Super Junior’s “Super Show 3″ at Impact Arena on Saturday was proof that the Korean boy band hasn’t let its high standards slip in the least.
That concert and the follow-up on Sunday were among 16 on the group’s third Asian tour, covering 13 countries.
Now down to “just” 10 members following the departures of Han Geng, Kibum and Kangin, Junior nevertheless made a good impression on most of the fans packed into the arena.
Leeteuk, Heechul, Yesung, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook and Kyuhyun are as childishly cute as ever, making fun of each other – and hugging and kissing each other. The fans, mostly girls, loved every minute, and the screaming never stopped.
You’d scream too if you got that close to your idol. The stage extended like a catwalk around the hall, with four sections bringing the boys deliriously near to the swooning young ladies.
In the centre, virtually ignored by all but the fans in the back, was a giant, moving LED screen.
All 10 singers in white suits opened the concert with a string of hits – “Sorry Sorry”, “Super Girl”, “Don’t Don”, “No Other” and “Rokkugo”.
With the crowd lathered up nicely, Ryeo Wook took the first solo turn, playing acoustic guitar and singing “One Fine Spring Day” from their fourth album, “Bonamana”.
Kyuhyun appeared in a black suit to perform “New Endless Love”, and then Sungmin, in a sleeveless black T-shirt, chose to bop around the stage with four female dancers rather than sing.
Siwon wore an ordinary white T-shirt and ragged, faded blue jeans while offering a variation of his English song “Looking for the Day”.
Eunhyuk and Donghae did a duet on “I Wanna Love You” while pretending to fight over a girl. Eunhyuk ripped his T-shirt off, and the tactic worked so well that Donghae did it too.
Finally, at the piano, there was Henry from Super Junior-M, the group’s China-aimed farm team. Henry played a bit and then danced to Justin Bieber’s “Baby”.
After a quick screening of a comedy movie starring the boys, six of them returned to the stage in sparkling suits of varying colours for “Tok Tok Tok”, a lively play on Korean folk music.
Off came the jackets for the song “You and I”, during which they joshed about, climbing on one another’s backs and basically sexually harassing each other.
Heechul drew loud laughter with an imitation of Lady Gaga, in blonde wig with a big bow, black dress and red heels, singing “Poker Face”.
Then Eun Hyuk, Shindong and Dong Hae also showed up in dresses and wigs to do Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and “Crazy in Love”. It was genuinely hilarious.
In a heart-warming video-live stage link, Kangin took turns with the other guys as they all demonstrated their instrumental abilities on “Lascia Ch’io Pianga”, an aria from Handel’s opera “Rinaldo”.
Then it was back to dance tunes with “Bonamana”, “A Man in Love”, “U” and “Dancing Out”.
And more comedy: the SJ boys reappeared dressed as fruit and vegetables for the track “Cooking? Cooking!” before really taking off on “Way for Love”.
They finished up the three-hour show together with “You Are the One” and “Wonder Boy”, and finally tossing water at each other.
(The Nation, a member of ANN)