IU’s Intimate Small Theatre Concert
As an IU fan, my greatest dream is to be able to watch IU perform live at her concert someday. Sadly, being a non-Korean speaking fan living miles away from Korea in the tiny island of Singapore, which Fave Entertainment seems unlikely to have interest in expanding its reach to, that is but a distant dream for now.
Fortunately, there are plenty of concert clips, fan videos and fan accounts which I can rely on to get a sense of what IU’s concerts are like. And watching them makes me incredibly envious of the thousands of IU fans who pack each concert, illuminating the venue with their greenish-yellow light sticks like the glow of fireflies (yes ueanas, that’s a deliberate reference to our beloved Through the Night).
IU concerts seem like amazing affairs. They aren’t the kind of concerts where people stand up, jump and jive to (which in any case wouldn’t be my cup of tea) – but they inevitably include a good mix of IU’s livelier, upbeat songs and dance numbers, along with her slow, sentimental ballads, and feature visually striking stage set-ups and colourful costume changes which people generally expect of pop concerts.
I guess what makes IU’s concerts unique though, is her close interaction with fans and the great lengths she goes to ensure they are happy. IU’s concerts are known for their remarkably long “encores” which are almost as long as the main concert itself – her 2017 Seoul concert was apparently a record-breaking five hours – during which she entertains random song requests and chats with her fans. Thanks to the wonderful translations of IU fans like @4seasonswithiu and @iu-jjang, I’ve managed to find out what IU says during her concert talk time, which often reveal the introspective, mature and thoughtful side of IU I love so much – but perhaps I’ll save my thoughts on that for a separate post. Instead, I shall focus today on IU’s 2014 small theatre concerts, which seem to me represents IU’s intimate fan interaction at its best, and is the one IU concert I would go to if I could only choose one.
Just one step…That much more
Held over eight runs between May to June 2014, IU’s small theatre concert “Just one step…That much more” was probably a fulfilment of IU’s dream, often professed in her younger days, of having a concert in a small-scale setting. An old advertisement from the KBS World website describes this as a show that “focuses more on IU as a true singer than a glitzy celebrity and star” where she’ll “bring to her fans a more soulful session with her signature sweet voice to help usher in the warmth of spring”. And though I wasn’t there myself, that’s exactly the vibes I get from watching clips online. The concerts have none of the glamour, glitz and theatrics of large-scale concerts, but come across like a cosy and intimate affair where IU seems truly happy, relaxed and in her element performing for her fans. Fave Entertainment was kind enough to post three high quality concert clips on YouTube - let me just share two here to talk briefly about them.
Friday
Friday is one of my favourite IU songs, and I’ve watched dozens of clips of her performing it live – but this clip is my absolute favourite. I love everything about it – the beautiful stage set-up, the wonderful band accompaniment, IU’s chic and classy outfit, her glossy tresses, and the enthusiastic audience singing along. Above all, what I really love is how IU’s face seems suffused in a warm glow of joy which gives one the sense that she is truly enjoying the performance, and dare I say, basking in the bliss of thoughts on someone she loves. You can see how her happiness spreads to the audience, who seem to share her bliss, and likewise, watching this inevitably uplifts my spirits and brings a smile to my face. (P.S: And yes, I love this so much I’ve used it for my Tumblr header image!)
When Love Passes By
I recall that the first time I watched this clip was also the first time I listened in full to this song, which was covered in IU’s first Flower Bookmark Album. And I was absolutely mesmerized. IU’s rendition of this poignant song in her soulful, magnetic voice is deeply moving and hauntingly beautiful. Someone commented on YouTube that IU “moves like a zombie” in the beginning – and indeed she’s treading slowly, but that’s only because she’s so immersed in her emotions, and as always, conveys these emotions so well through her voice. If her performance of Friday is an energizer boost, this song is a tranquiliser which soothes and calms me down after a bad day, and I’m sure her fans in the audience were just as moved.
And so to conclude…
In the comments section on YouTube for the Friday video, there was some discussion about how this was the concert attended by Kim Soo Hyun (IU’s friend and co-star in The Producers, and the leading man in her MV for Ending Scene). I love one of the comments, which I shall quote here – “He picked a darn good concert to attend. A very intimate concert filled with overtones of acoustic energy and IU’s magnetic voice, yet possessing an undertone of serenity.” I think that sums up perfectly the vibes I get from this series of concerts just from watching the clips alone, and I can only dream about how it would have been like to be actually there, soaking in the atmosphere and listening to IU perform.
Sadly, it seems that this was the only series of small-scale concerts held by IU, and I can guess why – from Fave’s viewpoint, a small concert probably doesn’t have the same economies of scale of a larger one and wouldn’t justify the sunk costs involved. Nonetheless, I hope that IU will be able to replicate this someday, and above all, that I’ll be one amongst the lucky audience to be there!