SM Town 2010 - Live Report

The heat had reached its peak when this new 2010 SM Town concert started. SM Entertainment had promised a show we would remember for a long time with never seen performances with exclusive duets and comeback prepared especially for the occasion. We could also count on the presence of artists we hadn't seen in a long time as well as the most famous actors of the day, all under the SM label. A daring challenge but a successful one for thousands of sold tickets and very impatient fans. But was the concert per se a real success?

What is certain is that the fans were there.

Just out from the subway, a few meters away from the Jamsil Stadium of Seoul, an impressive number of fans were leading the way, all with balloons and light sticks and other objects taken right from the perfect fan kit, courtesy of the multiple stands all along the road towards the Stadium selling items.

The 'pit', if we can call it that although everyone had their seat, was already filled with the crowd, mostly with fans proud to sport their favorite artist's fan or picture. As for the terrace, light sticks and huge posters of all the artists, or claiming the name of only one of them, made it clear who was there for which artist as they waited for the beginning of the concert. There was green for SHINee, pink for SNSD and blue for Super Junior. All these colors were very present of course but not as much as the very easily seen red of Dong Bang Shin Ki.

The stage was huge, the setting very colorful marked by all the artists' names in various flashy fonts and colors.

It was 4:30PM when all focused on the three screens on the stage. There was a live broadcast of a little introduction movie made for the concert featuring appearance from U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin of Dong Bang Shin Ki, SNSD, Siwon and Donghae of Super Junior, f(x), Minho of SHINee, Jay of TRAX and Sunday of CSJH The Grace. Everyone was busy building the SM castle in a funny and creative yet surreal way. Although it was a very simple little movie, it made everyone really impatient, the cheers already loud in the crowd.

The first discovery and very good surprise of this SM Town 2010 was the opening of the show. J-Min walked around the stage with her guitar singing songs à la Alanis Morissette. Delivering ballads influenced by rock music with a nice voice showing a real talent, this singer turned out to be an interesting artist although she is still largely unknown. She sang two songs, Shine and Don't cry, which were both very pleasant to listen to. In conclusion, J-Min is a name we shouldn't forget, a very promising artist who will hopefully release an album, or a single, soon.

Then came CSJH The Grace, only three of them because Chunmoo Stephanie couldn't attend any concerts because of the dance school where she's studying at the moment. Simple yet classy, they first sang My everything, one of those soft and hypnotizing songs showing how talented the girls are. They had different voices indeed but they harmonized so beautifully that the crowd couldn't help but be charmed and bewitched. There was great admiration for the harmony created despite the absence of the fourth voice. They also sang One More time Ok?. Though Dana was a little put-out compared to the famous and powerful voices of Lina and Sunday, she still turned out to be very talented, so simple and classy it was touching. Hopefully SM won't let this talented group remain on hiatus for too long. K-pop surely needs these stars back.

After CSJH The Grace, Chu Gayeol came on stage to sing Just When I Needed You Most as a duet with Sungmin from Super Junior. It was a pretty performance soon followed by Lee Dongwoo and Tin Tin Five for a lighter part of this concert.

F(x) then took the torch back with their first success, La chA TA. Amber's absence was a pity but she couldn't attend for unknown reasons, perhaps something concerning her activities in the United States. Despite this unfortunate surprise, the four other girls of f(x) could manage it very well and everyone will remember their lively attitude, their energy, and especially their smiles. This is particularly true for Luna, adorable in her huge active drive and her very evident way of having fun on stage. Once their song was over, Krystal stayed on stage to sing a duet with her sister Jessica of SNSD. But the other unfortunate development of this concert became evident at this precise moment. A technical problem forced them to stop in the middle of their song, as the screen had gone blank and the audio wouldn't work anymore. The girls had to quit the stage and we had to wait fifteen minutes before f(x) came back to sing La chA TA once again. Then the two sisters were back. Jessica's and Krystal's performance marked the start of the real show with the song Tik Tok by Kesha. It was a duet full of complicity, very sexy for a well-known and famous song, and well sung of course thanks to the perfect American accent of the two sisters. Jessica proved to be so charismatic, all smiles and smirks.

After another song, Chu by f(x)with Minho from ShINee, it was Zhan Li Yin's turn to come on stage for two songs, I will and Moving on. It was a bit disappointing. Even with a beautiful voice, Zhan Li Yin showed only little passion and concentration during her performance, which left a feeling of boredom and heaviness in her songs.

