Friday, October 28, 2016
Shinee World V: Postscript
Saturday, September 17, 2016
The SMTravel Package for Shinee World V
When Shinee World V was announced for early September 2016 in Seoul, I wanted SO much to be there. I had recently relocated from US to Hong Kong and hey, wasn't one of the reasons (so I convinced myself) was to be closer to the center of action? After all, Hong Kong to Seoul is only a 3.5 hour flight away and I even had enough air miles for the flight.
I was checking the SM Travel package website every hour deliberating over my decision to buy. When I saw the premium packages sell out, I took the plunge and bought the Deluxe Single package which was around US$700. Deluxe just meant I was in a higher standard hotel than the other two categories, otherwise everything was the same. Only the Premium package had special souvenirs and better seats.
The whole ordering process was straightforward - I was provided with an online account where I could post questions that were answered within 24 hours. In the next few weeks leading up to the concert, I received email updates with the hotel name, schedule and information on how to pre-order concert merchandise.
My allocated hotel was Belle-Essence Hotel in Gangnam and about a 8 minute walk to Yeoksam station. The hotel was large and comfortable if a little dated. It is in the business district of the city so there were not a lot of interesting shops or areas to walk around in. Coex Mall was 2 subway stops away. My package was 2 nights - stay Friday and Saturday night, check out on Sunday. I was attending Shinee World V on Saturday night - September 3, 2016.
The SM check-in booth at the hotel opened at 9pm on Friday. We received souvenirs at check-in - large poster, blue Shinee V World pouch, a jigsaw puzzle and a clear pouch with Shinee magnets. The pouch also contained fan letter paper and pen so we could write a message to Shinee. We also received an identification lanyard to wear for the entirety of the tour tomorrow. Importantly, we also had to randomly pick our concert ticket. I wasn't too happy with my seat - it was in section F4, 8 rows from the front of the stage but very much to the right but it was my own random pick. I had also bought some concert merchandise - the Key t-shirt designed by Bridge Ship House and a light stick which I received at check-in.
The schedule had already been sent to us via email the week before - tomorrow's tour included a backstage tour (!), a visit to the Shilla Duty Free, lunch at SMTown, a visit to the SMTown Coex Atrium and finally, transportation to the concert venue and back to the hotel.
At the check-in, I also got a better picture of the scale of operations. We were all put into groups with our own tour bus for tomorrow's tour. There was about 40 individuals in each group and there were 6 buses departing from Belle-Essence hotel. SMTravel was also using other hotels depending on the price category chosen. Later, I was told there were 25 buses which meant there were approx. 1000 individuals that had bought the international package. I would say 95% of the tour group were from Japan - with 5% coming from assorted countries in Europe and Asia. All were female - mostly in their 20's and 30's. There were some noticeably older ladies perhaps in their 40's/50's and an adorable mother/daughter pair. The daughter was 11 years old and a Locket.
When I arrived at SMTown Coex Atrium, my first stop was the 6F Exhibition floor where they were hosting a Shinee art exhibition. This consisted of the pieces that Seong Lib, Bridge Ship House and Andy Rementer produced in collaboration with Shinee. The Seong Lib MV to "Destination" was beautiful ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmSrLm7IaaE )but the Bridge Ship House drawings was fun and had a lot of Shinee references. I particularly enjoyed the poster where Shinee are pictured in a dorm environment - Taemin is practicing dance moves, Minho is playing computer games, Jonghyun is listening to music, Key is relaxing and Onew is being random. Even Key's dogs - Comme des and Garcon are in the poster!
There was also a photo exhibition from the previous Shinee World concerts - you could order copies of the photos for KRW4,000 (discounted price for SMTravel package members). I was most fascinated though by the exhibit below of the Shinee World IV costumes. You got a picture of their dress sizes, how short Jonghyun's trousers are, how heavy the clothes seem to be.
SM Town Coex Atrium has 6 floors - the 1st floor is just the imposing entrance with banks of screens playing MVs as you travel on the escalator. 2nd floor is the merchandise shop. 3rd floor is the SMTown Studio - not much here if you have not bought a package to learn kpop dance, make-up etc. 4th floor is the SM Liverary which has a cafe where you can buy Shinee cupcakes as well as a food store to purchase Shinee drinks, popcorn and so forth.
Close by were also some 3D palms of your favorite idols - it seems a few were signed. I know I have big hands - about the size of Minho's. My fingers were definitely longer than Key's and Onew's. Taemin's hand was noticeably smaller than his other Shinee members.
Within the 6 floors of SMTown Coex Atrium, there were just so much eye candy around and so much to discover. On one of the floors, the columns were floor-to-ceiling poloroids for you to find your favorite artists. I found this section of Shinee "candid shots" which I couldn't resist taking a photo of.
Then, I headed to 3rd floor cafe/food shop where SM was selling food items branded with your favorite idols. I didn't much care for Shinee popcorn or drinks but I did love the artwork in the cafe - it included some arty prints from previous Shinee photo shoots.
I also loved the cuteness of this Shinee 'marzipan?' display.
