Opening
Yesung, the art of voice of Super Junior, started off the last day of his Japan concert tour with the serene and sentimental B-side track, "4 Seasons". He appeared in a greenish-grey suit which sprinkled class and charm to his distinctive voice. His next song was the calm "Scented Things". I could sense that everyone's hearts melted from his vocals.
He welcomed his audience right after with his opening comments. He joked he could end his show here because he had nailed his first two songs. 😂 The artist wanted to come out with a yazuka vibe, being all tough and gangster-like. 😆This wish of his couldn't come true because of his boogie olive-green blazer and striped pants. He switched back to his sweet, romantic demeanor when he performed one of his old but gold Japanese hits, "Because I Love You ～大切な絆～" (Because I Love You ~ A Precious Bond). The Clouds whooped and blushed at his flirty "Because...I like you" line. 😉
The lights faded out, and he band in the back started playing an accompaniment to the next song, "Little Things". Yesung reappeared and enlivened the crowd in this upbeat love song.
He took an abrupt break again by continuing his speech. He shared that he had a sore throat last night. Thankfully, his first concert in Tokyo went well. He was "in a pinch" because of his condition. He asked us, his audience, to give him our biggest cheers. Before he transitioned to his next section, he mentioned he would do some songs that represent each season. As we ELFs know, our "art of voice" genius is very detail-oriented and caring when he arranges his set list. He also added that even though summer has started, he wanted to transport us back to spring for a bit.
Spring
He sang the first half of "Spring in Me" from his first solo album. He included two songs from his new album: "あつらえたように現れた君～TO GET HER～" (You appeared as if made just for me ~TO GET HER~) and "Invincible～また、そうやって～" (Invincible ~Again, like that~). The electric guitar melodies and hopeful messages in both songs fit the spring vibe.
The idol disappeared for an outfit change, and a VCR played in front of us. Yesung played the role of an antique shop owner and repairman. A female customer visited his shop and requested him to fix her broken watch. She spotted a potted plant by the shop window. There wasn't a sprout in sight. Days passed, and she returned several times to get her watch strap checked and watch cleaned. Yesung noticed her coming to his shop numerous times because she was worried about the stagnant seed buried in the soil for who-knows-how-long. The visitor even watered it and moved the pot toward the sunlight. The shopkeeper remembered to give the flora its well—deserved elixir as well. One day, the girl hurriedly left without checking on the plant. 😮😕 The story left us with a cliffhanger of Yesung looking up with a befuddled look on his face.
Summer
The Clouds and ELFs cheered once Yesung appeared in real time. He has changed into a black jacket with leopard and flower patterns. The fashionista also matched his summer outfit with a pair of black sunglasses. 😎 He heated the atmosphere up with "Fire～灰になっても、燃え付く僕ら～" (Fire ~Even if we turn to ashes, we will burn brightly~). His two subsequent songs for summer were "Make It Summer" from his second Japanese album and "Mad World" from his newest one.
The artist and the band rested for a bit after performing. Yesung caught a fan at the front row laughing. He teased, "Why are you laughing? Are you having fun? Are you embarrassed?" The girl shook her head and held her uchiwa to cover her blushing face. 😂 The soloist then directed a comment to us, "You feel better after cheering, right?" He questioned the lucky fan again, and boy, was she dying of embarrassment! 😂😂
The singer also reenacted us screaming during upbeat performances. He even imitated us staring straight with his lips sealed in a thin line during a slow song. Our favourite Japanese interpreter, Nomoto-san, emphasized the "ジーーーー" onomatopoeia, which doubled the laughter among the Japanese fans. 😆😂
The performer and the musicians moved on to their last two songs that represent summer: "Chasin’ the sun (君の速度で)" (Chasin' the Sun- At Your Speed) and "写しかがみ～憎しみの矛先～" (Reflection mirror ~The target of hatred~). What I predict from this part of the set list is these songs pendulum from energetic and joyful to anger and self-awareness. We humans feel a roller coaster of emotions as we fight the summer heat and enjoy the longest break of the year.
As Yesung caught his breath, he took his sunglasses off and exclaimed, "I can't see anything with these on! Are you hot and sweaty?" 🤣🤣🤣
Fall
"Shall We Dance" is the first song in this section. Yesung danced the samba before he started his first verse. 😂 He also did "僕だけが辛い一日ではないはず" (I can't be the only one having a tough day). Not only were these two songs easy for my body to sway but also easy to sing along, too.In his speech afterwards, the SuJu member saw several fans on the second floor sitting down. He lectured them unseriously, "Why are you sitting? You can stand up!" He also mimicked them sitting and staring down like stiff sticks! 🤣🤣🤣 The camera even showed the two girls hopping off their seats while giggling.
