Lee Seunggi 2012 Hope Concert [Review by AnnMichelle]

Entertainment news – MNET Wide (Lee Seunggi 2012 Hope Concert)

[Ment] LSG: Entering a concert by wires is more representative of idols~~ How did this side enjoy the entrance? Did you like it? You all hit the jackpot!

[Why is it called Hope Concert?]
LSG: I hold a concert at the end of every year. The meaning of ‘hope’ gives fullness and warmth and it seemed to fit well with my type of concert, and this is the 4th straight year using that for my concert title.

MC: This is Seunggi’s 4th year holding his Hope Concert. Each year had a special stage. Revealing his abs in 2009, a duet with Shin Mina in 2010, and a cute girlgroup dance stage in 2011.

[What is your special stage this year?]
LSG: There’s been so many parodies so I wasn’t going to do it, but then I thought it would be super fun. So I did everything.

MC: So his special stage this year was…??? Psy’s Gangnam Style. Nation’s younger brother Lee Seunggi changed it up and wore sunglasses and a shiny outfit and showcased a new side. Ballad prince Lee Seunggi could be horse dance prince now. Lee Seunggi’s Noona Style lyrics are also daebak.

LSG: There may have been both happy and frustrating events for everyone this past year, but I hope in 2013, you will always be happy and healthy.

MC: Showing us a new side at his Hope Concert, already having received much love this year, we hope Seunggi receives great love next year as well.

English: LSGfan, Video: seunggiairen

Uber fangirl AnnMichelle wrote the 2011 Hope Concert fan account, so LSGfan asked her to do it again this year.  As most of you know, aside from Seunggi’s ballads and some pop songs (which I love!), I haven’t been that enthused by his other genre stuffs and performances (just not my music preference style).  But AnnMichelle with her undying fangirl support and love (Seunggi, even his hair and fashion! can do no wrong in her eyes!)… she always makes you appreciate stuffs more~~!!!

(Thanks AM for writing this up so quickly, even though I wasn’t able to post until now)!  

Dazed and Healed – My Outings with LSG
Written by AnnMichelle
(edited by LSGfan; images/videos inserted by LSGfan)

I know I should let things settle a bit before putting them into words, but the urgency, so fragile and fleeting, might get lost upon reflections. So here goes…

First, Seung Gi’s concert is really an organic being. For the purely personal opinion that the second concert is much better than the first one. It’s like after the previous run, he had time (?!) to digest and improve and grow so that even his voice found ways to compensate what little lacking there was the night before.

He was not in tip-top shape, vocal wise. He had to take frequent sips of water between songs. And he sounded, at times, heavy and a little congested. But, what’s amazing is this – even within one song, he managed to do whatever he had to do to sing the repeat part better than the first verse.

I was a little concerned when he started Return. That song is NOT easy to sing or hide any imperfection! Especially when we were sort of bombarded by it when watching all those music shows, hearing it walking down the streets of Seoul, and sitting in the venue waiting for the concert to begin. But, the first few words of the song… very little instrumentation, no back-up singers, Seung Gi showed us what a well-trained and talented professional can do even when he is not in the best form.

(video: JJangWoo10)

He hinted before the concerts that fans sitting further away from the stage had something to look forward to and that might evoke his fear of heights. Well, I share his fear of height, so let me tell you being dangled high up with nothing but a tiny piece of metal plate to separate you from 30 ft (?) of air (and female hormones) is NO JOKE! Not to mention he had to sing. And sing Slave and Losing my Mind.

(video: arini2304)

He went two different routes on his ‘flight’, diagonally crisscrossing for the two concerts so one can’t fault him for favoring any side. He said thinking of a fresh and thrilling way of entrance has become quite stressful. Why do you bother, my dear boy? Don’t you know we will take anything, I mean ANYTHING, to see you appear on stage?! Like waking up from your nap in pajamas? Now that’s not a bad idea for an entrance!

(video: vakaala)

He wore tailed tuxedo for the ballad part, just like in the concert poster. With the orchestra and a very fine digital backdrop screen design, he looked effortlessly elegant. His hair was wavy and tussled the first day, and became more straightened and side-parted the second day. Looked equally suave.

I longed to hear him sing Love is Crying ever since the Japan debut. However, Lee Jae Ha proved to be too much of a distraction – even beating Singer Lee Seung Gi! I was totally mesmerized by the clips shown on the backdrop screen (and they even divided that into three, so there were just too much to watch!). Dear Jae Ha, I love you!

(video: 毅賢 張)

[People said his parents were there for the first concert. I sat in the first floor VIP, about two rows behind that in the second concert, and saw Teacher, who was almost motionless like an anchor for her beloved student. Did I say I love my seat in the first floor VIP section? It’s not as close to the stage as my first day’s. But it was central and elevated a little so the view was great.]

If only I could understand his Ments!!! That’s another big part of his organic concerts. Fans were invited into a very intimate conversation with him, all 10,000 plus of us, even those who could not understand a word of what he said! I laughed when the Korean fans laughed, sighed when the fans sighed, and pleaded when they pleaded.

