The saying “It’s not just a concert, it’s an experience” is true. Just ask any fan who attended a Red Velvet concert.
ReVeluvs, or Luvies as endearingly nicknamed, who beat the heat were rewarded with, well, an even hotter concert last Friday (21 April) at The Star Theatre — for if there were ever an act that can make it any more sweltering hot than it already is, it’ll be Red Velvet.
Five years is indeed a long time, so it’s only natural that ReVeluvs couldn’t wait to welcome Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri back since their debut show on our Little Red Dot with REDMARE in 2018.
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As the first stop out of Seoul, the Singapore leg of R to V, presented by CK Star Entertainment, went above and beyond to encompass the entire spectrum that the multifaceted SM Entertainment girl group is so well known for. Just within a span of over two hours, they took us through their discography comprising a whopping total of 25 songs with red-hot vibrant performances and a selection that featured darker and more velvety music stylings.
Wendy shared: “We waited for this day for a long, long time everybody. As you know, Red Velvet is a group that can pull off different concepts. Because we wanted to show and perform as many songs as we wanted through this concert, we chose our concert title as R to V. I think it’s the perfect title for the concert.”
Perhaps it was the pre-existing thought of seeing your favourite act in a few short moments, but a palpable sense of excitement came from just being greeted by the dazzling dark red screen as fans entered the concert venue. With silhouettes of ballerinas prancing across the screen, it set the mood for the anticipation of the concert, and ReVeluvs can’t help but recall being mesmerised by the ballet concept that ‘Feel My Rhythm’ featured.
It was only when the quintet finally made their grand entrance in beautiful, intricate-looking pink dresses, did we tear our eyes away. Looking like characters that stepped straight out of a fantasy realm, they commenced the concert with ‘Feel My Rhythm’, ‘BAMBOLEO’, and ‘LP’ before taking fans on a nostalgic trip down memory lane with ‘Ice Cream Cake’ — the well-known 2015 hit from Red Velvet’s first mini album, where youngest member Yeri was first introduced to us.
Taking a momentary pause to address ReVeluvs for the first time that night, Yeri asked: “We started with the red section, right? The theme was spring. Were you guys able to feel the spring vibes?” before Seulgi chimed in and said: “[Don’t] our outfits fit perfectly? Some of you may think that I look like a princess.” And to that, we couldn’t agree more.
Apart from dance stages with synchronised choreography, Red Velvet do not shy away from vocally-driven performances. They stunned with ‘Eyes Locked, Hands Locked’ whilst donned in dresses of their signature colours (Irene - pink, Seulgi - yellow, Wendy - blue, Joy - green, and Yeri - purple). In this set, we really got to hear their individual vocals clearly as they enthralled and serenaded ReVeluvs with the sweet, tender love song.
Since it was a concert in Singapore, the five members did not miss the opportunity to share their local food favourites and ask fans for recommendations — to which kaya toast, chilli crab, and chicken rice were among the dishes brought up. The comical sight of fans trying to signal “chicken” with arm gestures certainly caught the attention of the vivacious ladies, which ensued laughter (and slight confusion).
There’s always a certain charm and feeling of connection when artists bring up topics that relate to the local culture as it bridges the gap between them and international fans, who regrettably do not get to see them often.
Whether it’s ‘Beg For Me’, with its infectious and unapologetically confident choreography and lyrics like “I call the shot, I’m the hunter” or ‘BYE BYE’, with fans shouting along to the lyrics “I only had love for you” as if they were saying it back, Red Velvet’s performances that night easily commanded the attention of every single ReVeluv at the venue.
You could tell how much thought went into creating the entire concert experience; notably, the five members participated in the conceptualising process. Specially customised microphones and VCRs that showcased Red Velvet’s transition from pristine and lively sets to darker and more alluring stages, which featured narration from Wendy were just some of the concert’s theme highlights that stood out to us.
On Wendy’s VCR narrations, Joy then asked: “Did you watch our video before we came out? Doesn’t our Wendy sound so cool?” to which Wendy added: “Well, because this concert means a lot to me, and us, I said I wanted to do the narration.”
