Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
Thunderous applause and chants are nothing new at K-pop concerts, but the screams of joy and ecstasy heard during girl group IVE’s concert in Seoul over the weekend made the atmosphere more reminiscent of an amusement park than a music concert.
IVE performed its encore concerts of the “Show What I Have” world tour at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Saturday and Sunday after the band rocked 27 cities in 19 countries around the world as part of its first-ever world tour, which began last October.
Overzealous shouts from the crowd echoed throughout the stadium, largely due to the audience’s obviously young constitution – many of them were minors accompanied by their parents. Unlike other concerts where the audience rested their voices during the short video breaks between songs, the venue was packed with energetic young fans shouting “I love you” the entire time.
Known as “Subscribe,” which means “president of elementary school students” in Korean, IVE is especially popular among Korea’s younger generation thanks to its motto “We are all princesses who deserve all the love in the world” – a motto that has driven the show since its debut in December 2021.
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
During the concert on Sunday, the members also radiated positive energy and self-affirmation, full of self-confidence.
“We’re back in Seoul for the first time in ten months after the world tour and the new album, and I really think we’ve evolved,” said Rei.
“I know you are looking forward to the concert, but we are sure we have brought something that will exceed your expectations,” Leeseo said as the audience responded with thunderous cheers.
In fact, IVE started the concert in full force with one of his biggest hits, “I AM” (2023), followed by “Eleven” (2021), “Off The Record” (2023) and “Mine” (2023).
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
The sextet also split into duos to perform special songs, such as “Wannabe” (1996) by Gaeul and Rei of the Spice Girls, “When Will My Life Begin” (2010) by Jang Won-young and Liz from the animated film “Tangled” (2010), and “Woman Like Me” (2018) by An Yu-jin and Leeseo of Little Mix.
The shouting reached its peak when the members walked towards the audience on movable platforms and made eye contact from a short distance.
“You know it’s your cheering that excites us the most, right?” said An.
“I’m so happy to see your eyes up close,” Leeseo said.
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
“Accendio,” “Heya,” and “Blue Heart” were also performed for the first time in front of a Korean audience, as the tracks from IVE’s album “IVE Switch” were released during the group’s tour in April this year.
“It’s so hot here that I think it’s the hottest place in Seoul,” Jang said.
“There is no reason to be sad because you know we could come back for more, just like we came back to you after only 10 months,” Liz said.
Less than three years after their debut, IVE quickly became one of the most sought-after groups in K-pop thanks to their catchy songs and the charm their members displayed offstage.
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
Performance of the girl group IVE at the encore concert of the world tour “Show What I Have” at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on August 10 and 11 (STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT)
Member Jang started a trend of “Won Young thinking” with the ever-optimistic attitude she frequently displayed. She called herself “Lucky Vicky” in addition to her English name Vicky when she was faced with a lucky event in her daily life. Member An has gained popularity for her sense of humor and the honesty she has displayed in television shows, including the variety show series “Earth Arcade” (2022-23) and “The Iron Squad 2” (2022).
IVE also performed for the first time at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago on August 3, receiving acclaim from US news outlets such as Rolling Stone, the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune.
IVE will perform two more encore concerts at Tokyo Dome, Japan’s largest venue, on September 4 and 5. The sextet will also perform at the Summer Sonic 2024 music festival in Tokyo on August 18 and release its new EP “Alive” in Japan on August 28. “Alive” will include five tracks: the track “Crush,” the original Japanese song “Will,” and Japanese versions of “I AM,” “Off The Record,” and “Baddie.”
BY YOON SO-YEON ([email protected])