To the 2nd floor where you can buy a little bit of Shinee to take home with you. I particularly liked this collaboration with "Kitty Bunny Pony" where each Shinee member was represented by an anthropomorphic object - a bit random that Taemin is a teapot but the other's are spot on. I didn't end up buying anything as I felt I had enough souvenirs from the tour and my pre-concert merchandise.
So on to the day of the concert! The tour started early at 8am where we checked in and got on our buses. Our guide was fantastic and gave us an outline of the day in English and Japanese. She spoke in Japanese for the benefit of 5 English speakers (myself included), the rest of the tour group were Japanese. The first stop on our itinerary was the Olympic Gymnastic Arena for the backstage tour! I loved this segment as we actually climbed onto the stage for a group photo!!
We were then taken into Shinee's dressing room where there were 5 mirrored table stands, a fridge with water, juices and soft drinks. There was a table laden with bananas, nuts, Starbucks coffee and other drinks/snacks as well. It seemed like a nice snack spread and if you wanted a healthy snack, you could definitely get one. There were also racks of clothes that were covered up, guarded by a staff member. We could see the black shoes poking underneath the covers though - no doubt, this was Shinee's concert wardrobe! We were told we could put our fan letter into the clear persplex letter box for Shinee. No photos were allowed but I recognized the dressing room from various instagrams etc. that Key posts.
We left via the VIP area - I also recognized this area where countless selfies and photos are taken of idols with their family and friends before or after the concert. They had helpfully put up some cardboard cut-outs of Shinee so you could take some photos with them.
It was then onto a very early lunch - at SMT in the Cheongdam area. The restaurant was impressive, modern and stylish, kitted out to take in bus-loads of Shawols today. The Shinee placemats was a nice touch!
The English speakers managed to find themselves on the same table so we could share our Shinee stories. I was so touched with how passionate each Shawol was and how we came into Shinee world at different times - the Ring Ding Dong era, Sherlock era etc. The lunch set was just ok though. We were all given a bulgogi set - the soup was a little lukewarm. There was a vegetarian set as well but I didn't see what it was.
There were lots of camera phones going off when the dessert came out - the slice of cheesecake was in Shinee colors with the words "SHINee" delicately stenciled out in matcha powder. Lovely!
After lunch, we stopped by Shilla Duty Free and given an hour to shop. This was a bit of a zoo, as we mingled with busloads of Chinese tourists. The basement shopping floor was the most purse-friendly with the Korean beauty brands and foods - however, it was an unpleasantly hot and claustrophobic with no windows. Plus, it was heaving with people. The spacious upper floors with higher ceilings was reserved for the luxury brands with decidedly less people. Some Shawols tried to capitalize on the experience by buying skincare from The Saem. However, the selection of goods was not as extensive as the shops in Myeongdong where I parted with KRW150,000 for snail wrinkle creams - all in the pursuit of 2 Shinee photo books.
Most Shawols stood at the meeting spot, playing with their phones. We did get a little souvenir though - a Shinee/Shilla Duty free passport holder! On to our next stop - 1 hour at SMTown Coex Atrium. I spent most of the allotted hour waiting in line for the photos I ordered. Instead of the Shinee World concert photos, I had ordered the photos that were available from the 5th floor standard selection. The mini size was still a good 8x10 inches - some had matte and others had a glossy finish. The usual price is KRW5,000 but as a SMTravel package member, it was discounted to KRW4,000.
Forget about even buying stuff from the merchandise shop on the 2F. The line to pay snaked round the whole store - I'm sure it would have taken at least 45 minutes.
Once outside, we were given another little souvenir - Shinee chibi bookmarks! I got a Taemin but exchanged him with a Taemint for the Onew. I really wanted Key but no such luck. We were then taken back to the hotel for 2 hours rest and asked to be back on the tour bus at 4pm for the concert. I took the opportunity to grab a decent meal outside the hotel, as I knew there was going to be no dinner that night. I ended up in a fab place where they served spicy bean sprout stew (kongnamul guk) with rice for only KRW8,000.
At 4pm sharp, we all ended up back on the tour bus, ready for the concert of a lifetime. The tour guide did one last roll call and then talked us through the meeting spot for our ride home. We were told the bus would leave 30 minutes after the concert and bottles of "Shinee" water was handed to each of us as we left for the concert! It was so fun to walk to the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in the daylight - fans were still lining up for concert merchandise and there was real anticipation in the air.
We were an excitable and satisfied bunch as we got on the bus after the concert. The English speakers on the bus were all seated separately in the arena but we sat together on the bus to talk about our favorite moments and highlights. As we pulled into the hotel, we were given one last souvenir - gourmet cookies in a Shinee World box.
All in all, I was very satisfied with the tour and did think it was worth the money. For one, I was not sure how I could have bought a ticket on the Korean website (I heard it was sold out in 2 minutes!). It was a lovely opportunity to meet other Shinee international fans and of course, not everyone gets a backstage tour and a photo to prove it! Here's hoping SMTravel do a similar tour for a Shinee World in Tokyo Dome - I will be very sorely tempted.
