Concert review: K-pop group Red Velvet deliver, despite one member dropping out midway
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K-pop girl group Red Velvet played to a full-house crowd of more than 4,000 at The Star Theatre.
PHOTO: CK STAR ENTERTAINMENT
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Red Velvet 4th Concert: R To V
The Star Theatre
Last Friday
Fans who were at K-pop girl group Red Velvet’s last gig in Singapore in October 2018 might have felt a sense of deja vu at their recent show.
Both sold-out concerts were held at The Star Theatre. And uncannily enough, 26-year-old Joy dropped out of the performance midway. That left the remaining four members – Wendy, 29; Irene, 32; Seulgi, 29; and Yeri, 24 – to continue, just like the last time.
But the full-house crowd of more than 4,000 did not sense that anything was amiss with Joy.
She and her group mates came onstage promptly at 7.30pm in saccharine pink tutu-inspired outfits.
Their opening tracks Feel My Rhythm and Bamboleo, both chart-toppers from their 2022 album, set the tone for a memorable night for their fans, also known as ReVeluv.
The quintet, which debuted in 2014, pulled off more synchronised dance moves as they sang and rapped to catchy tunes from their earlier days, including Ice Cream Cake (2015), Red Flavour (2017) and Bad Boy (2018).
There were also sweet ballads such as Eyes Locked, Hands Locked (2019) and On A Ride (2022), which provided a balance to the pounding fast numbers.
Red Velvet are made up of (from left) Joy, Irene, Wendy, Seulgi and Yeri.
PHOTO: CK STAR ENTERTAINMENT
Then, 1½ hours into the show, they reappeared as a quartet after their fifth costume change and belted out the soulful number I Just (2017).
“Everyone must be surprised why Joy is not onstage,” Wendy, who spent her childhood in Canada and the United States, said in English. “She’s not feeling well.”
That drew a spontaneous and empathetic “ooh” from the audience, made up of mostly teens and those in their 20s.
Wendy added: “She is sad that she can’t be with us for the rest of the concert, but she will, for sure, show you a better performance… in Singapore next time.”
Earlier on, Yeri shared that she and Joy ate a lot of chilli crab the day before.
“I was so scared to see my face today,” she said nervously, her hands cupping her cheeks. “Am I all right?”
To which Wendy assured, “You look gorgeous”, before turning to the screaming fans and asking: “She looks perfect, right?”
Red Velvet debuted under famed South Korean talent agency SM Entertainment in 2014.
PHOTO: CK STAR ENTERTAINMENT
Singapore is Red Velvet’s first stop outside of Seoul, where they kicked off their fourth concert tour titled R To V on April 1.
In May and June, they will bring the show to Asian and European cities including Yokohama, Manila, Paris, Amsterdam and London.
In between, they will also be at Primavera Sound 2023. They are the only K-pop girl group invited to perform at the music festival’s Barcelona and Madrid legs, their talent agency SM Entertainment had announced.
The quintet will no doubt have a busy schedule in 2023 as they try to hit greater heights, a challenge amid an influx of fresher acts with younger members.
That was perhaps why Wendy appeared teary at the Singapore show when she thanked her fans for their unwavering support.
Singapore is Red Velvet’s first stop outside of Seoul, where they kicked off their fourth concert tour titled R To V.
PHOTO: CK STAR ENTERTAINMENT
The eight-year-old group, sans Joy, treated them to another hour of high-energy performance.
But most of the audience members would agree that the concert’s best part was during the second encore, when they were finally allowed to jump and dance along, as well as take photos and videos of their idols.
A strict no-videography rule was imposed earlier, with security teams going up and down the seat aisles to make sure the audience abided by it.
