My first exposure to K-Pop was through SM Entertainment’s 1st generation artists when I was growing up. I remember my only source of obtaining K-Pop music was via my local family run Korean grocer who would personally import CDs just for me.
Since then, K-Pop has evolved. We’re now in the 5th generation of K-Pop and the genre is more accessible than ever – available on streaming services everywhere, plus Melbourne now has multiple K-Pop speciality stores. I no longer need to beg for help from my local Korean grocer.
So, you can imagine my excitement when SM Entertainment and TEG Live announced that they’d be bringing 4th generation girl group aespa to tour Australia for the first time.
Now, I don’t recall the last time SM Entertainment toured their artists here prior to aespa’s 2024 LIVE TOUR – SYNK : PARALLEL LINE. It was great to see that this K-Pop titan, renown for having the most vocally powerful idols in the industry, finally give Australia some attention that local K-Pop fans have been longing for.
Taking to the stage at Melbourne’s iconic Rod Laver Arena on Monday the 2nd of September, aespa, consisting of members Karina, Giselle, Winter and Ningning, brought their lore and futuristic vibes to our city. Production wise, the show was flawless, with the best visuals, screens and lighting that money can buy. The screens on stage were shaped like an archway or a frame, forming a special window into aespa’s world. The lasers that the concert displayed which moved and flashed to the beat of each aespa track were crazy to witness, and all this was prior to aespa coming on stage.
Before we knew it, aespa arrived and brought the drama, literally, opening with their song ‘Drama’ before jumping into the catchy ‘Black Mamba’. Their presence was dynamic, yet felt cold at the same time. It only hit me not long after that the reason why it felt this way was because it took the group 5 songs before they even spoke and introduced themselves to Melbourne audience. This was the first of only two times that the group collectively addressed the Melbourne crowd. The second time was when the K-Pop foursome bid the Melbourne venue farewell. Seriously.
With no way of seeing the members’ personalities, the disconnect between aespa and their audience expanded further and further due to multiple lore videos which were showcased in between each set. I counted 6 very long and confusing videos. While I understand aespa are a lore heavy K-Pop group and perhaps some die-hard fans may have found these clips appealing, for the rest of us, these videos went on for far too long and didn’t really make any sense. If anything, they were alienating for the casual aespa listener, dedicated K-Pop multi fan, or even those experiencing K-Pop live for the very first time through this event.
Perhaps, if the lore videos were cohesively utilised to what aespa did on stage, it would have been fine. Instead, these clips felt like an excessive waste of time. The aespa members could’ve easy taken turns to talk to the audience while other members got changed. Something not unusual in K-Pop, yet this did not happen.
Then there’s the mic ‘issues’. Now, I have no doubt that aespa can sing. After all, SM Entertainment are industry leaders renowned for their idols’ powerful vocals. So, it really baffles me that for half the Melbourne concert, whenever aespa only had their mic packs equipped, they were lip-synching. This took place for half the concert.
Hand held mics? No problem. I don’t even understand why this decision was made. You could clearly hear aespa singing live during the songs where they had the hand held mics, their beautiful voices were there, and this was particularly evident during the Tetris motion picture song ‘Hold On Tight’. Their vocals were great and honestly, that song was the highlight of the night. Everyone was getting into the hyped vibes, energetically fist pumping their lightsticks into the air and to the beat. Although I do understand that some dance choreography may be taxing and live vocals can take a back seat, it should not occur to the extent that it did here. Melbourne is also the live music capital of Australia and we are not so easily fooled.
For the most part, with the loud bangs and pops of fireworks throughout the night, the lack of interaction between the K-Pop group and their audience, one too many fidgeting hair flicks, the series of long videos that didn’t really go anywhere, and the minimal live singing, aespa’s 2024 LIVE TOUR – SYNK : PARALLEL LINE was over stimulating and still puzzlingly underwhelming. Don’t even get me started on ‘Savage’, one of aespa’s biggest hits, not being on the setlist and that Naevis avatar character getting her own song instead.
While I am still content that aespa visited Australia at all, and I hope this doesn’t dishearten SM Entertainment from bringing their other artists to our country, the whole concert could have been structured and delivered in a way that is more cohesive and inclusive. When you go to a good concert, especially a K-Pop one, you usually become more of a fan than when you went in. That was not the case with this concert.
Although I am sincerely grateful for SM Entertainment being my introduction into K-Pop all those years ago, currently in such a competitive, cut-throat and continuously evolving market where idols enter and exit the industry as quickly as they came, one would have expected better from one of the industry leaders in K-Pop, let alone from one of the most popular 4th generation girl groups.
aespa’s 2024 LIVE TOUR – SYNK : PARALLEL LINE had a two-city stop in Australia thanks to SM Entertainment and TEG Live. AESPA performed in Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday August 30 and Saturday August 31 before concluding their Australian tour in Melbourne at Rod Laver Arena on Monday September 2.
For more information, visit:
https://www.smentertainment.com/en/artist/aespa
https://teglive.com.au/live_tour/aespa
https://www.instagram.com/aespa_official
Photography supplied by TEG Live courtesy of SM Entertainment.