I was checking the SM Travel package website every hour deliberating over my decision to buy. When I saw the premium packages sell out, I took the plunge and bought the Deluxe Single package which was around US$700. Deluxe just meant I was in a higher standard hotel than the other two categories, otherwise everything was the same. Only the Premium package had special souvenirs and better seats.
The whole ordering process was straightforward - I was provided with an online account where I could post questions that were answered within 24 hours. In the next few weeks leading up to the concert, I received email updates with the hotel name, schedule and information on how to pre-order concert merchandise.
My allocated hotel was Belle-Essence Hotel in Gangnam and about a 8 minute walk to Yeoksam station. The hotel was large and comfortable if a little dated. It is in the business district of the city so there were not a lot of interesting shops or areas to walk around in. Coex Mall was 2 subway stops away. My package was 2 nights - stay Friday and Saturday night, check out on Sunday. I was attending Shinee World V on Saturday night - September 3, 2016.
The SM check-in booth at the hotel opened at 9pm on Friday. We received souvenirs at check-in - large poster, blue Shinee V World pouch, a jigsaw puzzle and a clear pouch with Shinee magnets. The pouch also contained fan letter paper and pen so we could write a message to Shinee. We also received an identification lanyard to wear for the entirety of the tour tomorrow. Importantly, we also had to randomly pick our concert ticket. I wasn't too happy with my seat - it was in section F4, 8 rows from the front of the stage but very much to the right but it was my own random pick. I had also bought some concert merchandise - the Key t-shirt designed by Bridge Ship House and a light stick which I received at check-in.
The schedule had already been sent to us via email the week before - tomorrow's tour included a backstage tour (!), a visit to the Shilla Duty Free, lunch at SMTown, a visit to the SMTown Coex Atrium and finally, transportation to the concert venue and back to the hotel.
At the check-in, I also got a better picture of the scale of operations. We were all put into groups with our own tour bus for tomorrow's tour. There was about 40 individuals in each group and there were 6 buses departing from Belle-Essence hotel. SMTravel was also using other hotels depending on the price category chosen. Later, I was told there were 25 buses which meant there were approx. 1000 individuals that had bought the international package. I would say 95% of the tour group were from Japan - with 5% coming from assorted countries in Europe and Asia. All were female - mostly in their 20's and 30's. There were some noticeably older ladies perhaps in their 40's/50's and an adorable mother/daughter pair. The daughter was 11 years old and a Locket.
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| Souvenirs - poster, jigsaw puzzle, blue and clear pouch with magnets, lanyard. T-shirt & lightstick purchased.
Before the 9pm check-in, I had actually visited SMTown Coex Atrium earlier that evening. I am so glad I did - this 6-storey place is like a candy store for a Shinee fan and you need 2-3 hours at least to enjoy everything. Also, visiting at 6-8pm meant that the place was quiet. I had found out that the tour the next day only allowed for 1 hour at the SMTown Coex Atrium which didn't seem enough. My decision to go to SMTown Coex Atrium the night before was also validated when I found the place heaving with Shinee fans from the tours the next day.
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| The impressive entrance to SMTown Coex Atrium |
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| Bridge Ship House pieces |
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| Stage costumes from Shinee World IV |
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| A Corridor of Shinee- great for photo opportunities
The 5th floor is the hologram theatre. Unfortunately, there was nothing I wanted to see when I visited but outside was a huge screen when they were airing MVs. Lucifer happened to be playing.
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| Large screen for airing MVs
For some reason, I was captivated by the hand-matching game in which a machine takes your hand print and apparently matches it with the hand print of your chosen SM idol. I chose Key but unfortunately was only a 51% match. I'm not sure what criteria they use for the hand-matching but the game also helpfully gives you a few SM idols that it considers are a better match for you.
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| Fun hand-matching game |
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| Didn't Tao leave SM already?! |
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| Key's hand palm |
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| Onew's hand signed |
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| Taemin's hand |
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| Poloroids on the walls |
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| More poloroid photos- Onew looks incredible in the pic on the left |
Then, I headed to 3rd floor cafe/food shop where SM was selling food items branded with your favorite idols. I didn't much care for Shinee popcorn or drinks but I did love the artwork in the cafe - it included some arty prints from previous Shinee photo shoots.
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| Photograph exhibit on the 3rd floor Cafe |
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| Marzipan version of Shinee -so cute! |
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| 3D photos for photo opps |
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| 2F shop - Shinee goods designed by "kitty bunny pony" - I love the tofu and key! |
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| Our tour group on the stage |
We left via the VIP area - I also recognized this area where countless selfies and photos are taken of idols with their family and friends before or after the concert. They had helpfully put up some cardboard cut-outs of Shinee so you could take some photos with them.
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| VIP area at Olympic Gymnastics Arena |
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| Having lunch on the boys |
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| Bulgogi Lunch at SMT |
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| They even capitalized the SHIN! |
Most Shawols stood at the meeting spot, playing with their phones. We did get a little souvenir though - a Shinee/Shilla Duty free passport holder! On to our next stop - 1 hour at SMTown Coex Atrium. I spent most of the allotted hour waiting in line for the photos I ordered. Instead of the Shinee World concert photos, I had ordered the photos that were available from the 5th floor standard selection. The mini size was still a good 8x10 inches - some had matte and others had a glossy finish. The usual price is KRW5,000 but as a SMTravel package member, it was discounted to KRW4,000.
