IVE turns stadium into 'hottest place in Seoul' with weekend's encore concerts

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IVE turns stadium into 'hottest place in Seoul' with weekend's encore concerts

Published: 12 Aug. 2024, 14:50 Updated: 12 Aug. 2024, 18:16

YOON SO-YEON
yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr

Girl group IVE performing at the ″Show What I Have″ world tour encore concert at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Aug. 10 and 11 [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

Thunderous applause and chants are nothing new at a K-pop concert, but the screams of pure joy and ecstasy that came during girl group IVE’s Seoul concert over the weekend made the atmosphere seem more like a theme park than a music concert.

IVE held its “Show What I Have” world tour encore concerts on Saturday and Sunday at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul after rocking 27 cities in 19 countries around the world for its first-ever world tour that began last October.

Overzealous hollers from the audience rang through the stadium, largely thanks to the visibly young constitution of the audience — many of whom were minors chaperoned by their parents. As opposed to other concerts where the audience choose to rest their voices during the short video breaks that come in between songs, the venue was filled with energetic young fans shouting, “I love you,” throughout.

Known as “chotongryeong” in Korean, which translates to “president of the elementary students,” IVE is particularly popular among Korea's younger generation thanks to its “we are all princesses who deserve all the love in the world” theme — one it has been pushing since its debut in December 2021.

Girl group IVE performing at the ″Show What I Have″ world tour encore concert at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Aug. 10 and 11 [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

The members also confidently shared the energy of positivity and self-validation during Sunday’s concert.

“We’re back in Seoul for the first time in 10 months after the world tour and new album, and I really think we’ve grown,” Rei said.

“I know you’re looking forward to the concert, but we’re sure that we’ve brought something to surpass your expectations,” Leeseo said as the audience responded with a roar.

In fact, IVE began the concert in full force with one of its biggest hits, “I AM” (2023), followed by “Eleven” (2021), “Off The Record” (2023) and “Mine” (2023).

Girl group IVE performing at the ″Show What I Have″ world tour encore concert at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Aug. 10 and 11 [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

The sextet also broke up into duos to give special performances, such as Gaeul and Rei’s “Wannabe” (1996) by the Spice Girls, Jang Won-young and Liz’s “When Will My Life Begin” (2010) from the animated film “Rapunzel” (2010) and An Yu-jin and Leeseo’s “Woman Like Me” (2018) by Little Mix.

Screams peaked when the members approached the audience on moving podiums and made eye contact from a closer distance.

“You know that it’s your cheers that make us the most excited, right?” An said.

“I feel so happy to be able to see your eyes up close,” Leeseo said.

Girl group IVE performing at the ″Show What I Have″ world tour encore concert at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Aug. 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 in April this year during the group’s tour.

“It’s so hot in here that I think it might be the hottest place in Seoul,” Jang said.

“There’s no need to feel sad because you know that we could be back for more, just as we came back to you in just 10 months,” Liz said.

Less than three years into its debut, IVE quickly became one of the most sought-after groups in K-pop thanks to its catchy songs and the members’ charms that they sported off the stage.

Girl group IVE performing at the ″Show What I Have″ world tour encore concert at the KSPO Dome in southern Seoul on Aug. 10 and 11 [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

Member Jang began a trend of “Won-young-like thinking” with the ever-optimistic attitude she frequently showed. She called herself “Lucky Vicky,” along with her English name Vicky, whenever a lucky event presented itself to her in everyday life. Member An has been gaining popularity for her sense of humor and the honesty she has shown on TV shows, including the “Earth Arcade” (2022-23) variety show series and “The Iron Squad 2” (2022).

IVE also performed at the Lollapalooza Chicago music festival for the first time on Aug. 3, which was applauded by U.S. news outlets including Rolling Stone, the Chicago Sun Times and Chicago Tribune.

IVE is set to hold two additional encore concerts at the Tokyo Dome, the largest venue in Japan, on Sept. 4 and 5. The sextet will also perform at the Summer Sonic 2024 music festival in Tokyo on Aug. 18 and release its new EP in Japan, “Alive,” on Aug. 28. “Alive” will include five tracks: lead track “Crush,” original Japanese song “Will” and Japanese versions of “I AM,” “Off The Record” and “Baddie.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]