The evening of May 23 in Chicago was a bustling one. Concertgoers dressed in their best Y2K-inspired outfits filled the seats of the Copernicus Center, eager for the show to start. Loyal fans gave away ‘freebies,’ attached photo cards onto their purses and turned on their light sticks, counting down the minutes until the 7:30 p.m. start. Electropop instrumentals rang from the speakers until the lights came down for the star of the night: Yves.
As someone who has been to my fair share of K-pop concerts (15 to be exact), both willingly and unwillingly, I can’t help but observe that most of these shows feel overly manufactured — elaborate stages with LED screens, choreographed numbers for every song, rehearsed scripts for idols to deliver. But this time, similar to her artistry, Yves’ show felt authentic from the start. Perhaps it was the stage setup of a simple hanging backdrop or the choice to perform in a small venue, bringing herself physically closer to her fanbase. Either way, the show’s atmosphere only grew as the night went on.
The concert began with Yves arriving to an ovation from the crowd, seating herself in the middle of the stage. As the opening notes to “HALO,” an ambient house track off her most recent EP NAIL, began playing, the crowd quickly hushed. This silence, however, soon came to an end when her dancers arrived on stage and she stood up, moving around the stage in a mesmerizing fashion, generating cheers from the crowd. It seemed as if she had the audience in the palm of her hand.
It’s important to note that in her home country of South Korea, the date was May 24 — her birthday. Thus, one could label the concert as a birthday celebration; the crowd certainly did. From the very moment she paused performing to talk with the audience, yells of “happy birthday” rained from the audience. It was not before long until she recognized the crowd’s wishes and offered her thanks. Immediately after, the crowd organically sang “Happy Birthday to You” in unison as a fan in the front row gave her two party hats to wear as she took in the moment — one that could be described only as incredibly sweet, one that made the night even more intimate.
Yves followed up the birthday greetings by performing tracks off NAIL, showcasing her versatility, vocal and dance talent. Her singing shone in her performance of “It” as she managed to replicate live her high, near-falsetto vocals present on the studio version. But what was equally as impressive, if not even more, was Yves’ dancing while performing “NAIL” — technically sound and captivating. With her dance talent combined with live vocals, this particular song ignited the crowd as they sang along to the chorus.
Her standout performance of the night came with her live rendition of her track “See you in hell,” my favorite song in her entire discography. Yves took an intimate approach when it came to performing this emotionally-charged piece, opting to sit herself down on the stage’s ledge. Her authentic connection with her fans particularly shone. There was a particular moment in which Yves, draped in white, looked ethereal; while pouring her heart out, she looked up at the spotlight, and the light’s reflection in her teary eyes was simply angelic.
The climax of the concert came with Yves’ performances of her more popular tracks, particularly “Viola,” “Soap” and “LOOP,” all of which were choreographed numbers that combined her vocal and dance talent. “LOOP” seemed to generate the most audience hype and reaction out of all her other performances from the night. The crowd yelled, jumped and recited every lyric as Yves and her dancers delivered on stage.
After a short conversation with the audience in which Yves told them “you guys are my present,” she performed her last song of the night, “DIM.” As she wrapped up the singing portion of the track before its viral outro kicked in, she walked to both ends of the stage, waving, blowing kisses and forming hearts to the crowd. At the same time, her fans showered her with gifts — not just to celebrate her birthday, but to showcase their appreciation. Before she departed the stage with the end of the track, fans gave her handwritten letters, a birthday-themed sash, a Rilakkuma plush and, lastly, a birthday tiara.
It wasn’t very long before Yves and her dancers returned on stage, now dressed with the tour’s T-shirt on, dancing to “NAIL” for the show’s encore. Yves donned a shirt that contained signed birthday messages from her dancers and crew and the newly gifted birthday-sash and tiara. As the song finished and Yves began to converse with the audience, one last birthday surprise arrived; she was quickly interrupted by “Happy Birthday to You” playing on the speakers and a crew member bringing out a cake for her. While the crowd sang the birthday song for the second time tonight, Yves made her wish: for her and her fans to “stay happy” and “stay together.”
The true final number of the night was Yves and her dancers performing “HALO” as they did at the start, creating a loop of sorts (no pun intended). This time, however, Yves respectively introduced each of her four dancers and then herself. As her audience applauded and cheered one last time for the night, Yves left her loyal fanbase — one she fostered a connection through her many years in the industry — with one last honest message: “Thank you for being born.”
Film Beat Editor JC Rafal can be reached at rafaljc@umich.edu.