Towards the concert’s end from the performance of ‘I Just’, Joy was noticeably absent from the group. Wendy later revealed that she was not feeling well but said not to worry, she’s okay, and she wanted to show better performances later on and didn’t want fans to worry. ReVeluvs were quick to echo sentiments of comfort and wishes for a speedy recovery and we certainly hope that they reached Joy.
Despite that, Joy’s presence can still be felt for the remainder of the concert. Whether it be ReVeluvs chanting Joy’s name when she was supposed to appear during a solo dance stage at the beginning of ‘Bad Boy’ — to which Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, and Yeri cheered us on as we did so — or the members leaving a space for her when they addressed fans. It spoke of their heartwarming camaraderie and the genuine bond forged over years of making music and performing together.
We cannot talk about Red Velvet’s concert in Singapore and not mention the inclusion of certain tweaks to their songs and special stages that were unique to R to V. The concert that night saw a captivating dance break sequence in the middle of ‘Psycho’ and an English version of ‘Bad Boy’, to which fans knew all the lyrics. Even though it was not a version performed as often as the original, just the fact that ReVeluvs sang along to every word spoke lengths about the song's impact.
Of course, trust ReVeluvs to match Red Velvet’s impassioned love with unique fan projects. Fans shouted “red” and “velvet” in the different sections of the Star Theatre, a twist on the usual chants of “encore”, and raised banners that stated “힘든 시간들을 건너 레드벨벳 손을 잡고 싶어 (I want to hold Red Velvet’s hands while going through the tough times)” — a reference to the lyrics of ‘Future’ — after the encore VCR.
ReVeluvs’ enthusiasm did not go unnoticed by the members as Seulgi said: “Your loud screams have filled up this place. From the beginning till the end, I am super grateful for all your cheers. And you guys are so good at speaking Korean. Did you guys practice how to cheer? I could hear it so well.”
After their encore stage performances of ‘Celebrate’ and ‘My Dear’, Wendy cheekily hinted that there was still more to come if fans were to call out to them again, and sure enough, they did not disappoint.
To everyone’s enraptured delight, the second encore stage took fans back to when the ReVe Festival first commenced in 2019 with the EDM-influenced, electropop track ‘Zimzalabim’. They threw a musical fiesta the only way they knew how, with fans getting up on their feet instantaneously, partying, and enjoying the last few moments with the group. Also, a moment of silence for Seulgi’s mandubong which got damaged after a particularly excitable swing — a testament to how dynamic and exhilarating the set was. The frenzy of excitement continued even till the last song (for real this time), ‘You Better Know’.
Red Velvet’s ability to strike a balance with all the different concepts that they’ve explored and presented to fans is undeniably a testament to one of their biggest strengths as artists. For all present that night, seeing Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri live in concert will be deeply ingrained into their memory for a long time.
In the ending ment, Irene expressed: “The fact that we could meet today is because you guys have been waiting for us for so long. I know how long five years can be, so I’m super grateful that you guys have been waiting for us throughout that long period of time. So tonight, we are super grateful for everyone who is in this place with us in the moment. I’m so happy to see you guys after so long and it was such a pleasurable time together.”
“It’s been so long since we’ve visited here because of the pandemic and many things, you know. Still, you were always there for us. Thank you so much for your love and support. Today I was touched by your love. I hope to see you all soon again with five members.” Yeri added.
Red Velvet will continue the R to V global tour with the following stops in Yokohama, Manila, Bangkok, and more next month.
Red Velvet R to V 2023 in Singapore Setlist:
- Feel My Rhythm
- BAMBOLEO
- LP
- Ice Cream Cake
- Oh Boy
- On A Ride
- Eyes Locked, Hands Locked
- Queendom
- Bing Bing
- Birthday
- Red Flavor
- Pose
- Beg For Me
- ZOOM
- BYE BYE
- In & Out
- I Just
- Peek-A-Boo
- Bad Boy
- Psycho
- Celebrate
- My Dear
- Russian Roulette
- Zimzalabim
- You Better Know
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