Posts tagged ‘jung yongwha’
You Only Live Twice: CNBLUE in Tokyo and Yonghwa in Hong Kong concert reviews, part 2
The second half of my CNBLUE/Yonghwa doubleheader took place the first week of July in Hong Kong. I hadn’t been to the former crown colony since 2019 so it was nice to visit again and see how things are faring there after the tumultuous pro-democracy protests of that year, followed by the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing brutal human rights violations of the CCP. That’s a whole nother post, but needless to say the people of Hong Kong are very resilient despite all of the upheavals of the past few years.
But as far as the concert went, it exceeded expectations, as Yonghwa was in fine spirits, happy and energetic. After the many angsty performances of the past few years it was great to see him enjoying himself, both solo in Hong Kong and with CNBLUE in Tokyo. He’s most definitely got his swag back after several years of strife and uncertainty.
photo: @colori_KMH
After a few months of touring Yonghwa’s voice at the Hong Kong concert was sure and strong and he was clearly having a blast He wore his peacockiest outfits, including sparkly silver shoes, a striped pink satin shirt, and shimmery white trousers, as well as gorgeous suit jackets festooned with sparkling brooches and a fabulously blingy jeweled vest from the Alexander McQueen menswear collection. He also had a very faint pink wash over his bleached blond hair, which only accentuated his dandy-ness. He clearly came for the fun and wasn’t leaving until he got it.
photo: @colori_KMH
This tour’s theme was All-Rounder and Yonghwa was determined to live up to the moniker. He played the guitar and keyboards, rapped, danced, hit some insane high notes, sang in Korean, English, and Mandarin, and showed off his many compositions that were variously deep house, trot, rock, pop, ballads, EDM, city pop, Latin, and jazz. He also made reference to his actor-dol status, performing songs from two of his k-dramas, SELL YOUR HAUNTED HOUSE and HEARTSTRINGS, as well as the marriage reality show WE GOT MARRIED.
Yonghwa’s also gotten much better at dancing since he first tried his hand at it some years ago. His footwork is much lighter, possibly as a result of his new boxing habit, and his time in the ring has loosened up his movements. Unlike he was with his earlier dancing efforts, he’s now loose and limber, with a bigger vocabulary of movement including head twitches, hip rolls, and shoulder dips. He’s feeling the music through his body, not just mechanically doing the moves.
The crowd in Hong Kong skewed much younger than in Tokyo, with many fans in their twenties as opposed to the older ladies that comprised much of the audience in Japan. There was also a whole lotta Mandarin being spoken in the audience even though the show was in Hong Kong, which meant either that a lot of fans from China had made the short trek to the former Crown Colony or that Mandarin is just more common in Hong Kong these days. In a nod to his sinophone fans Yonghwa covered JJ Lin’s sweet pop tune Little Dimples twice, once in the main body of the show and once as part of his marathon encore session. But this meant that the set was missing his glorious cover of the iconic trot song Million Roses (백만송의 장미), which he had previously re-arranged during his stint on K-Trot In Town, the popular variety show he was a main cast member for during the pandemic lockdown.
Notably, compared to shows in Japan, security at the Hong Kong concert was pretty laissez faire. There were security people posted at the end of the rows but none of them made much effort to keep fans from opening up the barriers and running closer to the stage. Security also ignored the many fans taking videos and photos during the show, unlike in Japan where recordings of any sort are punishable by expulsion from the venue. So when Yonghwa decided to come off the stage during Fireworks and subsequently got very close to the crowd, the rush of fans to the front of the hall got a bit dicey. Yonghwa quickly retreated back on stage well out of range. I think he was actually practicing crowd control, trying to calm down a potentially dangerous crowd crush situation.
Just like he and CNBLUE did in Tokyo, after twenty or so songs in his regular set Yonghwa sang several songs during a triple encore, and he was clearly having the time of his life interacting with his fans. He was beaming during all of the encore songs, including the usually very somber ballad One Fine Day. Whereas OFD used to be the final song in the setlist, on this tour he performed it about halfway through the show. It used to be all about Yonghwa preparing to leave, mostly for the military, but now that life is happier and less full of dread he seems content to perform it not as the mood-setter but as just another one of his great compositions. It’s not the theme for his life any more, I don’t think.