Forget about even buying stuff from the merchandise shop on the 2F. The line to pay snaked round the whole store - I'm sure it would have taken at least 45 minutes.
Once outside, we were given another little souvenir - Shinee chibi bookmarks! I got a Taemin but exchanged him with a Taemint for the Onew. I really wanted Key but no such luck. We were then taken back to the hotel for 2 hours rest and asked to be back on the tour bus at 4pm for the concert. I took the opportunity to grab a decent meal outside the hotel, as I knew there was going to be no dinner that night. I ended up in a fab place where they served spicy bean sprout stew (kongnamul guk) with rice for only KRW8,000.
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| More tour souvenirs - the Onew bookmark and the Shilla Duty Free passport holder |
We were an excitable and satisfied bunch as we got on the bus after the concert. The English speakers on the bus were all seated separately in the arena but we sat together on the bus to talk about our favorite moments and highlights. As we pulled into the hotel, we were given one last souvenir - gourmet cookies in a Shinee World box.
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| Shinee water and cookies |
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Shinee World V (Sept 3, 2016): A Shawol's Goal in Life
I'll post about the SM Travel global package experience leading up this point later but for now, I want to jump right into the concert and get this down in writing while my memory is still fresh.
All the seats were occupied (bar a few in the top tier looking from the side) - I wonder if these don't get sold due to blocked/partial view. I was seated on the floor towards the far right of the stage (area F4) 8 rows from the front. It was seat 21 though so really to the far right. On my left were two tall Japanese fans who used their binoculars for most of the concert and changed into slippers (?) so they were comfortable while standing. On my right, was a Korean noona (maybe late 20's/early 30's) who came alone. She knew all the lyrics and happily sang the night away into my ear! Pretty much the entire audience was female - I counted about 3 males that I could see from my viewpoint. On our chairs was a banner with instructions on the back (in Korean, English and Japanese) that we were going to hold up during Lucky Star and the exact moment when. We also got a streamer capsule that unfortunately failed to launch in the air and didn't make an impact.
Leading up to the concert they played Shinee songs at a lower volume and occasionally the screen came on to show trailers for SMTown Coex Atrium, SMTown restaurant etc. They were testing the smoke machine at times and a lot of staff were walking around reminding all that photos and videos were strictly forbidden. At one point, a staff member asked two girls in front of me to delete the photos on their phone! Sorry readers but as I only have a crappy camera phone, I decided I wanted to watch the concert through my own eyes rather than through a camera so I didn't take any photos of Shinee this time. Before and after the concert, the screen looked like this:
The concert started bang on time at 7pm! Runaway was the first song and it was just played at loud volume - no Shinee appeared though. Guess this was just to heighten our expectations! Hey baby, let's run away....what a fitting introduction, Shinee suggesting that we forget the worries of daily life and run away with them for the next few hours into Shinee world...
Hitchhiking - 2nd song - Shinee appeared! It's ShiNEE! - goes Key as per the song and the crowd roars. The guys are wearing a hodgepodge of different styles - Minho in a embroidered floral jacket with stripey vest, Key in a blue & white checkered suit with embroidered floral ribbons, Onew in a black &white checkered top with appliqué. There's just so much to see and hear - a visual and aural overload.
Songlist immediately flows into Married to the Music> Why So Serious> Juliette. Great songs to start - an absolute cardio workout for Shinee with their full choreo. There was a new dance break in Why So Serious that added to the excitement. What I realized - these guys work really hard - Jonghyun's face was literally wet with sweat. Key was glistening - beading sweat only. This is the sweatiest I have ever seen Shinee on a large screen. We all had our light sticks and waved them to the rhythm of the music. No one in the audience really danced but I couldn't help grooving as they sang through some of my favorites. The audience was so well-behaved - we all stood up (no pushing) when Shinee were on stage but sat down when the VCR's played. My favorite moment in this segment - Key's solo dance during Juliette. He is SO underrated for his powerful, precise dance moves. His lines are so clean - he knows when to pull back and conserve his energy which makes the moment when he unleashes all his energy and power all the more impactful. Taemin is undoubtedly the more skillful dancer, fluid and stylistic - but when you want to learn choreo, you look at Key.
Next up was a new song - Prism. It sounded good - R&B twinges but modern and the choreo was slick. We have heard Replay so many times but we all still love it! This time, we were in for a treat with a new remix. The crowd went wild when Taemin handed his mike to Key and did the "swimming" dance!
Then, it was time for Chocolate - a beautiful song on the MTTM repackage. There was new never-before seen choreo! There were so many lovely moments in the choreo - from the hip rolls to the V finger symbol on their chest. By this time, Key had sweated through this shirt and jacket on his back. It was also during this song that Jonghyun lifted his shirt (alas, not in my direction). Yes, I get it - showing some chocolate abs right?
