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This is no ordinary fan meeting when it comes to Lee Joon Gi. It’s a 3-hour full-scale adrenaline rush concert, with fan benefits to boot. If you include the “sound check” and “good bye” segments, it’s 4 hours of Lee Joon Gi bliss. The ticket is definitely worth every penny. His entourage is made-up of a four-piece live band and a team of back-up dancers. Joon Gi made his grand entrance with his 2016 smash hit, “Thank You”. Fans erupted in appreciative loud howling and cheers. Obviously, bursting with excitement to see him right before their very eyes and breathing the same air as their idol ! This was followed by more songs such as “Now” , “Can’t be slow”, “My Lady, “For A While” and “Tonight”. Joon Gi really lives up to the title of being a multifaceted artiste. He is not merely an outstanding actor, his phenomenal dancing and singing aptitude easily put any k-pop stars to shame ! He’s just that good ! His footwork are flawless when he gyrated to upbeat songs such as Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk”, Jungkook “Standing Next To You” and PSY’s “That That”. He is definitely in his element when performing before his beloved fans and making hearts flutter when he addressed us as “my loves”. Omigosh …..oppa, how do you expect us to move on after the concert??!!
Joon Gi attempted to interact with the audience in Malay. Aside from swooning fans with Korean tracks, he also sang in English (Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours & Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” and “Uptown Funk”). The startling moment is when he suddenly burst into a Malay tune “Rasa Sayang”, joined by the crowd. Initially, I was baffled with the change in some of the lyrics. After the show, I found out he had performed the Indonesian version. Some disgruntled fans commented in social media that the organizer should have pointed this out to Joon Gi and ask him to sing the correct Malay rendition. Prior to the concert, the organizer encouraged fans to submit their requests to Joon Gi. One such plea is for him to devise five cute poses and another, to show off his martial art skills. He also shared a touching letter from a Malaysian fan and expressed that he should have come sooner to Malaysia, particularly after experiencing such a “warm reception” at KLIA earlier. Well, it’s actually a stampede at the airport because the fans just went berserk upon seeing him. A few shoes were strewn on the floor and someone even shouted “where is my shoe ?” after Joon Gi boarded the vehicle.
Fan meeting is never complete without the compulsory OST (Original Sound Track) portion. Looking dapper in cool brown leather jacket, Joon Gi captivated fans with his smooth vocals, performing “In My Heart” (Flowers of Evil ), “Chosen One” (Arthdal Chronicles 2), “Fate” (The King and The Clown), “Higher Plane” (Criminal Minds) and “For You” (Moon Lovers). That said, I wished he would put on some weight. It pains me to see his skinny frame. He also introduced a new composition called “Delete” and humorously reminded us not to erase the song from our minds despite the title. "Dancing In the Moonlight" is another brand new catchy track that was specially composed for the "Festival" tour. The lively atmosphere cranks up a few notches when encore session sets in. Everyone was on their feet, moving along to the fast-paced rousing encore medley. Joon Gi promised fans that he will be back and thanked everyone for their love and support throughout the years. Next up is the good bye session, where everyone had a chance to walk pass Joon Gi, to bid him farewell. In general, it is an entertaining concert, plus the security/staff were really polite and helpful. There are several cons though, for example disjointed information/instruction as the ushers seemed to be clueless about some arrangements. Time management is pretty messy, too. Case in point, two different staff confirmed that we should seat according to our ticket numbers during soundcheck. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the scenario. It was free for all. The staff should have communicated this to the fans when distributing the soundcheck wrist bands. By the time we made our way into the hall after the time-consuming bag check, soundcheck was already in-progress when fans are still trickling into the auditorium. Clearly, lack of time organization. The show really measured up to the concert theme, “Festival”, as it is truly a heart-felt celebration between his loyal fans and the humble, affable and talented superstar, Lee Joon Gi. I’ve been to countless concerts and it is indeed rare to see (and feel) an artiste with such profound sincerity and conviction to his craft.
Concert Rundown :-
1. THANK YOU
2. NOW
3. CAN'T BE SLOW
4. MA LADY
5. 아낌없이 주는 나무
6. 사랑을 몰라 + FOR A WHILE
7. 칭찬해줘
8. TONIGHT
9. DELETE
10. CHOSEN ONE
11. 인연
12. RUN
13. 미련한 가슴아
14. 너를 위해
15. IN MY HEART
16. I'M YOURS + MARRY YOU
17. RASA SAYANG
18. DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT
19. FOR US
20. LOST FRAME
21. STANDING NEXT TO YOU
22. BRING DA BEAT + 바보사랑 + UPTOWN FUNK
23. TOGETHER
