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| K-pop boy group NCT Dream performs during the 28th Dream Concert held at Jamsil Sports Complex's Main Stadium in southern Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Korea Entertainment Producers' Association |
By Dong Sun-hwa
On Saturday, Sports Complex Station in southern Seoul was crowded with people heading to the Main Stadium of the Jamsil Sports Complex, where the 28th Dream Concert took place in front of a live audience for the first time in three years.
The hot and humid weather was not perfect for an outdoor event, but it was not a big deal for the 45,000 eager spectators who came out to watch the long-awaited live performances of their favorite stars. They put on their raincoats when it rained, and screamed as loud as they could to show their support. The Wi-Fi did not work well ― presumably because there were too many people using it ― but this situation just led them to pay more attention to the performances.
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| Some 45,000 people attended the 28th Dream Concert held at Jamsil Sports Complex's Main Stadium in southern Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of the Korea Entertainment Producers' Association |
Signaling the return of large-scale, in-person K-pop concerts in Korea, Dream Concert gave a snapshot of the K-pop world today, featuring both budding stars and marquee names. Although rookie groups like Epex and Kingdom were given a relatively short time to take the stage and talk to the audience, they could still grab the attention of the thousands of spectators and make their names known to them. In the case of big-name acts like NCT Dream and Red Velvet, they lived up to their reputation, showing off their energetic stage presence while actively interacting with their followers.
Cravity, a nine-piece group that debuted with the EP, "Season 1. Hideout: Remember Who We Are," in 2020, opened the show with its cover of "The Eve," the 2017 release by K-pop titan EXO, before two MCs ― NCT 127's Doyoung and IVE's Yujin ― popped up on stage to welcome people.
"The singers representing the fourth generation of K-pop are all here today," Yujin said with a beaming smile.
Doyoung added, "We hope Dream Concert creates a memorable experience for everyone."
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| K-pop girl group IVE performs during the 28th Dream Concert held at Jamsil Sports Complex's Main Stadium in southern Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Korea Entertainment Producers' Association |
All 27 groups, including Kep1er, NMIXX, IVE, STAYC, Dreamcatcher, Victon, Golden Child and Drippin, looked more than excited to perform in front of massive crowds.
"Today's concert reminds us of the year 2015, when we made our first appearance at Dream Concert and sang our song, 'Ice Cream Cake,'" Red Velvet said. "We truly missed our fans' shouts and chants. It would be great if you could dance along with us, too."
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| From left are Weeekly's Jihan, NMIXX's Haewon and Kep1er's Chaehyun during their performance at the 28th Dream Concert held at Jamsil Sports Complex's Main Stadium in southern Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Korea Entertainment Producers' Association |
There were two special performances as well, in which singers from different groups collaborated to showcase some never-before-seen combos. Kep1er's Chaehyun, NMIXX's Haewon and Weeekly's Jihan teamed up to sing "Strawberry Moon," the song by K-pop songstress IU, while WEi's Yohan, Yongha, Drippin's Junho, Yunseong, Younite's Eunsang, Epex's Donghyun performed "Love Killa" (2020) by boy group Monsta X.
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| Performers in the 28th Dream Concert held at Jamsil Sports Complex's Main Stadium in southern Seoul, Saturday / Courtesy of Korea Entertainment Producers' Association |
NCT Dream wrapped up the event with their take on their hits, including "Beatbox" (2022) and "Glitch Mode" (2022). At the end, all performers appeared on a stage and bid farewell to the audience members.
The 28th Dream Concert was co-hosted by the Korea Entertainment Producers' Association (KEPA) and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO). In the case of the KTO, it attracted 2,504 fans of Korean culture from 23 countries to the event. Dream Concert, which was launched in 1995, was also broadcast live through diverse platforms in many countries such as the United States, Japan and Brazil.
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