First performance in Korea at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul
Proving that they are icons of their generation, attracting female audiences in their 20s
“Eat a lot of kimchi and overspend at Olive Young”… Sensitivity to Korean culture
A rocking stage featuring punk pop
Performance on the 21st as well… 15,000 people gathered over two days
From the first song, ‘Bad Idea Right?’, it was unusual. The unadorned and determined expression, as if entrusting their heart to the rough rock sound, and the confident gestures, including the kicks, were the energy of a rock star.
American Generation Z representative pop star Olivia Rodrigo’s first Korean concert ‘Olivia Rodrigo: GUTS World Tour’ held at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul on the afternoon of the 20th was explosive.
In one of her representative songs, ‘Vampire’, she showed off her singing skills and spoke harshly, making us realize why she is considered a symbol of Generation Z. Rodrigo is a vampire who captivates the audience, but instead of blood, he sucks passion out of them.
In particular, he drew enthusiastic support from women in their 20s. They frequently shouted “you’re cool” to Rodrigo. Among the audience that day, there were many sophisticated young women. According to actual Interpark ticket reservation statistics, the gender ratio of Rodrigo’s reservations this time was 74.5% for women and 25.5% for men. In particular, the ratio of those in their 20s was a whopping 63%. The ratio of those in their 30s was 18.9%, and those in their 20s and 30s accounted for 81.9%.
Korea shows different trends in some of the major trends of the global pop market. Rodrigo and American pop superstar Taylor Swift are relatively less popular than in other regions. Rodrigo and Swift are singer-songwriters with distinct personalities, but if we look for something in common, it is that they translate the lives of young American women into their lyrics. Accordingly, they create a great deal of sympathy in the English-speaking world. However, the explicit and honest lyrics about relationships between men and women do not yet fit the domestic sentiment.
But Rodrigo and her performance that day proved that even in different cultures, empathy and common ground can be found. Before singing “Teenage Dream” while playing the grand piano, with a video of her childhood streaming on the screen, Rodrigo said, “I spent my teenage years being swayed by emotions, such as tearful birthday parties. But I want to tell girls who are worried about the future that miracles will come because I have experienced amazing scenes since then.” It is a sincerity that can be heard in any culture.
Initially, only the performance on this day was scheduled, but it sold out in an instant, and with the addition of the performance on the 21st, the fact that 15,000 people gathered over both days is proof of the popularity of Rodrigo.
In particular, Rodrigo’s performance had more foreign women than other Korean performances. It was noticeable that he greeted and took pictures with the Korean women sitting next to him. It was a moment when the solidarity and support between women that Rodrigo usually emphasized was naturally revealed.
Also, Rodrigo’s costumes were a bit revealing, but they emphasized confidence rather than sexiness. The band members were also mostly women, and the female choreography team that presented artistic moments like modern dance was also captivating.
Rodrigo announced on social media before the concert that day, “I will donate a portion of the ticket sales for ‘GUTS World Tour Seoul’ to the Korea Women’s Foundation (KFW).” He also added an introduction to the Korea Women’s Foundation. He explained that since 1999, they have supported numerous women’s groups and activists through creative gender equality projects, prevention of violence against women and support for victims, and economic independence of single mothers and immigrant women. He even attached a link to the Korea Women’s Foundation homepage. Rodrigo’s donation this time will also be used to help women in difficult situations.
Rodrigo has consistently shown interest in women’s issues, such as by setting up a special booth at the ‘Guts’ tour held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA in March and distributing free emergency contraceptives, condoms, and stickers containing information on abortion treatment. This campaign was discontinued due to opposition from conservative groups, but it is raising various voices under the slogan ‘Fund 4 Good’.
He was also very influenced by Korean culture. He ate a lot of kimchi and overspent at Olive Young, a representative beauty shop in Korea. He said he learned Korean by saying “thank you” in Korean. Rodrigo, who entered the country on the 17th, said that Korea is one of the most wonderful countries he has ever been to.
In addition to its topicality, Rodrigo’s performance that day was also impeccable in terms of content, format, and narrative.
Rodrigo’s stage presence was particularly outstanding. He knelt down during ‘Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl’ and literally lay down during ‘Making the Bed’, with the lift stage forming the shape of a bed.
In ‘Pretty Isn’t Pretty’, they created the aesthetics of vertical and horizontal movement with female dancers. The scene of dancers coming up from under the stage and leaning against each other in a line to form a group was dramatic. In ‘Deja Vu’, they performed a group dance that made people feel a sense of déjà vu through video. In ‘Jealousy, Jealousy’, they showed a sensual duet with a female bassist.
Another representative song, ‘Drivers License’, was also performed while playing the grand piano, and the fancy yet grand atmosphere was superb. On the other hand, when singing ‘Happier’ and ‘Favorite Crime’, it was simple with only Daisy’s acoustic guitar as accompaniment. It was a time when Rodrigo’s gorgeous yet pure charm stood out.
The highlight of the show was the moon and stars rising between the audience seats, which is the symbol of this tour. 38 airplane pallets, equivalent to one 747 airplane, and stage equipment weighing approximately 100 tons were airlifted to recreate the performances just like overseas.
Before singing ‘Logical’, stars rose one by one in the concert hall, and the crescent moon that Rodrigo was riding appeared in the middle of the concert hall behind the floor seats, and rose up and got closer to the audience on the second and third floors. Even though it must have been difficult to sing in the air, Rodrigo’s singing was unwavering. She responded with a smile to the loud cheers of Korea’s ‘Livies’ (fandom name), saying that she was really happy to come to Korea. And she waved her hands widely to various parts of the audience.
And again, they sang ‘Enough for You’ on the moon. The moon rotated, and depending on the direction and angle, it looked like a crescent moon (the right side of the moon in the Northern Hemisphere is visible) or a waning moon (the left side is visible). The crescent moon, also called the ‘new moon’, symbolizes growing hope, and the waning moon, also called the ‘old moon’, symbolizes darkness. In the moon, which went back and forth between the two moons and sometimes seemed full like a full moon, Rodrigo and the audience grew even in that moment.
The final part reminded me of a hard rock festival. Rodrigo didn’t stop jumping during ‘Brutal’. In ‘Obsessed’, where the boyfriend is obsessed with his girlfriend, the flowing pronunciation and scenes of him lying down were sensual. Towards the end, he even showed off some intense guitar playing.
Considering that Rodrigo grew up listening to the music of American pop punk icon Avril Lavigne, this kind of atmosphere was natural. In April, Rodrigo made a surprise appearance on stage with American rock band No Doubt at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the world’s largest pop music festival, and collaborated with them.
The last song of the main show that day, ‘All-American Bitch’, was met with a loud cheer. The heat continued even with the heavy rain that fell outside the concert hall right before and throughout the encore, including ‘Good 4 U’ and ‘Get Him Back!’
Rodrigo is the one who knows how to charmingly show the pride of those who are revealed to youth. He is a performer who sings not only on stage but also his own life. I will borrow the phrase “Chunhajigyo (the time when spring and summer change)” and name it “Hachujigyo (the time when summer and fall change).” Autumn has come to Korea with Rodrigo. We have matured to that extent.
[서울=뉴시스]
2024-09-22 15:46:31