Next the crowd was able to witness Kangta's comeback. He spent two years in the army, after which he came back in early 2010. He wore a classy suit and quickly called for some respect while arousing admiration by singing one of his most appreciated songs, Polaris. The man we call "King of Korean Ballads" made a successful comeback, very well sung and he proved to be the same guy the fans had always loved. The second song he sang was 7989, actually a duet with Go Ara. It was represented as some sort of treasure hunting, mics hidden on the stage or brought by Onew of ShINee and Song Gwang Shik. The idea was very cute but the song was not enhanced by Go Ara whose singing was not up to par. Perhaps it would have been better to let Kangta have another real solo.

At this point, the artists everyone had been waiting for started appearing on stage really and seriously for the first part of the concert. It lasted for 2 to 3 hours, and after this successful introduction, we could only imagine things getting better.

The first on stage were SHINee for a few, crossed songs starting with the interesting Stand by Me, then Replay, Get Down and Juliette, which showed the talent these guys really have. With the atmosphere and the cheering of the fans as well as their presence on stage, especially Onew and Minho, even those uninterested at the start were no doubt impressed and touched. Onew's voice is very unique but pleasant to listen to and controlled. It was nice to hear him sing particularly on Juliette. As for Minho, his charisma and great presence were enough to cover some minor weaknesses. Though, there was a little disappointment from Key - a mic problem or lack of a powerful voice. It was actually hard to hear him sing, even when he was the only one singing. Taemin showed a serious and hard working side and was very talented, especially in his duet with actress Lee YeonHee for the song Slow Motion.

TRAX followed and turmoil ensued. Although they changed their style a little for something softer, less hard rock, particularly appreciated was Oh my Goddess, which they sang after an introduction on Cold Hearted Man. Jungmo and his enormous talent with the guitar stood out, and especially evident was this passion he shares with his favorite instrument. He proved it with a solo followed by a performance on Sonata of Temptation by Heechul and Ryeowook of Super Junior as well as TRAX themselves. It was a very intense performance that immersed the entire crowd in a sort of trance.

Super Junior also turned out to be a very good surprise, especially during a few duets and their most famous songs like Super Girl, BONAMANA, No Other, Miracle, Way for Love and Dancing out. Performances that rapidly set the whole audience on fire. The blue light sticks were shining and giving rhythm to the songs, which were so characteristic of the group, everyone was singing along to the lyrics. Particularly notable was Heechul's amazing charisma. It's no secret he's not the best singer or dancer, but nonetheless, he was able to stand out and will be remembered by everyone for his smirks and provocative attitude that we'll either love or hate. Of course, it was impossible not to notice Kyuhyun for his beautiful voice, not only for his timbre but also for his ability to sing in tune. Not the most popular or appreciated by fans, he is still very talented. The same goes for Eunhyuk and his dance moves were very impressive. If a lot of the members seemed insignificant in a group that might have too many of them, these three shouldn't be forgotten. Less praise could be given to Shindong and his smiles and Yesung who exaggerates considerably for a vocal performance that was only mediocre. Another disappointment was the duet between Kyuhyun and Seohyun from SNSD with the song Call My Heart Out. While it was a pretty song, both singers were awkward on stage as well as with each other, and their voices didn't harmonize that well.

As for SNSD, they started their turn with a song by Tiffany, Jessica and Sunny in pretty pink dresses. The nine of them then followed with more intense performances like Run Devil Run which was especially nice, the girls very beautiful and sexy in their shining coats and, actually, on their most charming side. They also sang My Child, Etude, Kissing You, Naengmyeon and the very special HaHaHa Song. This group might have a lot of antis for various reasons but, even if their talent isn't that great, some of them were certainly a very nice surprise. As for Super Junior, they had great stage presence of course and the fans loved them. Sooyoung, always smiling and sparkling, could to make up for her very few phrases in the songs and a tendency to go off tune at times. On the other hand, Jessica has been able to compensate a lack of talent in dance by knowing how to get noticed with her smiles and charms, forced in a way but very natural in another. The Ice Princess knows how to entice, a feminine alter ego to Heechul who doesn't go unnoticed. Of course, it is impossible not to talk about Taeyeon who gets better at singing and is actually very talented with her lovely voice.

With the audience falling for all these performances, duets and solos alike, it would be pretty impossible to stay blank in the midst of such a concert.

