaving the pandemic behind, but the risk of infection remains a constant threat.
