With an abundance of confetti, catchy tunes and captivating choreography, Starship Entertainment’s IVE, consisting of members Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Wonyoung, Liz and Leeseo, delivered in spades during their sold out Melbourne concert of their 1ST WORLD TOUR ‘SHOW WHAT I HAVE’, proudly presented by Live Nation Australia.
Upon entering the venue, I noticed a series of large screens on stage which displayed a purple world map. Studying the imagery, I noticed a spot on the map that looked different from the rest. Melbourne’s location was pulsating. This was because IVE were here and performing in Melbourne for the very first time! It was simple but I liked this touch. The stage itself had an extension of a catwalk and b-stage which made me wonder how IVE’s performances would be executed.
As Rod Laver Arena darkened, leaving it temporarily intimately lit only by fan lightsticks, the screams of the audience filled the air. The energy was only heightened when the screens revealed a dynamic and punchy movie-trailer-like video which displayed IVE as silhouettes before quickly flashing an introduction for each member. Upon its conclusion, the popular K-Pop girl group appeared, coolly strutting over to the b-stage, but not before the venue shot up confetti to signify their presence.
Wearing matching white and blue accented outfits, IVE jumped into their song ‘I AM’, with patrons cheering louder and louder for their favourite member. At the beginning of the show, the K-Pop girl group appeared nervous from their vocals. However, as the evening progressed, IVE’s vocals stabilised and their confidence grew immensely. With each member giving 100%, no member outshone the other, IVE’s performances and stage presence were solid and undeniable, with the girls emitting confidence and a genuine joy for performing in Melbourne.
If the Melbourne audience weren’t loud enough, they were roaring upon hearing the opening notes to IVE’s debut song ‘ELEVEN’. When the chorus was played, the crowd erupted in elation. The momentum was slowed down momentarily to display IVE’s vocal strength during the ballad ‘Shine With Me’ accompanied with more confetti, while song ‘Mine’ was super cute with the use of umbrellas.
However, IVE’s most ambitious stage was their performance of ‘Hypnosis’. The intro video alone almost had me forgetting that it wasn’t Halloween yet. Although IVE can be super cute, they really pulled off the horror vibes.
Consistently entertaining from start to finish, IVE shone together just as much as they did solo and in their units. Gaeul was fierce during her enticing performance of Ariana Grande’s ‘7 Rings’, Rei shone during her NIKI cover ‘Every Summer Time’, Gaeul and Rei combined their powers to make us laugh and smile during the Spice Girls song ‘Wannabe’ which included a very random and successful bottle flip which had me cackling (it was just so unexpected)! Wonyoung and Liz performed a sweet cover of Richard Sanderson’s ‘Reality’, while Yujin and Leeseo had audiences grooving to their sexy performance of Little Mix’s ‘Woman Like Me’.
Then came the powerhouse party hits which consisted of personal favourite ‘Accendio’, the cool ‘Kitsch’, the funky ‘Baddie’, the insatiable dance tune ‘After LIKE’, the iconic ‘LOVE DIVE’ and party anthem ‘HEYA’. If you weren’t dancing before this segment, you were definitely on your feet or swaying in your seat during these numbers!
Production wise, the screens, the video interludes, the lighting (and lasers), the sound, and even the showers of confetti, everything was faultless. Thankfully, the lightsticks were easy to obtain at the merch desks to improve your K-Pop concert experience should you choose, and the concert was enhanced by IVE’s talents, their presence, their catchy songs, and their efforts to speak to fans in English and acknowledge Australian foods (especially Vegemite which they actually like).
Even from a glimpse, IVE really looked like they were having fun while they collectively impressed with their lovely vocals and synchronised dance moves for their Melbourne fans, and from experience, there’s no better concert than one which everyone is enjoying themselves, even the artist.
If the concert wasn’t already entertaining enough for patrons, everyone had the chance to get on the big screen by showcasing their favourite IVE dance moves. This is often my favourite part of a K-Pop concert (it should be a staple) as it displays the dedication and passion of a fandom and their community spirit. It was also so cute and endearing seeing young K-Pop fans pop onto the big screens, shocked and very touched on being featured but at the same time not sure of what to do next.
I know it may be hard to imagine for some, but IVE’s Melbourne concert would have been a ‘first K-Pop concert’ for many that night. With a diverse audience in attendance, it’s not hard to see why, IVE’s music samples a lot of Western songs that gives it international appeal, making them stand out and front runners of the 4th Generation of K-Pop.
Concluding with multiple runs of ‘All Night’ with IVE almost daring to perform for as long as the song states, with such a rousing reception in Melbourne alone, I can only imagine how brilliant and successful their tour has been thus far and will continue to be until its conclusion in Tokyo this September. The fact that this is only IVE’s first world tour is actually insane.
K-Pop in Australia isn’t a fad anymore and hasn’t been for a long time. It is a full blown and thriving music genre that’s conquering our country. While IVE’s sold-out Australian leg may be over now, IVE are more welcome to return to Australia anytime. I’m confident that there will be arenas filled with Aussie K-Pop fans ready and waiting to see them shine on stage again.
Proudly presented by Live Nation Australia and Starship Entertainment, IVE performed their sold-out show in Melbourne as part of their ‘SHOW WHAT I HAVE WORLD TOUR’ on Thursday the 25th of July at Rod Laver Arena, followed by another sold-out show in Sydney on Sunday July 28th at Qudos Bank Arena.
For more information, visit:
https://www.livenation.com.au/artist-ive-1446287
http://ive-official.com
https://www.ive-starship.com
https://www.instagram.com/ivestarship
Photography by Mitch Lowe, supplied by Starship Entertainment.