The segment ended with Beautiful and then we all sat down to watch the 1st VCR - it was a fairytale theme with 5 princes and an evil witch/princess. The Shinee princes were asleep and had to be woken up with a sharp needle(?) to their temple (frankly, it was a bit squeam-inducing). Shinee overpowered the witch by throwing colors at her.
When Shinee appeared in the next segment, their ensembles were a bit more low-key. They started out sitting down on white blocks and they were dressed in a blue checkered plaid. Minho had the biker jacket cut, Key was in shorts, Taemin in a longer jacket etc. Ever since Key explained how he designs the stage costumes, I've been looking to see who is wearing the "completion" outfit! They started with Black Hole>Odd Eye>Hold You> new song Feel Good. Highlight in this segment was when Jonghyun looked up at Key with "puppy dog" eyes during Black Hole. During the new song, there is a lyric which we all started singing "I can make you feel good". There was even a handy lyric VCR playing so we could all sing along.
I loved the next set of outfits. All of Shinee were dressed in these army-like olive green parkas but with orange and yellow fluorescent tape strewed across the chest. Key was in shiny gold skintight pants. It didn't look as if anyone was wearing anything underneath the parkas so you could see some nice collarbones. Except for Onew who unfortunately wore his parka zipped right up - sigh.
The next song was one of my favorites of the whole concert - Trigger. I have always loved the track and wondered what the choreo would look like. It did not disappoint. Firstly, we had the back-up dancers taking Shinee as prisoners with their pink lights. When the lights went dark and Shinee switched on the pink lasers, the crowd went wild.
The segment finished with Clue & Note with a great introduction - it sounded like a drum solo from a military band.
Only one member had a solo during the concert - Taemin with Goodbye. I have to give it to Taemin - he's not my favorite but as a dancer, he is unparalleled. I felt I was watching a contemporary dance show. I prefer Press Your Number if we are talking about songs but I feel blessed to have seen Taemin dance the choreography for Goodbye live. Funny moment - during Goodbye, the camera had panned to the side of the stage and you could see a Shinee member (looked like Minho) getting his make-up retouched.
After that, Shinee returned with the popular Ring Ding Dong and Lucifer - with Taemin changing clothes and joining Shinee mid-way through Ring Ding Dong.
I loved the clothes in the next segment - the ballad section. Minho and Key arrived first - in simple silk tops and slacks in sophisticated colors. They looked luxurious, sensual - just beautiful. Jonghyun appeared in a petrol blue double-breasted top and Onew had two color-contrasting layers! As if he couldn't risk us seeing any curves of his body - sob. During the talk sections, there were no English subtitles so it was hard for me to follow along. However, Shinee obviously love the home crowd and talked comfortably in Korean about topics such as Minho's grey hair (I'm not a fan!) and Kim Kibum designing the costumes. And then, Taemin appears in a lace top with no undershirt - Minho was like "Put some clothes on!".Yes, you could see his nipples.
Shinee sang Farewell My Love>Aside>new song Bubble Umbrella(?) in the ballad section. Jonghyun and Onew also did a duet Please Don't Go to close out the segment. They stood on opposite sides of the stage though so the live VCR put them closer together.
Fun song time - it was Punch Drunk Love and Shinee came out dressed like boxers preparing for a championship fight. Some members were really into it - I noticed Key held back a lot though and wouldn't punch. At the end of the song, the covers were lifted off the "boxing" stumps to reveal 5 microphones! We knew immediately what was coming next - Dream Girl. I also thought the outfits during the segment was fun - they were all wearing their own T-shirt (designed by Bridge Ship House). It was a dream to see Shinee perform this complex, precise choreography live! During this segment, Shinee also travelled across the audience in those moving cages, throwing frisbees and audience into the audience. As I was near the far right of the stage, they ran across the corridor a couple of seats next to me and up the stairs. It was only for a couple of seconds but I came to about a few meters of Key, Jonghyun, Minho, Taemin and Onew. All I can say is that these 5 guys have really won the genetic lottery or the make-up is just that good! Key has such sharp cheekbones - his face has great definition. Minho is not my favored member of Shinee but I have to admit the guy has perfect proportions with a face like a Greek god. Taemin is so pretty - he looks ethereal. Onew and Jonghyun just look like great-looking guys - so much more attractive in real life than I had anticipated. They closed out this section with an epic dance remix of Colorful. We all went crazy - jumping up and down, waving our light sticks to the beat.
I have to mention two amazing VCRs I remember watching - although I can't quite recall the order they appeared. One was the "Dance" VCR which showed some of their intricate synchronized moves over the years. It was fun but a powerful reminder how iconic some of the moves now are. Also, how all 5 despite not being natural dancers (cough Jinki) still work hard to make it all work. My absolute favorite was laugh-out-loud Shinee in the 1990's with Woof Woof as the soundtrack. Basically, Minho comes across an old home made video dated September 3, 1991and watches it - we see Jonghyun and Key working at a car mechanic shop, Taemin is dancing/busking in the streets and Onew & Minho are weight-training and practicing their 90's dance moves. They are all in polyester track suits and look ridiculous. Finally, they audition for a corporate suit and they win him over with Sherlock choreography, degenerating into crazy 90's dance moves such as the worm. It is hilarious - I love how Shinee never take themselves too seriously! Rivals the one they did when they infiltrated a Shawol training camp...
