The Welcome Back Tour is the fourth concert tour by South Korean girl group 2NE1. Held in commemoration of the group's 15th anniversary, it is the quartet's first headlining concert tour since the All or Nothing World Tour (2014). It commenced in Seoul in October 2024, and in Southeast Asia and Japan in November.
Background
On July 22, 2024, YG Entertainment officially announced the reunion of 2NE1 for their 15th debut anniversary, after having been disbanded for eight years since November 2016.[1] It was announced that the group would embark on a world tour beginning in South Korea in October 2024, with shows slated to be scheduled in other regions within 2025,[2] in response to the requests received from across the globe.[3]
Three days later, it was unveiled that the tour would kick off at the Olympic Hall in Seoul, the venue which 2NE1 performed at for their first concert tour Nolza in August 2011.[4] Fans expressed discontent regarding the venue's capacity after the announcements were made;[5] in response, YG Entertainment issued a statement explaining that all larger venues in Seoul had "already been booked".[6] It was announced the following day that 2NE1's Japanese fanclub, Blackjack Nolza, would be re-opened in early August.[7][8]
On September 6, 2024, concert dates in Manila and Jakarta were announced,[9][10] followed by Hong Kong and Singapore four days later,[11] and Bangkok and Taipei on September 13.[12]
Production
2NE1 took an active role in crafting the concert's experience through their involvement in all of its aspects during its preparation, from the setlist, rearrangements, and stage design to the choreography and costumes.[13]
Ticketing
In Singapore, ticket sales for Hong Kong singer Andy Lau and 2NE1's concerts, sufficed a loss of $66,000 within two weeks to scams over fake concert tickets, resulting in at least 92 reported police cases where the victims purchased fake tickets through third party platforms in early October.[14] The police advised the public to use the "ScamShield" app, and to purchase tickets from authorized sellers and legitimate ticket marketplaces only.[14] In the Philippines, former senator Francis Pangilinan called for political action and the introduction of a legislation to address ticket scalping in response to the Welcome Back Tour in Manila.[15]
Commercial performance
General sale
Demand for the Seoul concerts resulted in over 400,000 people vying for tickets accommodating 3,000 to 4,000 seats at the venue,[16][17] thereby crashing the server.[18] An additional concert was added for October 4,[19] alongside the release of additional restricted-view seats for all three dates.[20] All four initial shows in Japan were sold out within a day, therefore two additional shows were added.[21] Over 100,000 users queued for tickets for the Jakarta show and over 200,000 users queued for the Singapore show, resulting in both shows selling out.[22][23] A second performance was added in both cities.[24]
The virtual queue for the general sale of tickets for the Manila concerts recorded over 200,000 users on the first day and 350,000 users on the second day, resulting in both dates selling out immediately.[25][26] On October 11, YG Entertainment announced that all shows for the Japanese leg were sold out.[27] Shortly after the presale for the Taiwan show on October 15, an additional performance was added.[28] It was reported that all 18,000 tickets in Taiwan were sold out in 90 seconds.[29]
Critical reception
The tour received rave reviews from critics in music and entertainment, who praised the spectacle of the show. Yoon Seo-yeon writing for Korea JoongAng Daily called the concert as a "true definition of what K-pop is and what it should be".[30] Pyo Kyung-min writing for The Korea Times cited the show reaffirmed the quartet's "legendary status in the music scene".[31] Hong Yoo writing for The Korea Herald wrote their choreography was vigorous and demanded much more energy than the routines of some of today's K-pop girl groups.[32]
^Park, Ji-hye (August 5, 2024). 투애니원 단독 콘서트, 대기인원만 '40만명' 몰려 [400,000 people waiting for 2NE1's solo concert]. Geumgang Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved August 5, 2024.
^Lee, Seung-hun; Lee, So-yun (August 28, 2024). "2NE1 Opens Limited-View Seats". Star News. Archived from the original on September 1, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
^デビュー15周年を迎え再始動を発表した韓国のガールズグループ2NE1、11月から開催のJapan Tour全公演完売！ [2NE1, the Korean girl group that announced their comeback in celebration of their 15th anniversary since their debut, has sold out all of their shows on their Japan Tour starting in November!]. Avex Portal (in Japanese). October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
^"Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^"2NE1演唱會18000張門票90秒賣光光！歌迷點進去傻了：根本買不到 | 日韓 | 娛樂" [All 18,000 tickets for 2NE1’s concert were sold out in 90 seconds! Fans clicked in and were dumbfounded: they couldn’t buy it at all]. NOWnews (in Chinese). October 16, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
^ abKo, Seung-hee (October 6, 2024). “마침내 우리가 돌아왔다”…2NE1, K-팝 기강 잡으러 온 원조 여제들 [고승희의 리와인드] ['We’re finally back'… 2NE1, the original queens who came to establish the K-pop standard [Ko Seung-hee's Rewind]]. Herald Economy (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via Naver.
^Kim, Na-yeon (October 6, 2024). “또 놀자”..모두가 기다린 2NE1 완전체, 10년 공백 깨부순 ‘레전드의 귀환’[Oh!쎈 현장](종합) ['Let’s play again'.. The full 2NE1 that everyone has been waiting for, the 'return of the legend' that broke the 10-year hiatus [Oh! Sen site] (comprehensive)]. Osen (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2024 – via Naver.
