DREAM CONCERT : A twenty-eighth anniversary rich in performances

This Saturday, June 18, hosts the DREAM CONCERT, a show bringing together different artists for one evening, and celebrating this year its twenty-eight years. In the program : CLASS: Y, TRENDZ, TAN, KINGDOM, EPEX, KEP1ER, YOUNITE, LIGHTSUM, DRIPPIN, STAYC, WEI, CRAVITY, WEEKLY, CIX, LEE MUJIN, ALICE, GOLDEN CHILD, DREAMCATCHER, VICTON, LABOOM, PENTAGON, IVE, AB6IX, OH MY GIRL, RED VELVET and NCT DREAM.

The evening begins at 4 pm, with the arrival of the artists on the red carpet. In two minutes, they must give enough details, but not too much, to the journalists present to draw their attention to the upcoming performances. It takes almost an hour and a quarter for all the groups to parade in front of the press, before they are directed to the stadium, at the back of the seats, to attend the concert. During the red carpet, it was an opportunity to discover the makeover of certain idols, and it was notably STAYC and IVE that attracted attention among the girls, as well as VICTON and KINGDOM among the boys. Each group takes the opportunity to throw cotillions and wish a happy twenty-eighth anniversary to the DREAM CONCERT, then it’s time to take place in the pit for journalists, and backstage for artists.

CRAVITY opens the show, after a rope jumping school performs some BTS songs to announce the start of the concert. CRAVITY immediately catches the eye, with a cover of the song «The eve» of the boysband EXO. After this introduction, we discover YUJIN of IVE and DONYOUNG of NCT as presenters of the show, which announce an evening full of surprises. Without more time to waste, KINGDOM immerses us in traditional Korean music with its performance of the song «Ascension». Fabrics and scarves accompany the choreography, reinforcing the traditional side of the music. Then follows the performance of «Who» of the male group TRENDZ, the members miming in turn wolves, in a pack in the underwood.

Rocking in a more festive atmosphere, it was the young girlsband CLASS: Y who went on stage to perform its debut song, entitled «Shut down», followed by a substantial dance break showing the dynamism of the singers, before their performance of the title «Classy». They then left the stage to be replaced by TAN, a boysband that also recently debuted with the song «Du du du» which was warmly received by the Korean public. An intermission is then necessary, and the two MCs return to the stage to thank the sponsors of the DREAM CONCERT, being Hyundai, SBS MediaNet, Tourist Office, the Ministry of Culture and World K-pop Star.

The show can resume, and this second part opens with EPEX and its title «Do 4 me», the young male singers are all dressed in school clothes. The atmosphere then changed radically, as the band ALICE delighted us with its soft and delicate voices on the song «Power of love», a gentle and rocking ballad. The screens lighting them in the background are transformed to reveal clovers, hearts, tiles, and spades, as this is the moment for the girlsband to play «Jackpot», livelier and more dynamic. Once the performance is over, it’s time for an intermission in video, to discover the groups present tonight backstage, addressing a message to their fans, eager to see them in the stadium.

The only solo artist of the evening, the singer LEE MUJIN wearing a candy pink costume sings «Traffic light» which is superbly received by the audience, all the fans singing one of the choruses while the singer listens to them with emotion. In addition, he is accompanied by a band, which can therefore compliment his voice more. This is followed by the performance of LIGHTSUM’s «Alive», then the audience shout when LABOUM goes on stage. They sing «Kiss»,then take the time to greet their fans, the first group to speak since the beginning of the show. The screams are louder when the young women announce the following title, «A journey to Atlantis», which persists during the chorus of the song in question.

The boys take over from the show, when YOUNITE performs «Everybody» and a dress code seems to have been put in place indirectly by the groups, since the majority are dressed in white. A break dance is also incorporated into the song, so that the boys delight their fans with their dance. The MCs go back on stage to announce a collaboration between three singers of the popular groups present, JIHAN of WEEEKLY, CHAEHYUN of KEP1ER and HAEWON of the last group of the JYP, NMIXX. The three young women interpret a ballad, enchanting the audience; «Strawberry milk», originally interpreted by IU.

