EXO Regains Power From Fans With "EXO Planet #5 - EXplOration" in Singapore
EXO returned to Singapore with their fifth concert tour on September 15th to an impressive crowd of 8000 fans at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. While the group is no stranger to K-Pop fans in Singapore, this year's concert presented a new dynamic to the stage. The fifth concert edition was a first for EXO to be touring as a six-member ensemble in the absence of members Xiumin, Kyungsoo and Lay.
Emerging from beneath the stage, EXO made their presence known as the kings of the night, cladded in flashy and colourful biker suits. They opened the stage with hits, "Tempo", "Transformer" and "Gravity".
Despite having lesser members on tour, it didn't deter the group from showing off their musical prowess and unique flair through their individual performances. Baekhyun started off the round of solo stages with his own song titled "UN Village" as loud fan chants echoed within the stadium complex.
The group's main rapper, Chanyeol, expressed amazement at the fans' passion after hearing the chants backstage during Baekhyun's solo. Baekhyun chimed in to say that he took off his in-ears during the song to listen to the voices of Singapore EXO-Ls who were following him well. Showing his gratitude to the fans, Baekhyun remarked that "It will be an amazing night thanks to the fans' passion."
Fans continued to surprise EXO, with a pre-planned dress code for the concert that kept the group wondering. Sehun was the first to point out the sea of white that the fans had prepared while Chen joked that they would have to keep guessing till the end of the show.
As the members soon caught on to the dress code which resembled the white cat L in "Power" music video, Baekhyun smoothly transitioned into the next segment to add a dash of black to the overly-white crowd, with songs "Monster" and "Oasis".
Suho and Chen was then put into the spotlight with their solo stages. Suho performed to the tunes of "Been Through" with backup dancers forming black silhouettes behind him. His charismatic performance ushered in screams from the crowd as he showed off his perfectly-sculpted upper body, much to the delight of fans.
Chen displayed a different kind of charm, rightfully up in his alley, with haunting vocals that placed him as the center of focus on the big stage. A memorable feature of Chen's rendition of "Lights Out" is the appearance of a lone light bulb that drops from the ceiling and fades out, further adding on to the sorrowful tone of the performance.
During the talk segment, Chen expressed regret for not preparing a dance performance and admitted that he was "feeling burdened" after watching Suho's solo. Chanyeol went on to tease the crowd by saying that Chen will work on his thigh muscles for the next concert tour.
With a significant reduction in the size of the group, it is undeniable that they had more ground to cover onstage while trying to keep up with the modified choreographies. The six members were noticeably struggling to catch on to their breaths in between sets. Even their main dancer, Kai, had difficulties conversing right after going all-out for his solo performance of "Confession". Kai simply brushed off leader Suho's request with a gentle whine while gasping for his breath. The crowd didn't seem to mind the playful banter between the members, which was clearly seen through the cheers that grew even louder amidst the interaction.
EXO only had gratitude for their fans as they regularly conveyed their thanks to the crowd throughout the night. Kai motioned that he "received strength from the fans" and wished for longer concert days for their next run. Closing off the night with "Smile On My Face", Suho got the crowd swooning with his light-hearted remark, "don't cry baby".
While the group was visibly less in numbers, EXO managed to fill up the stage with the help of deafening cheers from the EXO-Ls. With power derived from fans, EXO successfully delivered a night of dynamic stages and impressive solo performances that left us yearning for more.
Special thanks to ONE Production for the invitation.
Article by Atiqah
Photo: One Production
