THE KOREAN HERALD – The KSPO Dome in Seoul was packed on Sunday with 10,000 SHINee fans, eagerly waiting for the K-pop veterans to appear on stage and kick off its much-anticipated concert.
As the lights dimmed to signal the beginning of the last day of SHINee’s three-day concert, ‘Perfect Illumination,’ the dome rippled with cries of joy.
Minho, Taemin and Key of SHINee appeared in front of the audience on a spacecraft-like platform singing Chemistry. Dressed in bejewelled sky blue suits, the trio looked like Prince Charmings who had walked straight out from a fairy tale.
One of the members, Onew, was absent from the event due to health reasons. SM Entertainment announced earlier this month that he is taking a break to recover.
With their intense gazes, SHINee had a commanding presence on stage. They then hyped up the audience with one of their hit tracks, Dream Girl, giving a twist to the original performance by utilising stand mics as part of their choreography.
Not only was SHINee’s set list full of hits and its most beloved songs, but it also included the latest tracks from its eighth LP, Hard, prior to its official drop on Monday.
The first track of the new album unveiled was the sidetrack Like It, which is of the dance-pop genre.
They also performed the latest sidetrack Sweet Misery, which is of the electronic pop genre. The track sings of missing a loved one after a breakup, while looking back on old happy memories.
Drenched in sweat after the first part of the concert, SHINee took some time to take a breath and greet its fans. “We missed you SHINee World. Let’s hear how much you missed us,” Minho said to the giddy crowd, to which they responded with thunderous screams.
“It’s been a long while. But we will see you more often from now on because we are all back from mandatory military service,” and Key. The concert was the first in six years and nine months as the members had to report for military duty and also due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The artistes also greeted their global fans watching them live via Beyond LIVE in several languages.
“We love you guys and thanks for your support. Our eighth full-length album is coming soon so don’t forget to check it out. Please enjoy the show till the end,” Key said in English.
The second segment of the concert began with SHINee’s all-time hit Sherlock.
The K-pop veterans showcased a perfectly choreographed and powerful performance.
They added some dance breaks to some of the tracks, allowing each member to show off their own dancing styles.
SHINee also made sure to let fans get a glimpse of them up close, by utilising the specially designed stage that protruded into the audience.
Fifteen years after its debut, SHINee displayed remarkable teamwork and chemistry between themselves and also with their fans. The highlight of the night was when the three performed the song An Encore, proving that they are just as good singers as they are performers.
As the curtains went down, the audience called out for an encore by singing the track An Encore all by themselves without any background music. SHINee appeared back on stage ready to showcase its new title track Hard.
Dressed as rock stars, they performed the hybrid hip-hop dance song that sings about continuously challenging oneself without giving up. The choreography to the new track was trendy and also remarkably powerful, just like those of the group’s previous hits.
“We really prepared hard for our eighth LP. The sidetracks are just as good as the title track so please look forward to what’s to come,” said Taemin.
“We also want to show gratitude to all of the people who helped us prepare for this concert. We did the best we can in such a short amount of time we had to prepare for this concert. Without them and you fans, this would not have been possible.”
SHINee performed three more tracks as encores during which they tried to move across the stage to reach fans in all sectors of the dome, shaking their hands and taking photos with them. – Hong Yoo
