K-pop pair

TVXQ celebrate a decade of pop

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos courtesy of 4nologue

The K-pop boy band TVXQ rocketed to fame after they released their debut single, "Hug" in 2004. Since then, the members have been heart-throbs of Asian music fans, especially in Japan where they perform under the name Tohoshinki.

The original five members of TVXQ were leader U-Know Yunho, 29, Jaejoong, 29, Micky Yoochun, 29, Xiah Junsu, 28 and Max Changmin, 27. The group was well-known for their outstanding voices, beautiful a cappella singing style and stunning dance moves. Unfortunately, while TVXQ saw massive success around Asia, Jaejoong, Micky and Xiah left the group in 2009.

SUPER DUO

At that time, the future of the band was doubtful because Jaejoong and Xiah were lead vocalists. The duo of U-Know and Max worked hard to improve their skills for a couple of years before they returned with the album Keep Your Head Down in 2011. Though TVXQ don’t sound the same, they obviously haven’t compromised their remarkable quality. In recent years, the duo have performed in many countries including China, Chile and the US. They gained increasing support from Japanese fans until they could fill more than 70,000 seats at Nissan Stadium Yokohama and 55,000 seats at Tokyo Dome.

ANNIVERSARY TOUR

After waiting for six years, the group’s Thai fan club, Cassiopeia, finally had a chance to see a new TVXQ performance in Bangkok. The show, TVXQ! Special Live Tour: T1ST0RY celebrated their decade of music, and Bangkok was the final destination of the tour. Arranged by 4nologue, the show received great attention from both local and international Cassiopeia, especially Japanese and Chinese fans.

OPENING NOTE

On May 30, Impact Arena was filled with the red light sticks which are TVXQ’s symbol. The show kicked off with a video of U-Know and Max living in separate worlds, but after they found information about Cassiopeia, they connected with each other. The duo then took to the stage and opened the show with their dance song, “Catch Me,” and its impressive choreography. Cassiopeia screamed wildly to welcome the duo.

The guys continually set the stage on fire by singing several of their dance numbers such as “Double Trouble,” before cooling down with the slow song, “Beside.”

MUSICAL ACT

During their three-hour show, U-Know and Max showed their great improvements in singing and dancing through 28 songs. With top quality performances, they could maintain the high level of the audience’s energy and attention from the start until the end.

U-Know explained that the concept of the concert was a musical play. So, apart from their singing and dancing, they also acted with other performers. While they sang “Steppin’,” “Destiny” and “Off Road,” the guys appeared on a set that looked like apartments. They got dressed up, left their rooms and met girls they liked. Then they tried to hit on them and date them.

MEMORABLE MOMENT

Even though Cassiopeia had great reactions to the duo’s songs, they seemed more enthusiastic for songs from albums made by the original five members. During an acoustic session, the guys appeared in shorts and casual clothes and the set looked like a campsite. They sang romantic songs from the original line-up, including “I Believe,” “My Little Princess,” “You Only Love,” “Tonight” and “You’re My Melody.” These songs made some fans burst into tears by bringing back memories from the past. To make the acoustic set more special, everyone in the hall changed their red lights to beautiful blue.

FAN SUPPORT

Aside from the special lights, Thai Cassiopeia showed extra support to U-Know, who will enter military service on July 21. Everyone in the hall held signs that said “I am good at waiting,” while he sang the encore song, “Always With You.”

FINAL MESSAGE

U-Know was impressed with the messages. He thanked the fans and asked if they would really wait for him and Thai Cassiopeia didn’t hesitate to confirm their intentions. Max then said he had a great time and wanted to come back to see the fans as soon as possible. However, Max said he couldn’t promise when they could come back again. Thai Cassiopeia may have to wait several years, but he wished everyone would wait for them.

Before leaving the stage, U-Know made Thai fans happy by saying that Thailand meant a lot to TVXQ. He also said all Cassiopeia knew that he always keeps his promises and would be back. The duo bowed and applauded the fans. U-Know’s final message was that he would miss everyone.

comments powered by Disqus