After the first concert, according to much more knowledgeable fans reported in Baidu Tieba (trying not to repeat what Ann has translated from the news article):

He is a family man. He is not as capable as fans deem him to be. He needs his time alone, to adjust, to precipitate. Nowadays everyone likes ‘bad guys’. He cannot be a bad guy. Can’t he alone be a GOOD guy? Other than the coming drama, we might not see him on TV that much. But he will work extra hard to make those performances worthwhile.

He did two things in 2012 that he’s most proud of: The King 2 Hearts and 5.5 album. The album was out on the 22nd right? And it’s still in the first place. He could not hide his boastful smile when saying this. Ah, the dead-serious, competitive, and never resting promoter LSG showed his spots!

I was feeling a bit off going into the concert. (Waiting in the bitter cold for four hours and only having a small bowl of fish cake soup from the snack stand might have something to do with it.) But by the end of the ballad session I was completely healed. The energy from Seung Gi, from fellow fans, from the world surrounding me embraced me like a cashmere blanket. That’s a good thing too as I was fully charged to venture into the physical part of the concert. 

The reason why Seung Gi’s concerts have so many returned customers (or frequent flyers of the LSG line) of course has a lot to do with his charisma and star power. But I firmly believe it’s also due to the expectations we have of him, as a singer, as a performer, in delivering different, varied, and always thrilling live stages. This was especially evident in the Musical Show part of the program, which had a setting much like a Broadway musical.

At the piano and in dazzling white, he teased us with a playful tune that it took me quite a few moments to realize it was Because You’re my Woman! No youthful awkwardness. No deep from the heart yearning and anguish. This version was pure fun. And the dance! His languid figure and lovely smile reminded me of a young Tommy Tune! (I am not kidding!) I confessed I had never liked Wedding Veil but of course this lighter and bouncy version changed that forever.

(video: JJangWoo10)

We were all on our feet as the brain racking music of Gangnam ‘Noona’ Style played. I heard the song and watched the dance three times now (once in that ill-planned rehearsal). And I am still in a daze as to what exactly happened, how exactly he moved/jumped/stomped/tapped/swaggered/more action words than I could type. The screen was showing all those cute carton figures of him. And we had this full blooded, sexy to the max being professing his love – beast style! Oh, did I mention those arms?! (I want to put him in one of those wife-beater – hate the name! – tees so bad!)

This followed with the loud, in your face, and vibrant Trot songs. I kept thinking if there was another singer of his fame and caliber who could don a green sequin jacket, swayed his hip and shouted Jjang Jjang Jjang to the cheers of crazed audience. The answer is no.

By the way, in selecting his guest performers, Seung Gi was totally in his sunbaenim mode to promote promising newcomers (with the exception of the well-established Sistar; I think he just digs them). Other guests included B1A4, Girlsday, Vixx.

As for the young guitar phenom, the older guitarist, Ham Choonho, said as soon as he mentioned Seung Gi’s name, Jung Sungha, jumped at the chance of working with SG. And the acoustic collaboration was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. Adio never sounded this good (sorry I am repeating myself – really cannot help it. And since we are at it, please add Smile Boy to the list. Thank you).

(video: JJangWoo10)

Melody and Like a Flower were love. The funny thing was, as soon as Seung Gi started singing, I did not pay much attention to anything else, guitar prodigy or not! (If you remember, so far, Seung Gi was upstaged just once, by himself, in the person of Lee Jae Ha.)

(video: evelyn132)

I loved the staging of Would you Marry Me.  Not so much for Time for Love. I always feel that deep down Time for Love is a very personal and reflective kind of song. It just doesn’t seem right to sing it and dance it so openly (if you get my meaning) for all to see. I look forward to a quieter version of it, perhaps an acoustic one.

I had my first proper hearing of Words of Love in the rehearsal. Please don’t ask me why I did not retain any lasting impression when he sang it in the first concert. I just don’t remember. But at the rehearsal, when everyone at last settled down and waited with so much excitement, he came out and just sang it simply, with no adornment. It’s quiet, yet grabbing and lingering. (This is all I will say about the rehearsal).

(video: Bim Bim)

He cried in the last song on the final day concert. Relief? Satisfaction? Regret? Emptiness? Exhaustion? Just too much of everything? I’d never know. I just waved at his retreating back, wishing him all the best, giving him all my love, and saying a heartfelt ‘Thank you.’

[Final ment + Because You’re my Woman]

(video: TheYuyukaka)

Images: Naver

See related posts:

• Lee Seunggi – 2012 Hope Concert [Press Review]
• Guitarist Jung Sungha’s tweets about Seunggi’s concert
• [Sketchbook 2012.11.30] Lee Seunggi performs ‘Return’ + acoustic guitar stage with Ham Choonho, Jung Sungha
• All the best for Lee Seunggi’s 2012 Hope Concert in Seoul!
• Seunggi promotes 5.5 album/concert, talks dancing, dating, cooking, Dragon Flight [SBS One Night 2012.11.21]
• Seunggi talks Epitone Project and his 5.5 mini-album songs
• Lee Seunggi 2011 Hope Concert [Fan Account + News Clips]

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