He used the second go-round of OFD to show off his pipes and it became a crazy singalong with the crowd swapping lines with him throughout the song. It was almost like he was treating the audience to the song’s high notes just because they loved them so much. He’d already sung the song once earlier in the show with the full theatrical angst that it deserved but I think the second version was actually better, in part because he was so relaxed and in part because the song somehow became happy and redemptive. He may also have been belting it out because it was the last song of the show and he didn’t have to save his voice.
It feels like Yonghwa is finally allowing himself to savor his life and appreciate his happy place, which is onstage performing in front of a huge crowd. Yonghwa is also one of the most relentless people I’ve ever come across and every concert is a step toward his life goals, whatever they may be at the moment. But he also seems to genuinely love being on stage and interacting with audiences as well, and he is a very generous performer, as evidenced by his extended encores in Hong Kong as well as with CNBLUE in Tokyo.
So Yonghwa’s main paradox remains: how can someone so good-looking be so multitalented as well? The casual observer might discount his musical aptitude but closer inspection reveals his prodigious abilities. When he was younger his looks may have unlocked the door, but his talent, perseverance, and hard work have kept it wide open.
Don’t Say Goodbye: Favorite CNBLUE live performances
I just published Have A Good Night: CNBLUE, Band Music, and the Uses of Live Performance in K-pop, my first article in the burgeoning field of CNBLUE studies, in the book The Future of Live Music (Bloomsbury, 2020) and to celebrate that achievement as well as to give the article more context I came up with a list of some of my favorite live CNBLUE performances.
Since CNBLUE is in the midst of reconfiguring from a quartet to a trio and since I wrote the article prior to that in 2019, this post is a bit of a time capsule. The band members were in the army from 2018-2020 and haven’t released any new music since 2017, but more significantly, they had a bad breakup with their guitarist Lee Jonghyun in 2019 due to his involvement with various controversies, so the band is definitely in transitional mode. But their live shows are legendary and as I wrote in my Bloomsbury essay, “In some ways CNBLUE’s drive to excel as live musicians stems from these early perceptions as they have striven to prove their musical legitimacy despite their idol roots.” Since then they’ve gone far beyond that early expectation and have become one of the premiere live performing acts in the world.
With the departure of Jonghyun, who wrote and sang many of their classic songs and whose guitar playing was an indispensable element of their singular sound, CNBLUE is a now different band than the one that performed in the clips below. But nonetheless this post is a tribute rather than an elegy to their prodigious output in the past ten years, as the remaining three members have promised to continue on. As I researched this post I realized that the setlist from one of their classic concerts from 2012, 392 Live, is almost completely different than their setlist from their last tour, Starting Over, in 2017, with only four songs overlapping in both shows. This indicates that although it won’t be easy to move on without Jonghyun, they are capable of remaking themselves almost completely and starting fresh with new material. I’m optimistic that once COVID-19 restrictions on live performances begin to ease up, CNBLUE will resume touring and will light up the sky again with their live shows.
It was pretty challenging narrowing down the list to just 15 clips and in truth the best way to experience CNBLUE live (besides going in person to one of their actual performances) is to watch an entire concert from start to finish, since they are masters of creating setlists and the pacing in their shows is designed for maximum effect. But for those who would like more of a guided tour, here in chronological order is a curated selection of some of my favorite live CNBLUE performances.
1. Hey You, Blue Night in Seoul, 2012
A much heavier version of this song than the studio recording, beginning with each member showing off their instrumental chops. This performance demonstrates their ability to turn even a fluffy pop song into what they call DSM, or dark, sexy metal.
2. Tattoo, You and I, 2012
I can imagine the horror of people who randomly tuned in to this performance on South Korean television during the performance of this ode to sexual obsession. Jung Yonghwa pants and moans into the microphone, thrusts his hips into his guitar, and gets on his knees and headbangs at the climax (and I don’t use that word lightly) of this song.
3. I Don’t Know Why, MTV Unplugged, 2012
CNBLUE shows off their acoustic chops and vocal harmonies in this unplugged concert for MTV Japan, and they really jam on the booming dreadnought guitars. The lyrics are also a good example of Yonglish, Yonghwa’s singular approach to the English language.
4. Y Why, Wave in Osaka, 2014
Slowed down slightly from its original studio version, this performance is a stellar example of CNBLUE’s trademark deep, dark, sexy metal, including Yonghwa’s growling and soaring rock vocals, Kang Minhyuk’s heavy, heavy foot on the drums and a wailing guitar solo by Jonghyun.
