Super Junior’s super show

It’s been almost 2 weeks since the 10 boys stormed Singapore. The dust has gathered somewhat. Across the causeway, the heat is about to start in a week’s time.

I’m sure all the fans were over the moon since it’s the first time Super Junior held its concert here in Singapore. And there were 2 concerts- so about nearly 9,000 people saw the concert. Of course, I know of many fans who watched it twice. In fact one of my friend enjoyed herself so much that she bought tickets to the next day show after watching it on the 29th January.

I was at the stadium about 5pm that day and of course, there was already a long queue for the mosh pit ticket holders. Actually, there were queues everywhere…

all standing patiently in the rain….

And there was an especially long queue for the official goods. Quite a few items were sold out very quickly- the folders and the towels seemed to be the most popular. I’m not too sure if they replenished stocks the next day. Did they?

I believe ELFS organized various projects for their beloved artistes before, during and after the concerts. I caught these 2 lovely girls distributing banners outside the north gate.

But they were giving out the banners only to specific fans (who were sitting at selected seats). What impressed me wasn’t the banner. It was the fact that it was in 4 different languages. It’s always amazing what fans can and will do when they put their mind to it. I’m not sure how the project went as I was concentrating on the concert. But if anyone has photos of fans holding up the banner, I would love to have one (email to: tiffany@seoulrhythms.com) And here’s a photo of the banner…ta-da!

Although, RITS announced that cameras are not allowed, many passed through. I think it is almost impossible to stop in a concert. Of course, if you are going to bring a great big, eye-catching DSLR, then you run the risk of getting caught. But judging from all the photos and videos on the internet, I think there were quite a few semi-professional equipment out there that night.

A word about the stage before I continue. When Running into the Sun announced that they would be handling Super Junior’s first ever concert in Singapore, I was more than a little surprised. I have every respect for RITS in terms of theatrical events, but a full scale K Pop concert? Having seen how some concerts were managed last year, I was apprehensive. But I have only this to say at the end of the concert, it was beautifully and professionally done. Sure, there were some hiccups here and there and there will always be people unhappy about something or other. Every concerts and events have them. What mattered was that the concert went off without a hitch and fans could watch the concert clearly. So two thumbs up for them! Artistes aside, stage, sound system, the ease of entry etc…all these help to make a concert enjoyable and memorable. I think I read somewhere that the stage costs over 1 million. Not sure if it’s true but it really, really was very grand and complicated. And the sound system was great too (the venue is rather notorious for not having the best sound system).

Part of the crowd. I read somewhere that some of the boys’ families were watching the concert too. ^^

The boys started off their signature song- Sorry, Sorry. It was a great start to get the crowd going. But I think what got the crowd really excited was seeing Lee Teuk and Sung Min up in the air. I’m sure everyone in the stadium wished they had ‘flown’ to their section. ^^

What was also interesting about the fact that many of the members got to perform either as solo, or part of a small group. So we had Si Won singing a English number- Looking for the Day, Kyu Hyun singing the Chinese song, 新不了情 (I love this song by the way and it would seemed that many in the audience love it too and he does look good in that tux). And of course, Ye Sung performed his hit song, 너 아니면 안돼/It has to be you from the drama, ‘Cinderella’s Sister‘.

I also totally enjoyed Ryeo Wook’s and Sung Min’s duet of  봄날/Spring Day. Now just imagine them serenading to you on Valentine’s Day (please, no shouting, ‘Look at me’. That would totally kill the romantic feel).

And then you have  Eun Hyuk and Dong Hae & Sung Min making the fans all hot and bothered with their hot and sexy dances.

I went to the show with no expectation, having never seen any of their concerts and not much of their variety shows since I wasn’t a fan. But I really enjoyed this concert. The reason? The boys enjoyed themselves performing as much as the fans did in watching them perform. Most of all, they did not take themselves too seriously, often fooling around and poking fun at themselves. This makes a huge difference in the success of the concert.

So you have Super Junior T singing the trot song, 똑똑똑 in flashy costumes that is reminiscent of the disco era. They just need to add some disco lights. Hehe!

And of course the Super Junior’s version Lady Gaga and Beyonce……sexy & hilarious.  I really did not expect this. I think the boys found this hilarious too. I caught Shin Dong tugging at his tight dress a couple of times. Hehe! And I love those hot red heels. ^^

Just as entertaining and funny was the Cooking song, where each member came out dressed as a different vegetable. Well, they do say vegetables are good for you, but I’ve never wanted a broccoli or a carrot or a pumpkin as much as I did then, although the bean sprouts does look a little funny. Wahaha!

The concert also had some guest artistes like the other members of Super Junior M and Trax (ok, only one member of Trax,- Jung Mo) performing Don’t Don. Pretty good I thought.  I actually rather like Trax, catch one their latest song, Óh My Goddess’ here. And oh, more wire hanging dropping acts… ^^

Whilst I like it when they sang and dance their usual choreographed  steps (most Korean groups spent hours training so their dance steps are usually impeccable), I really enjoyed it more they they were informal.. like when they performed Song For You and Wonder Boy.

And in a touching moment, a tribute was paid to Kang In (who is now currently serving his military service). A hologram of Kang In was beamed amongst the boys, with all of them ‘playing’ together. You can hear the crowd shouting ‘Kim Young Woon’ (Kang In”s real name).  I’m sure Kang In must be pleased to know that he’s still remembered despite his absence. But err……I’m sorry to say the moment I saw the hologram… the image of Princess Leia in her 2-buns hair came into my mind….Sorry..

A word that I kept seeing again and again in all the reviews and fan accounts were the amount of fan service given by the boys. Now this word, ‘fan service’ is unique to the K entertainment industry. Essentially, it just meant the artistes doing something for the fans, particularly in terms of interacting with them.

The stage was large but there were 10 of them. And they made sure that the fans in all the different sections got to see them and even touched them. They cleaned their sweaty face with the many towels thrown to them and then threw them back to the fans (this is a separate thought- I’m sure the fan who received the ‘touched’ towel isn’t going to wash it but isn’t it going to smell after awhile?????), they waved madly to the fans, they smiled at the fans, they posed for the fans and in many instances, they even took photos of the fans….

These actions, more than their singing and dancing endeared themselves to the fans because for that brief moment of a nano second, the boy(s) noticed him/ her. What can be more satisfying than that?

The concert lasted a full 3 hours. Considering that many of the showcases I’ve attended in the past lasted for only about an hour plus (with ticket prices that cost an arm and a leg), this was certainly worth the money spent.

Super Junior will be staging the Super Show 3 in Malaysia on the 19th March, 6pm @ Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil. Ticket sales starts this Saturday (19th February) at Sungei Wang Mall. Online ticket sales starts on the 20th February on Air Asia Red Tix. If you can, I would say, catch the show. ^^ Check put on the updates on Running into the Sun’s Facebook

And now before I end, some eye candy. Much thanks to the people who provided me with incredible photos (obviously, mine weren’t great). Kelly and Jin Ha. Just a little information on Kim Jin Ha. He’s a Korean photographer, who has done some pretty amazing stuff for The New Paper, various fashion magazines and events. His website should be ready soon and I’ll drop a note here once it’s up. So if you need him to help you take some nice photos, you can contact him @ kjh0826@naver.com.

In the meantime, enjoy.. (you can click on the photos if you want to scrutinize them ^^)

The Super Junior press conferece will be up soon, Stay tuned!