Member out, but it’s still Exo’s planet
Exo
When SM Entertainment chief Lee Soo-man appeared in the stands to watch the concert, the audience began to chant his name, and Lee responded with a smile and a wave.
It was Exo’s planet for sure.
The frenzy over the first solo concert since the group’s debut in 2012 begun in April when tickets for the two-day show sold out within a minute of being released, resulting in the addition of an extra concert day and garnering an audience of more than 42,000 in total.
On Sunday, a big screen was installed outside the stadium to broadcast some parts of the show live for people who couldn’t get tickets. It was an unusual scene, and even the rainy weather didn’t stop some 3,000 fans flocking to the venue to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars.
“One thing that’s certain is that this will be the start of our group,” said Su-ho, the leader of the group’s Korean subunit, Exo-K, at a press conference held prior to the concert on Sunday.
When asked about Kris, the leader of Chinese subunit Exo-M, who filed a lawsuit against the company to nullify his contract on May 15, Su-ho said, “We were all very shocked at first and were mentally and physically very stressed.”
“After the storm comes the calm,” said another member, Chen, emphasizing that the incident triggered the members to join forces and try harder.
The concert opened with a fierce performance of haka, traditional dance moves from a Maori tribe, followed by the Chinese and Korean versions of tracks from Exo’s previous albums, including “Growl,” “Wolf” and “Overdose.”
Although the members admitted that they had a hard time rearranging the choreography at the last minute, the group sang and danced ardently during the 31 stage changes.
Each member’s solo acts, unveiled to the public for the first time, were also impressive. Member Lay showcased a powerful dance stage, aggressively twisting to the electronic “I’m Lay,” a self-composed song. Chan-yeol did his tricks with the drums and Chen showcased a metal rock song that suited his high voice well.
After Exo’s three concerts in Korea, the members will head to Hong Kong next month, followed by China, Singapore, Jakarta, Japan and more
BY JIN EUN-SOO, contributing writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)