6. Lady, Summer Sonic, 2014
The ultimate rave up song and one of CNBLUE’s fastest paced, this tune has been staple in their setlists since its release in 2014. It’s a firestarter of a song and includes a supple bassline by Lee Jungshin. You can literally hear the audience going insane at the end of this version.
5. I’m Sorry, Summer Sonic, 2014
Playing at one of Japan’s premiere music festivals in the heat of the Japanese summer, this performance of their iconic rock track I’m Sorry includes a sweaty AF Yonghwa capping the song with his signature octave-jumping wail. Bonus: a jamming version of Lady, plus a rendition of their sweet sweet 2014 hit song Can’t Stop.
7. Loner, Yu Hui Yoo’s Sketchbook, 2015
An EDM version of their famous debut track, updated with synthesizer, this is one of the first live CNBLUE clips that I saw and the one that started me on this long, crazy journey. It’s also interesting to see the band coiffed and made up instead of sweaty and disheveled like they are in most of their live concerts and it’s pretty clear why they were recruited as idols back at the start of their careers. Even in front of a sedate studio audience they exude sheer energy and blinding charisma, which in combination with their good looks is deadly.
8. Catch Me, FNC Kingdom in Japan, 2015
Just rock. Absolutely electrifying.
9. Lie, We’re Like A Puzzle, 2016
One of CNBLUE’s many vocal duets–here they perform this midtempo rock tune in both Korean and Japanese. It’s a great example of their musical virtuosity on all counts, with the spotlight on Yonghwa and Jonghyun’s perfectly balanced, emotional vocals.
10. Radio, Our Glory Days in Nagoya, 2016
Although pretty much every live version of this song is great, Yonghwa is in fine form in this one, bopping on top of the piano, across the stage and into the audience. He ends up lying flat on his back at the end of the song exchanging a cappella vocal riffs with the audience.
11. LOVE, Between Us in Seoul, 2017
This jazzy rendition one of their sprightly earlier hits shines in the band’s locked-in performance, from Minhyuk’s rat-a-tat-tat drum rolls though Jonghyun’s fluid lead guitar lines, overlaid by Yonghwa’s energetic vocal improvisations and capped off by a monster rock break two-thirds of the way through the song.
12. Wake Up, Between Us in Bangkok, 2017
Wake Up is CNBLUE’s version of a jam band song and the live performances of this song features am extended call-and-response between the band and the audience, Yonghwa and Jonghyun swapping improvised guitar riffs, Yonghwa’s screaming high notes, and endless false endings. The longest version recorded, from Between Us in Seoul, lasts more than 16 minutes, which is pretty impressive for a song that was originally less than 3 minutes in its studio version.
This 2017 fancam is a fragment of a much longer version and demonstrates some of the maniacal improvisational hijinks that typically take place during the song. For a full version go here.
13. Eclipse, Starting Over in Yokohama, 2017
This performance builds beautifully, starting with Jonghyun’s sweet, clear vocal and acoustic guitar. The gradual additions of piano, drums, bass, and Yonghwa’s ragged lead guitar perfectly complement the smooth lightness of Jonghyun’s voice, showcasing CNBLUE’s balanced combination of vocals, guitar, harmony, and beats.
14. Between Us, Arirang I’m Live, 2017
This explosive tune usually brings the house down in 15,000 seat arena shows so CNBLUE performing it here live in front of a tiny crowd is absolutely earth-shattering.
15. Young Forever, Between Us in Seoul, 2017
Besides earworm pop tunes and spectacular rock anthems, CNBLUE also specializes in emotional bops including Glory Days and Book, two of their more recent Japanese releases. Young Forever falls into that category as well and this performance shows off the band’s stellar songcrafting and live chops. A gorgeous roundelay of a song, with three main parts that repeat and overlay each other, this live version beautifully showcases the lovely interplay of the various elements of the song, including layered vocal harmonies, changes in dynamics, and a cappella harmonizing, and which features the plaintive lament “Can we go back/but there’s no way back.”
For further exploration, there are many full CNBLUE concerts on youtube. My favorite full concert is Starting Over, from 2017, and my favorite short concert is FNC Kingdom 2017, which is also the last live with all four members and which demonstrates their ability to whip an audience into a frenzy.
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