SINGAPORE : With thousands of energetic teens in attendance, “Super Show 3″ over the weekend was nothing short of a screamfest.
Some 10,000 fans – mostly teen girls – congregated at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to experience Super Junior (SuJu) – one of the hottest act in the K-pop scene right now.
With the Saturday concert sold out in an 90 minutes, a second show was added and though the group had to handle an extra show, all they could think about at the press conference, were their fans.
“We’ll work harder in the future, hopefully the tickets will be sold out in 30 minutes,” the group said jokingly as they thanked fans for their support.
But if the show was anything to go by, fans could snap up tickets next in less than 30 minutes.
As the lights dimmed, the seating arena was transformed into a sea of sapphire blue as SuJu fans – who call themselves ELFs – waved glow sticks as if to conjure up the 10-member band who appeared on the massive two-tiered circular platform at the centre of the stage.
Decked in all-white suits, the group opened with their mega-hit “Sorry Sorry” with the expert choreography of Nick Bass – whose resume boasts of collaborations with Beyonce, Kylie Minogue, Justin Timberlake, just to name a few.
Despite the countless covers and YouTube parodies of the song, nothing beats watching SuJu performing live the infectiously catchy “Sorry Sorry” which ranks alongside the Wonder Girls’ “Nobody” in the K-pop Hall of Fame.
Having revved up the crowd, the group followed up with more dance tracks such as “Super Girl”, Don’t Don”, and “No Other”.
Upping the adrenalin another notch, SuJu leader Lee Teuk and mate Sung Min got wired and hauled up mid-air in the midst of flashing parallel light beams and pulsating beats.
As if to allow the crowd to catch a collective breath, SuJu member Ryeo Wook kick-started the solo segment with an acoustic rendition of “Bomnal”, accompanied by Sung Min on the guitar.
Next up was Kyu Hyun, appearing dashing in a three-piece black suit as he mesmerised with his heart-rending delivery of a popular Mandarin hit “Endless Love”, winning one of the loudest cheers and applause that evening.
Also included in the concert were performances by members of sub-group SJ-M – Henry, who proved he can handle the piano as well as he does his violin, and Zhoumi who kept the groove going with a song and dance routine.
Not to be outdone, SuJu member Hee Chul aced the team with his jaw-dropping Lady Gaga impersonation – belting out “Poker Face” complete with a blond wig, red stilettos and outrageous fashion sense.
More gender-bending followed with Dong Hae, Shin Dong and Eun Hyuk giving their take on Beyonce.
“We wanted ‘Super Show 3′ to be impactful and powerful, so we thought dressing up as Lady Gaga and Beyonce would entertain all the fans,” said Hee Chul speaking through a translator at a press conference.
“I’m (a) genius,” Hee Chul quipped in English on the group’s decision to turn into American women which definitely went down well with fans – and hopefully Beyonce and Lady Gaga too.
Lest anyone imagine that SuJu enjoy cross-dressing, the lads quickly shed their wigs and returned the stage, performing more hits such as “Shake It Up”, “Bonamana”, “U”, and “A Man In Love”.
There was no doubt that the “Super Show 3″ concert tour worked on a massive budget, but it was money well-spent.
Apart from the wired mid-air stunts in the opening half of the show, along with impressive special effects, and the sound system was terrific for the well-chosen song sets.
As for the band, they kept the pacing tight with genuinely spontaneous interactions by the 10 members without dropping a beat during the entire show.
As fans at the mosh pits teased them with toys and knick-knacks, the members played along until soon it resembled a stuffed animal ‘fight’ with creatures swooping back and forth.
A few lucky ELFs even managed to get their pictures taken with Dong Hae and Eun Hyuk, who would stop in mid-song to pose with them, while others gamely sang along in Korean when handed the microphone – proving language is no barrier when it comes to music or fan following.
The show was a blast. And those who haven’t had enough of the three-hour, 30-song set show, there’s an encore experience on March 19 when Super Junior stage their gig in Malaysia.
- CNA