[REVIEW] SHINee’s 1st Concert

SHINee's first exclusive concert "SHINee World" in Korea [SM Entertainment]

The talking did not even last for 10 minutes of SHINee’s two hour and 40 minute-long concert. The five-member group’s first concert “SHINee World” held at the Olympic Park Gymnasium in Seoul on January 1 and 2 this year, was a concert composed solely of their singing and dancing. It had been the group’s wish to hold a concert under their name since their debut in May 2008 and when they finally got their wish, they went straight to business, performing more songs than droning on and on about it. Since a concert is where a group’s true colors are revealed, the choice SHINee made suited them perfectly.

To begin with, SHINee is not about giving off energy. But when these young men, who always maintained courteous and a serious posture at interviews and televised shows, were granted a large stage for them and them alone, they overwhelmed the concert venue with explosive singing and performances. And past the intro that sizzled up the mood from the very start, the group went on to perform five songs without a break, including “Amigo” and “Juliet,” not even faltering slightly in singing live. They also did well in bringing out the less powerful yet elaborate details of their choreography while singing songs such as “Nuna You’re So Pretty” and “Hello.” While performing several of their dance numbers including “LUCIFER,” Jonghyun showed himself just for his part, despite his leg injury, while Chinese trainee Issing at SHINee's agency filled in for his dancing part.

SHINee's first exclusive concert "SHINee World" in Korea [SM Entertainment]

The individual stages that showcased the unique talent of each member -- which was certainly above the average in skill -- also proved to be interesting. Jonghyun sang to singer Wheesung’s “Girls,” deejaying for the number as well, while Taemin boasted his considerably improved singing skill through song “Romeo+Juliette,” a track included in SHINee’s second mini-album. Minho who performed to Usher’s “OMG” together with Simon D. from The Supreme Team, elicited wild cries from the crowd by baring his chest. Key staged a romantic and playful performance by bringing Krystal from f(x) as his partner to sing to 3OH!3’s “My First Kiss.” The most unique performance was shown by Onew who is known for taking part in various genres of music including musical “Rock Of Age.” He took to the stage with a 15-member orchestra to sing to Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma” showing off his rich singing voice which was certainly a rare thing to expect from an idol group’s concert.

Although the concert did not have a unified concept and the overdose of video images disrupted the flow time by time, it still presented fans with impressive fan services with all the wire actions that moved from the stage to audience and further performances from the second story using moving carts. The most important achievement of all was that SHINee has proved that it is more than capable of creating dramatic effects just with their vocals. SHINee, which has so far released two full-length albums and three mini-albums, was able to fill up the whole concert with their songs alone which they did apart from the time they spent to sing one individual song each. Their ability to harmonize stably was further revealed through their ballads such as “Your Name” and “Quasimodo.” SHINee may look young and fresh on the outside but they are thoroughly prepared and professional on the inside. That's how SHINee took off and that is what they still are. This is what you would call a classic case of exemplary trainees who have turned into exemplary singers.

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Reporter : Choi Ji-Eun five@
Editor : Heidi Kim heidikim@