Chermaine LooiCNBlue’s LIVE Can’t Stop in Singapore
Bedazzling stage outfits? Too humid for that. Well-polished dance routines? Too busy. Acting cute for the fans? Too manly either.
Instead, the quartet – consisting of members Jung Yonghwa, Lee Jonghyun, Kang Minhyuk and Lee Jungshin – were decked in simple white tees and jeans, eliciting screams by wading through a sea of blue waving light-sticks and giving fans the chance to get up close and personal.
And that was the whole point of the CNBLUE LIVE Can’t Stop in Singapore concert – to keep it simple and intimate. Their opening song “Time Is Over” was a tongue-in-cheek nod to inform the 7,000-strong crowd, especially local fan club Boice’s, that their wait for them was finally over.
After all, it’s been about a year since the South Korean rock band was last in town (2013 Blue Moon World Tour). They were back with a stronger stage presence to greet deafening screams of “O-ppa jal-saeng-ges-seo!” [Brother, you’re so handsome! in Korean] chorusing throughout the two-hour concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Frontman Yonghwa was on an adrenaline rush, belting 23 songs continuously with his powerful vocals, occasionally accompanied with high-pitched screams.
The leader of the band, who also made a name for himself as an actor in dramas such as Heartstrings and Marry Him If You Dare, alternated effortlessly between the guitar and keyboard, showcasing (or rather showing off) his diverse talents as a multi-entertainer.
Guitarist Jonghyun embraced the limelight during “Teardrops in the Rain”, an English number in a concert tour that has taken them to North America and South America (Chile and Peru) for the first time. His English pronunciation was either spot-on, or his fans’ sing-along had drowned any mistakes he made, but credit should be given where it’s due.
Garnering the loudest cheers during their introductions was drummer Minhyuk, whom was regrettably hidden behind his drum set for the most part while his band mates fully utilized the extended stages. To make up for it, the evidently most popular member led most of the talk breaks in between, taking every opportunity to convey his never-ending love for “Singapore and of course, you! (referring to Boice)” and our local delicacies (chili crab, pepper crab, oatmeal prawn and tofu).
Bassist Jungshin was a little reserved when it came to communicating with the crowd in English, but exuded a charming aura plucking the bass guitar. He was the center of attention, driving the fans into frenzy whenever he gave them that millisecond of eye contact.
Classics like “Intuition” and “Love” off their previous albums were clearly the crowd favorites, well-known songs even to someone who may not be too familiar with CNBLUE’s music.
Yonghwa, full of humor, even gave the latter track a local rendition by changing the original lyrics of “Everybody clap clap clap, I want you back to me” to “Everybody crab crab crab, I want pepper crab”, causing the audience to collapse in fits of girlish giggles.
A pang of nostalgia hit fans with the group’s debut song “I’m a Loner”, which got them up on their feet responding enthusiastically to the addictive “dara diri dara du” phrase in the track. Unsurprisingly, the cheers amplified twofold during “Can’t Stop”, the title track of the album and namesake of this concert.
The one-night only concert came to an end as the band dignified the occasion with a heartwarming rendition of “Love Light”, which Yonghwa dedicated it as a “source of light” to the victims of the recent Sewol ferry tragedy.
It was a poignant night to remember as the sea of ominous blue transformed into dazzling rainbow colors, a symbol of hope and optimism for CNBLUE’s countrymen back home.
Photos Courtesy Of ONE Production