Yesung announced his latest album, which marked his 10th solo debut anniversary. He chipped in, "I believe in myself. You believe in me, too, right?" We answered with a resounding "YES!" while waving our sapphire-blue light sticks. He didn't forget to remind us that SuJu will have a concert in Tokyo Dome one day soon! I hope our boys will keep their word this time! I'm manifesting Super Show 11 in Tokyo Dome! It has to happen! 🤞🤞🤞🤞
His last song for fall was none other than his beloved side track from his Pink Magic album, "Slide Away". It's brilliant of him to include this gem because not only was it a fan favourite, but the message behind it reminded us to never stop living our lives despite the gloomy weather and ever-changing seasons. He's telling us we can run away from the bad that is happening in this world as long as we have each other.
Winter
The last bit of the VCR flashed on the screen. Yesung, the repairman, expected the girl to return. Every time the bell rang, a different person came, including a mailman. He tried watering it and cooling it with an electric fan, but nothing worked.
One day, Yesung walked towards the camera and exploded, "Why did you come now? I've been waiting for you!"
He was complaining to a poor old man carrying a giant green cooler. 😂 In the end, Yesung ate a sandwich by the window while pondering whether the girl would come by.
Back to real time, Yesung wore a white jacket with a grey shirt underneath and matching pants. He sat on a stool and sang two songs that signify winter: "Hibernation" from his second Korean album, Spring Falling, and "白い星(MELO)" (White Star) from his new album. We all listened to him as he dedicated his emotional, bittersweet ode to his beloved late dog, Melo. Melo passed away early this year. My seatmate, who was a Yesung fan, shed tears throughout the song. Everyone in the concert hall felt his sincerity and loneliness. He loves his pets dearly. 🥺
When he finished singing, he whispered, "I love you, Melo." He also left us an important message: "今そばに愛する人がいるのであればいつもベストを尽くして愛してください。" (If you have someone you love by your side right now, please always give them your best love.) (Source: ELF Japan website) 🥺 It also took the artist one entire year to make the album, and he might not make his next solo album for quite some time. That's understandable! He needs to recharge and focus on other projects.
His last song was the highly-expected "Lost Heart" from his fourth Korean album, Beautiful Night. He hit the high notes so well! I had goosebumps during the climax of his performance! 😯👏 This was also my seatmate's favourite part of the concert.
Encore! Back to spring!
The final VCR showed Yesung the repairman smiling from ear to ear as he had fixed the watch. It was the following spring, but the plant was still lifeless. He sat by the window and stared, losing hope. The person Yesung wanted to see passed by in a red coat. He grabbed the watch and dashed through the door. From a corner, the plant had a green sprout budding from the soil! 🥹
Yesung returned as a singer. He wore a white top, a light brown cardigan with floral patterns, and a pair of jeans. Once the guitarist started his electric notes, I whooped and stood up. I could sing most of the lyrics of " 咲き誇る時を待つのは" (Waiting for the time to bloom). All the studying of Japanese words for the past month had paid off! 😄
Then, the K-pop star posed with hand hearts and winking for photos with his backup dancers. My seatmate held a Mexican flag while the photo-taking was in session.
A couple in front of the star revealed they had been a couple for nine years. Yesung left the girlfriends blushing with a flirty comment, "You are pretty" in Korean. He flirted with a lucky fan on the second floor, too. The camera caught sight of another couple who wore the goods shirt. The celebrity acknowledged the boyfriends who accompanied his girlfriend to the concert and became a Cloud.
Yesung thanked us all for watching him tonight. "You all are cute, except fanboys, which would be awkward. Fanboys, can you scream?" He watched in awe as a good number of male Clouds and ELFs gave their biggest cheers ever. There was a fanboy sitting a couple rows ahead of me, and he elatedly waved his light stick.
Before he ended the concert, he delighted us with the title track from his first full Korean album, "Floral Sense". His ad-libs at the end entranced us all. He then shared his last comments, "It's too bad that it's the end. Please go home safely. We'll prepare something special very soon, so please wait till we meet again."