And it went on with the arrival of BoA, cheered by endless fans and with great intensity. The one we can easily call the Queen of Pop maintained her pseudonym with ease by singing songs like My Name, Energetic and I did it for Love featuring Key and SHINee. With the only imperfection being her accent in English, BoA was amazing with her singing as well as her dancing. She had enormous charisma for such a petite woman. And she only got better as one of the masters of the SM Town by setting everything on fire.

Next was a celebration of her now ten year long career, with almost all the artists back on stage to sing to her a very famous little song before Minho took great pleasure in 'caking' her. Poor cake and poor BoA who didn't loose her personality. But they were all forgiven by singing with her one her firsts and greatest success, No.1, announcing then the end of the first part of this concert. At the end a little message appeared on the various screens with a promise confirmed by Leeteuk aqnd Eunhyuk of "two very important persons" a few minutes later, at 8:40pm.

The growing impatience was impossible not to notice as everyone was waiting for the second part of the concert. The idea of seeing U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin (Dong Bang Shin Ki) make their way on stage was giving more motivation to the red light sticks and the excitement was contagious.

8:40pm arrived and it was Super Junior who came on stage for a remix version of their song Sorry Sorry, which kept the atmosphere climbing although the sense of impatience persisted. Following were various performances and remixed versions of well known songs. Notable was Genie by SNSD in which Tiffany slipped on a piece of cake at the beginning. She stayed for this song but didn't come back after. We could see her with a bandage the following days proving that it was a more serious injury than we had realized. A duet was also sung by TRAX and Heechul on Paradox, and You're My Destiny was performed by Krystal and Luna of f(x). It was a veritable rainbow of songs, all happening one after another in a kind of frenzy for a double edged second part.

After this real firework came the time of the dance parade led by Eunhyuk, Taemin, Minho, Shindong, Donghae, Yuri, Luna, Victoria, Hyoyeon, Sooyoung and Yoona. And it was a very good parade. There were some real great talents among dancers with Sooyoung and Yuri for the girls and Eunhyuk, Taemin and Donghae though they were all very good. It was a great moment for all the fans of dance but, in the end, for everyone.

Then BoA came back on stage for Let me and Stand by. This last song turned out to be especially touching sung live, the emotion obvious in her voice as she sang with great passion. After the first performances which were more focused on complicated rhythm and dance moves, this song was much slower and transformed the atmosphere into something dreamy for a few minutes with the singer on her stool. BoA can really impress and amaze, and given her performances at the SM Town, even those who aren't yet fans should definitely give her a chance.

When BoA headed off the stage and everything went dark, people started to scream more than ever. With green lasers on stage, a presentation worthy of Hollywood movies and finally came the arrival of U-Know Yunho and Max Changmin (Dong Bang Shin Ki). They cut through the crowd - more like traveled over - hanging onto cables to finally land on stage and begin with a mix. Unfortunately, a new technical problem interrupted them as they were singing The Way U Are. We didn't wait long before they were back on stage to sing a medley made up of Rising Sun, Mirotic and Purple Line. A short solo song for each one of them seemed to finish up their performance as Super Junior were already back with Don't Don. But a new surprise awaited us, the instrumental part replaced by a rock interlude with Heechul as the drummer, TRAX as well as Max Changmin himself singing. Very much a rock performance, it was totally explosive and was led perfectly by the two singers, rock/rappers for 2 minutes for an oh so fitting role.

It was after this pause that U-Know Yunho made his comeback on stage for a duet with Max Changmin on a new and exclusive song called Maximum. It sounded a little traditional at the beginning for a very modern rhythm after, the choreography a seeming mix of dance moves and martial arts. The crowd was going crazy and it was understandable in front of these 2 new masters of the SM Town, strong and powerful from their successful comeback. Max Changmin was very charismatic, maybe even more than U-Know Yunho, his new confidence the ultimate excellent surprise of this concert.

The ending was approaching and everyone could feel it after a 6 hour concert, but the artists themselves were still there to work on the atmosphere more and more with a new but shorter anthology of performances. These included SHINee with Lucifer, SNSD forGee as well as BoA with Hurricane Venus and Super Junior for U.

The concert ended in its usual and traditional way with all the artists on stage, proudly wearing the official t-shirt with the logo of the concert. They were all having fun with one another while singing the very well known Hotmail and a new song called Hope, very appropriate as all present were full of hope for various things: that the comebacks really happen, for the new careers in Japan to be full of success and, of course, for the year 2011 to bring us a new SM Town as beautiful and amazing as this one with various performances always well orchestrated, even ameliorated by people always so talented.

Because, yes, in this year 2010, SM entertainment kept its promises. Completely.