Next up, was an interesting instrumental interlude which we suspected was their new lead track. Shinee did not sing but just stood there, dancing little bits of the choreo. The audience started chanting "Shinee! Shinee!". Then, we went into one of the most hi-energy segments - the audience was literally jumping up and down for View>Picasso>Ready or Not>Savior. During Picasso, I was so deliriously happy, that I actually felt guilty. Guilty that I could feel so happy - does that even make sense? At this point, I realized I actually felt as if my heart was going to burst - a dull ache in the chest area - not sure whether this was due to the euphoria or sustained adrenalin throughout the concert.
Shinee changed for Everybody - a change from the earlier outfits, they all wore the same sharp white suits with a modern silver buckle and black shoes. Shinee were dancing at the front stage here my view was of their backs unfortunately. What I did see: Onew's shoulders working like crazy through his white shirt during the propeller move! Shinee then disappeared. As per the banner instructions (each night was different and organized by a different Shinee fan club), we sang LoveSick acapella.
Then, Shinee appeared for the encore and sang Lucky Star>An Encore>Romeo & Juliette. The white ticker tape confetti was released - a fitting finale. During Lucky Star, we held up our banners to be admired by Shinee. When they disappeared, the credits started rolling along with VCR excerpts of "bloopers" during the filming. It was 10.30pm. Shinee had performed for three and a half hours.
We were completely sated and happy Shawols streamed out of the venue. Shinee has such an amazing discography - although I was thrilled to have heard and seen some new songs such as Trigger and Chocolate, I realized we didn't get to hear Love Like Oxygen, Jojo or Electric Heart. I would have also loved to hear Onew sing Rainy Blue live with Taemin on the piano! I loved how hearing the songs live and the order in which they are placed in makes you appreciate the songs in a different way.
All in all, it was an incredibly high-energy set list - filled with a lot of newer songs never done before from the View album and MTTM repackage, the greats such as RDD, Lucifer and Everybody but also some occasional oldies from the back catalogue (hello Romeo & Juliette!). It was designed to intoxicate with its sights and sounds - effects included fireworks, fire, lasers, glitter confetti and the white ticker tape confetti. I walked away from the concert - having achieved one from the bucket list.
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| Entering the venue - Olympic Gymnastics Hall in Seoul |
All the seats were occupied (bar a few in the top tier looking from the side) - I wonder if these don't get sold due to blocked/partial view. I was seated on the floor towards the far right of the stage (area F4) 8 rows from the front. It was seat 21 though so really to the far right. On my left were two tall Japanese fans who used their binoculars for most of the concert and changed into slippers (?) so they were comfortable while standing. On my right, was a Korean noona (maybe late 20's/early 30's) who came alone. She knew all the lyrics and happily sang the night away into my ear! Pretty much the entire audience was female - I counted about 3 males that I could see from my viewpoint. On our chairs was a banner with instructions on the back (in Korean, English and Japanese) that we were going to hold up during Lucky Star and the exact moment when. We also got a streamer capsule that unfortunately failed to launch in the air and didn't make an impact.
Leading up to the concert they played Shinee songs at a lower volume and occasionally the screen came on to show trailers for SMTown Coex Atrium, SMTown restaurant etc. They were testing the smoke machine at times and a lot of staff were walking around reminding all that photos and videos were strictly forbidden. At one point, a staff member asked two girls in front of me to delete the photos on their phone! Sorry readers but as I only have a crappy camera phone, I decided I wanted to watch the concert through my own eyes rather than through a camera so I didn't take any photos of Shinee this time. Before and after the concert, the screen looked like this:
The concert started bang on time at 7pm! Runaway was the first song and it was just played at loud volume - no Shinee appeared though. Guess this was just to heighten our expectations! Hey baby, let's run away....what a fitting introduction, Shinee suggesting that we forget the worries of daily life and run away with them for the next few hours into Shinee world...
Hitchhiking - 2nd song - Shinee appeared! It's ShiNEE! - goes Key as per the song and the crowd roars. The guys are wearing a hodgepodge of different styles - Minho in a embroidered floral jacket with stripey vest, Key in a blue & white checkered suit with embroidered floral ribbons, Onew in a black &white checkered top with appliqué. There's just so much to see and hear - a visual and aural overload.
Songlist immediately flows into Married to the Music> Why So Serious> Juliette. Great songs to start - an absolute cardio workout for Shinee with their full choreo. There was a new dance break in Why So Serious that added to the excitement. What I realized - these guys work really hard - Jonghyun's face was literally wet with sweat. Key was glistening - beading sweat only. This is the sweatiest I have ever seen Shinee on a large screen. We all had our light sticks and waved them to the rhythm of the music. No one in the audience really danced but I couldn't help grooving as they sang through some of my favorites. The audience was so well-behaved - we all stood up (no pushing) when Shinee were on stage but sat down when the VCR's played. My favorite moment in this segment - Key's solo dance during Juliette. He is SO underrated for his powerful, precise dance moves. His lines are so clean - he knows when to pull back and conserve his energy which makes the moment when he unleashes all his energy and power all the more impactful. Taemin is undoubtedly the more skillful dancer, fluid and stylistic - but when you want to learn choreo, you look at Key.