Ni-san (兄さん: big brother/ Yesung's Japanese nickname) wrapped up the night with "Let Me Kiss" from his first Japanese album, Story. I remember how many times I replayed this song when it first came out! I felt lucky to witness him performing it live! It brought back memories!🥹 Aside from his cute mistakes in the middle of singing, he killed it in his last performance.
He waved goodbye before leaving through the white door behind him. I recorded a video of his exit, too!
Moments before the concert
I can't express enough how happy I was to be back at Tachikawa Stage Gardens! It was one of my favourite concert venues in Japan. Not only did the concert hall seem big enough to hold a ton of people for a decent-sized concert, but there were also surrounding shops and restaurants that anyone could check out.
I waited for my two seatmates to meet me. While waiting, I strolled around the garden where hydrangeas were already blooming. I found a spot that was perfect for a plushie photo. 😍😌
My seatmates arrived, and we chatted for a bit in a coffee shop. Since we had a bit of time to kill, I took them to the observation deck. We passed by the water stairs where families waddled in the cold water. At the top of the stairs, I led them to this view of greenery. It cleansed our eyes and souls. 😉😌We sat and chatted some more before I left to line up for goods.
I had missed the early lineup time for the goods. And to my disappointment, the tote bags were all sold out! I was hoping I could help a friend buy one...😢
I saw a giant cat cushion that was attached on top of the umbrella in the goods display section. Apparently, people could only buy it online. 😮😕
I bought a hand towel as my keepsake from the concert. I like the raw, hand-drawn design on it! Yesung surely had an artistic eye. 😉
I also met up with two Japanese friends, and we exchanged gifts while catching up. One of them handed me two candy packages for my seatmates. 🥺 One comment they gave me took me by surprise: They said that my Japanese had gotten better. 😮 I spoke Japanese to them most of the time. Maybe the fact that I've lived in Japan for eight years now has helped me have a bit more confidence in speaking their language. Although I lacked a lot in communicating flawlessly in Japanese, my friends' impression flattered and motivated me. 💪✨
I also met a fellow KyuPiter as well! She's a friend of one of my Japanese Cloud friends, and she took a photo of our Kyumae dolls together. 😃😄
Shout out to my seatmate and friend for paying for my concert ticket! I couldn't thank her enough! 🥹 Now that I've experienced my first Yesung concert, I can see why he deserves all the love and respect. I'll mention all the attentive things he had done that made Clouds fall for him.
Final thoughts
First off, I want to share some oofs:
Yesung didn't include his cover of One OK Rock's "Chaosmyth" in the set list. 🙁 I hoped he would sing it that night.
There were also no streamers! It was rare for me to leave a SuJu concert in Japan without an autographed blue and silver streamer. 😮
And here are the wows:
My favourite part was when we sang "咲き誇る時を待つのは" (Waiting for the time to bloom) together. I felt like I was a part of the audience when I could pronounce the Japanese lyrics while singing along.
Overall, the concert was well-organized and heartwarming. Such a simple concept and minimal props, but everything in here gave deep meaning! Yesung linked all of his songs to his four-seasons theme, which made him a thoughtful genius.
Yesung also knew how to engage his audience. He let us scream to release stress and lent us his microphone to sing to choruses in almost every song. Yesung also gave some of us our moment to shine on camera and wasn't shy to tease and scold us. This wonderful human being was vulnerable to us, especially his true feelings about his album making and his precious paw-friend, Melo.
Overall, I'll never forget this experience . Kim Kanghoon, you rock! 😎💙 Please keep doing what you do, and I look forward to your next album no matter how long it'll take. And of course, I'll root for you as a SuJu member!
So...what's next? I'm recovering from my fangirl fatigue for the time being. 😂 I feel lonely when there's not a next SuJu concert within the next few months. I've just visited Kyuhyun's Kyumae Bakery pop-up store in Tokyo as I'm writing this, and I might post a raw review of it on this blog soon! 👀 I'm bummed that I won't be able to see my ultimate bias live next Friday. My work schedule doesn't allow me to take a day off. 😢 But on the bright side, I'll be attending Leeteuk and Heechul's 83z fan meeting at Toyosu PIT this August, so stay tuned for my recap, too!
Thank you for reading to the end! Please share this recap with your fellow ELF and Cloud friends! 🙏🥰🫶 Have a brilliant rest of your day or night, and I'll see you in the next blog post. 안녕! 👋💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