The boysband DRIPPIN replaces the three singers with their title «Zero», more explosive inits genre, then salutes the audience asking it if it has a good evening. The fans respond, and shout their joy to be present tonight, before the group sings a second song, «Villain». The young men then gave way to WEI, performing «Bye bye bye», the good mood spreading through the stadium to the rhythm of the music. They in turn greet the crowd, and say they are happy to be part of the DREAM CONCERT, wishing those present a pleasant night. They do a new performance, to the sound of the song «Too bad», more sparkling than the previous song. Testosterone hasn’t come down yet, because it’s CRAVITY’s turn to have ten minutes of glory. «Adrenaline» echoes in the stadium, reviving the cries of the fans, quickly followed by «My turn».

The screams become deafening at the sight of STAY C, who interprets it last title, «Run 2 U», as well as the famous «Asap» who leaves the audience speechless. Once the girls get off the stage, WEEEKLY takes over with the equally famous song «After school». The girlsband says a few words to the audience, encouraging them to sing the acapella chorus with them. They proudly announce the following title: «Tag me». The evening is almost at its peak when the rookie girlsband NMIXX goes on stage to sing «O.O», followed by «Tank», as well as KEP1ER who sings of course «Wa da da», as well as «MVSK», fireworks illuminating the sky. A new collaboration is offered this time by boys, who take over «Love Killa» from MONSTA X, also dazzled by artifices on both sides of the stage.

CIX then went onstage to perform the summer song «Wave», which was perfect for this period. The group greets its audience, thanks them for being present, and the members exchange compliments on their style today. They end their appearance with «Cinema». There are only a handful of groups left, the most expected of the evening. At night, the bleachers gradually turned green, the color of the lightstick of the show’s star group: NCT DREAM. But it will be a little while before they appear, since AB6IX is the next boysband to make its entrance, on the song «Salute» which receives strong reactions. The group also sings «Savior», after having greeted the crowd, then it is a new intermission that announces the next groups.

GOLDEN CHILD starts this last part of the concert, on the song «Ra pam pam», the band is also dressed in white. In the stadium, the sections are made in such a way that the fans of a group are grouped together, so that it is easy for each group to send a message to its fans in particular. Once this is done, GOLDEN CHILD performs «Breathe». It’s the turn of DREAMCATCHER to make it entrance with «La maison», the latest title of the girlsband having offered it first musical victory, followed by «Scream», which ends in a shower of fireworks. The two MCs return to the stage to thank once again the sponsors of the DREAM CONCERT, and the place is left to VICTON on the title «Stupid O’clock» then «Unpredictable». The arrival of the girlsband IVE plunges the stadium into chaos, as those in the pit leave their place to approach the group. The latter performs «Love dive», as well as «Eleven», this last song being considered as one of Kpop’s best debuts.

PENTAGON also attracts fans, who dance to the titles «Feelin’ like», and «Shine», then the girlsband OH MY GIRL goes on stage with «Real Love», reminding that it is the birthday of one of their members (ARIN). The young women conclude their appearance with «Ddun ddun dance», then it is the turn of the famous RED VELVET to make their long-awaited appearance. A teaser announces their arrival, presenting each member, then «Feel the rhythm» fills the stage with its magical melody. More fans try to get closer to the stage, so the staff struggles to hold them back. The singers present themselves one by one under the cheers, expressing their joy to be present this evening. They then take their places to sing «Queendom», and leave the stage with a smile.

The highlight of the show arrives in the presence of NCT DREAM. The stadium, which was already illuminated by hundreds of lightsticks with the effigy of the group, screams when the group arrives. «Glitch mode» is the first song to resonate, fans singing their heart with the boysband. A break dance is incorporated, rekindling the passion of the fans, then the boys introduce themselves, and quickly chat with the crowd, before announcing the next, and last performance of the evening: «Beat box». Here again, a dance break is present, to make the song last longer, but too quickly to the taste of the fans, the group leaves the stage, closing at the same time this twenty-eighth DREAM CONCERT. All the groups present then come back on stage to greet the crowd, distributing some gifts in the pit, putting an end to the four-hour-long show.