Next up was a new song - Prism. It sounded good - R&B twinges but modern and the choreo was slick. We have heard Replay so many times but we all still love it! This time, we were in for a treat with a new remix. The crowd went wild when Taemin handed his mike to Key and did the "swimming" dance!
Then, it was time for Chocolate - a beautiful song on the MTTM repackage. There was new never-before seen choreo! There were so many lovely moments in the choreo - from the hip rolls to the V finger symbol on their chest. By this time, Key had sweated through this shirt and jacket on his back. It was also during this song that Jonghyun lifted his shirt (alas, not in my direction). Yes, I get it - showing some chocolate abs right?
The segment ended with Beautiful and then we all sat down to watch the 1st VCR - it was a fairytale theme with 5 princes and an evil witch/princess. The Shinee princes were asleep and had to be woken up with a sharp needle(?) to their temple (frankly, it was a bit squeam-inducing). Shinee overpowered the witch by throwing colors at her.
When Shinee appeared in the next segment, their ensembles were a bit more low-key. They started out sitting down on white blocks and they were dressed in a blue checkered plaid. Minho had the biker jacket cut, Key was in shorts, Taemin in a longer jacket etc. Ever since Key explained how he designs the stage costumes, I've been looking to see who is wearing the "completion" outfit! They started with Black Hole>Odd Eye>Hold You> new song Feel Good. Highlight in this segment was when Jonghyun looked up at Key with "puppy dog" eyes during Black Hole. During the new song, there is a lyric which we all started singing "I can make you feel good". There was even a handy lyric VCR playing so we could all sing along.
I loved the next set of outfits. All of Shinee were dressed in these army-like olive green parkas but with orange and yellow fluorescent tape strewed across the chest. Key was in shiny gold skintight pants. It didn't look as if anyone was wearing anything underneath the parkas so you could see some nice collarbones. Except for Onew who unfortunately wore his parka zipped right up - sigh.
The next song was one of my favorites of the whole concert - Trigger. I have always loved the track and wondered what the choreo would look like. It did not disappoint. Firstly, we had the back-up dancers taking Shinee as prisoners with their pink lights. When the lights went dark and Shinee switched on the pink lasers, the crowd went wild.
The segment finished with Clue & Note with a great introduction - it sounded like a drum solo from a military band.
Only one member had a solo during the concert - Taemin with Goodbye. I have to give it to Taemin - he's not my favorite but as a dancer, he is unparalleled. I felt I was watching a contemporary dance show. I prefer Press Your Number if we are talking about songs but I feel blessed to have seen Taemin dance the choreography for Goodbye live. Funny moment - during Goodbye, the camera had panned to the side of the stage and you could see a Shinee member (looked like Minho) getting his make-up retouched.
After that, Shinee returned with the popular Ring Ding Dong and Lucifer - with Taemin changing clothes and joining Shinee mid-way through Ring Ding Dong.
I loved the clothes in the next segment - the ballad section. Minho and Key arrived first - in simple silk tops and slacks in sophisticated colors. They looked luxurious, sensual - just beautiful. Jonghyun appeared in a petrol blue double-breasted top and Onew had two color-contrasting layers! As if he couldn't risk us seeing any curves of his body - sob. During the talk sections, there were no English subtitles so it was hard for me to follow along. However, Shinee obviously love the home crowd and talked comfortably in Korean about topics such as Minho's grey hair (I'm not a fan!) and Kim Kibum designing the costumes. And then, Taemin appears in a lace top with no undershirt - Minho was like "Put some clothes on!".Yes, you could see his nipples.
Shinee sang Farewell My Love>Aside>new song Bubble Umbrella(?) in the ballad section. Jonghyun and Onew also did a duet Please Don't Go to close out the segment. They stood on opposite sides of the stage though so the live VCR put them closer together.
Fun song time - it was Punch Drunk Love and Shinee came out dressed like boxers preparing for a championship fight. Some members were really into it - I noticed Key held back a lot though and wouldn't punch. At the end of the song, the covers were lifted off the "boxing" stumps to reveal 5 microphones! We knew immediately what was coming next - Dream Girl. I also thought the outfits during the segment was fun - they were all wearing their own T-shirt (designed by Bridge Ship House). It was a dream to see Shinee perform this complex, precise choreography live! During this segment, Shinee also travelled across the audience in those moving cages, throwing frisbees and audience into the audience. As I was near the far right of the stage, they ran across the corridor a couple of seats next to me and up the stairs. It was only for a couple of seconds but I came to about a few meters of Key, Jonghyun, Minho, Taemin and Onew. All I can say is that these 5 guys have really won the genetic lottery or the make-up is just that good! Key has such sharp cheekbones - his face has great definition. Minho is not my favored member of Shinee but I have to admit the guy has perfect proportions with a face like a Greek god. Taemin is so pretty - he looks ethereal. Onew and Jonghyun just look like great-looking guys - so much more attractive in real life than I had anticipated. They closed out this section with an epic dance remix of Colorful. We all went crazy - jumping up and down, waving our light sticks to the beat.
I have to mention two amazing VCRs I remember watching - although I can't quite recall the order they appeared. One was the "Dance" VCR which showed some of their intricate synchronized moves over the years. It was fun but a powerful reminder how iconic some of the moves now are. Also, how all 5 despite not being natural dancers (cough Jinki) still work hard to make it all work. My absolute favorite was laugh-out-loud Shinee in the 1990's with Woof Woof as the soundtrack. Basically, Minho comes across an old home made video dated September 3, 1991and watches it - we see Jonghyun and Key working at a car mechanic shop, Taemin is dancing/busking in the streets and Onew & Minho are weight-training and practicing their 90's dance moves. They are all in polyester track suits and look ridiculous. Finally, they audition for a corporate suit and they win him over with Sherlock choreography, degenerating into crazy 90's dance moves such as the worm. It is hilarious - I love how Shinee never take themselves too seriously! Rivals the one they did when they infiltrated a Shawol training camp...
Next up, was an interesting instrumental interlude which we suspected was their new lead track. Shinee did not sing but just stood there, dancing little bits of the choreo. The audience started chanting "Shinee! Shinee!". Then, we went into one of the most hi-energy segments - the audience was literally jumping up and down for View>Picasso>Ready or Not>Savior. During Picasso, I was so deliriously happy, that I actually felt guilty. Guilty that I could feel so happy - does that even make sense? At this point, I realized I actually felt as if my heart was going to burst - a dull ache in the chest area - not sure whether this was due to the euphoria or sustained adrenalin throughout the concert.
Shinee changed for Everybody - a change from the earlier outfits, they all wore the same sharp white suits with a modern silver buckle and black shoes. Shinee were dancing at the front stage here my view was of their backs unfortunately. What I did see: Onew's shoulders working like crazy through his white shirt during the propeller move! Shinee then disappeared. As per the banner instructions (each night was different and organized by a different Shinee fan club), we sang LoveSick acapella.
Then, Shinee appeared for the encore and sang Lucky Star>An Encore>Romeo & Juliette. The white ticker tape confetti was released - a fitting finale. During Lucky Star, we held up our banners to be admired by Shinee. When they disappeared, the credits started rolling along with VCR excerpts of "bloopers" during the filming. It was 10.30pm. Shinee had performed for three and a half hours.
We were completely sated and happy Shawols streamed out of the venue. Shinee has such an amazing discography - although I was thrilled to have heard and seen some new songs such as Trigger and Chocolate, I realized we didn't get to hear Love Like Oxygen, Jojo or Electric Heart. I would have also loved to hear Onew sing Rainy Blue live with Taemin on the piano! I loved how hearing the songs live and the order in which they are placed in makes you appreciate the songs in a different way.
All in all, it was an incredibly high-energy set list - filled with a lot of newer songs never done before from the View album and MTTM repackage, the greats such as RDD, Lucifer and Everybody but also some occasional oldies from the back catalogue (hello Romeo & Juliette!). It was designed to intoxicate with its sights and sounds - effects included fireworks, fire, lasers, glitter confetti and the white ticker tape confetti. I walked away from the concert - having achieved one from the bucket list.
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| The end of the concert - satisfied Shawols getting ready to leave |
Saturday, September 10, 2016
My Story
I've been a Shawol since Fall 2013 ever since I caught a fan cam of Shinee powering through Why So Serious in Hong Kong's torrential rain. Their sheer work ethic, the professionalism despite adversity - it resonated with my values and I thought these guys have something.
Sure I have been a casual admirer of Shinee before then. I downloaded Stand By Me as part of the Boys Before Flowers OST. I downloaded Lucifer and Ring Ding Dong onto my phone just because I liked the songs. Heck, I even saw them live at SMTown NYC in 2011. I was stanning another group at that point but Shinee impressed me with their fire, lasers and wirework.
Since that fateful day in Fall 2013, I consumed everything I could on the internet, going back to old variety shows, music videos etc. Hello Baby introduced me to their personalities - sassy and together Key has to be my favorite. If they were not idols and say were corporate workers, he will go far up the career ladder with his wits and common sense. Onew is not far behind in my bias list - but for a different reason - quite simply, his singing voice. Jonghyun may be the more technically brilliant singer with a wider range but when Onew starts singing, something deep resonates in my heart. Needless to say, I worried along with all Shawols during his nodule surgery that his voice would be affected (a la Julie Andrews).
My life as a Shawol has had a few highlights - I visited Rakkojae, the traditional guest house in Seoul where they filmed Hello Baby. I ended up talking to a YG band who were filming that day there but that's another story. I saw them live in Hong Kong during the Everybody fan tour (more fan interaction, less songs). However, I wanted to see a full Shinee World concert in their home city - Seoul or even a larger venue like Tokyo Dome. There may not be many chances left to see OT5 when they start enlisting! My wish was fulfilled last weekend - I was in the audience at Shinee World V on September 3...
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| Shinee in Hong Kong - Everybody Tour (This photo captures Shinee World for me - we shine on Shinee) |
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