All the songs of the IU are masterpieces… A total of 3 hours of group singing that filled the main stadium

The IU singer presented a great time that satisfies the eyes and the ears in the Main Stadium of the Olympic Games, which is the ‘dream phase’. A feast of famous songs without rest, band and orchestra performances that doubled the emotion, and a spectacular fireworks and drone show in the sky. It was a moment that proved once again that he is the best solo singer of the current era who can fill three hours with popular songs.

On the afternoon of the 18th, IU held her solo concert ‘Golden Hour: Under the Orange Sun’ at the Main Olympic Stadium in Jamsil Sports Complex, Songpa-gu, Seoul. This is the second performance following the previous day.

‘Awr Aur: Dan yr Haul Oren’ is a solo concert that will be held for the first time in about three years since 2019, and it is even more meaningful because it is the first performance of the IU to enter the Olympic Stadium. The Olympic Stadium is the largest concert venue in Korea. According to his agency, Edam Entertainment, it is estimated that around 85,000 people gathered for this performance over two days.

Meanwhile, Cho Yong-pil, Seo Taiji, Lee Moon-se, Lee Seung-cheol, Lee Seung-hwan, HOT, Shinhwa, god, TVXQ, JYJ, EXO, BTS, Psy, and foreign singers Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, etc. performed in the main stadium Following the Olympic Hall and the Gymnastics Stadium, IU finally took the main stadium this year, marking 14 years since its debut. She was the first female solo singer in Korea to perform at the main stadium.

The sunset sky reminded me of the meaning of the name of the performance ‘Golden Hour: Under the Orange Sun’. Around the time you were immersed in the atmosphere of the golden and orange sunset, the song ‘Eight’, which Suga from BTS produced and featured, opened the door to the performance. It was a perfect start to touch the emotions of an autumn evening when the cool breeze blows gently in the hot weather.

When the clear and strong voices of the IU filled the concert hall, cheers poured out from the audience. At the same time, colorful fireworks from the beginning decorated the sky, drawing an explosive reaction from the audience. Then, IU walked up to the stage to strut out and choreograph the song ‘Celebrity’.

After the opening, IU looked around the audience and tried to communicate with the fans, saying, “It’s full today. It’s been a very long time since I had a performance for the first time in three years. It was a bit hotter than yesterday, was that right? There was nothing special”, and he tried to communicate with the fans. He continued, “Fortunately, today’s sky was more beautiful than yesterday. I wanted everyone to suffer because it was hot, but I always wanted to sing ‘Eight’ at sunset.

Regarding the opening stage selection, he explained, “There have been a lot of new songs over the last three years, so I tried to sing songs that I haven’t been able to do before.” He said, “Today is the 14th anniversary of my debut. I feel lucky to be able to hold a concert on such an anniversary.”

Every seat was cushioned. This is the ‘Cushion Reverse Tribute’, the signature of IU’s performance, which is designed to make it easier for the audience to watch the performance. Regarding this, IU said, “My mom placed the order and prepared it hard for a month and a half ago. You can take it with you when you go home. You don’t have to leave

He said, “I try to listen to familiar songs so that you feel ‘this is how it was when IU performed’,” he said. Each step was completed with the fans’ loud chorus and IU’s sweet harmony. IU responded to the hot cheers pouring back and forth between the main stage and the protruding stage. IU did not express that and worked with the fans despite the inconvenience of having problems with the inner ear from the start of the performance.

Specifically, on the ‘Mefus Lleuad’ stage, he made a gift moment by singing a song while riding a hot air balloon around the concert hall. The audience exploded with excitement at the beautiful and dreamy direction which made the wonderful mood of the song even deeper. He then performed ‘Hold My Hand’, which became a big topic due to the reverse run. IU’s cool vocals added to the powerful band’s sound, creating a thrilling sensation.

After finishing the stage, IU said, “I wanted to get closer to the audience on the second and third floors, so I put the moon on Jamsil. It rained a lot on Friday, so I couldn’t match any what with the technical team and I started my first performance yesterday, I rode on the moon in the rain and the wind, and I was so scared that I thought, ‘I shouldn’t do it?

He continued, “During three years of not performing, ‘Strawberry Moon’ came out and ‘Hold My Hand’ suddenly ran backwards.

There was also one last song to be performed at this performance. IU called this ‘graduation’. It is expected that ‘Good Day’ and ‘Palette’ will not be available in future IU performances.

First, about ‘Palette’, IU said, “I love it,” but “I wrote and composed this song when I was 25 years old, and I sang it while holding it very dear, but now I’m in my 30s . I want to leave this song to the 25-year-old writer.” he continued, “Singing this song was the best time of my life, and I still meet good moments like that time. I don’t think I need to hold on to this song forever” the time.”

Also, about ‘Diurnod Da’, he said, “My most popular and successful song,” he said. “It’s a song that always appears. I always left after I played the 3rd treble. It seemed that such an attempt would be necessary to perform. I made this decision to perform more interesting.” After completing ‘Diurnod Da’ up to the 3rd treble, he was satisfied, saying, “This is the last time, was it right?”

IU sang ‘Blueming’, ‘Last Night’s Story’, and ‘Lilac’ one after the other, adding to the heat of the performance.

The guest on this day was Jay Park. He told IU, “It’s really cool to hold a top position for 14 years, take good care of yourself, and do everything from albums to performances to perfection. I know how much effort and sacrifice it takes because I I’m a singer as well, so it feels even more amazing.” At the same time, he performed the stage single ‘Gandara’ with IU along with the dance team Holy Bang.

If part 1 and 2 were full of dance songs with lots of things to see, part 3 was completed as a ballad where you can enjoy IU’s sweet vocals. What was notable on the ballad stage was the presence of an orchestra that brought out a soft and majestic feeling. Orchestral renditions accompanied the IU’s quiet and depressing singing, adding to the dramatic atmosphere.

IU, who sang ‘Knee’ and ‘Winter Sleep’ with deep emotion, showed a deep affection for both songs. He said, “I think ‘Knee’ is a song that is close to a singer’s identity. Even if it’s not a well-known song, I really wanted to hear ‘Knee’ on this stage. The song ‘ Winter Sleep’ is also a song I made, but when I wrote ‘Knee’ I tried to write it while looking for a lot of feelings. In my mind, ‘knee’ and ‘winter sleep’ are one set .I’m the same height and I have similar emotions when singing, so I wanted to sing it in a row.”

He continued to sing ‘A Story Only I Didn’t Know’, ‘Night Letter’, and ‘Out of Time’ to increase the immersion. The audience, who had enjoyed singing in groups before, were surprised by their high-level viewing attitude, such as listening to the song while holding their breath in line with the changing atmosphere. Before the ‘Allan o Amser’ stage started, a drone show was held in the air. Then, IU’s song began, and the colorful orchestral performances, sparkling fireworks, and powerful choreography of dancers harmonized the stage like a fairy tale.

As an encore, ‘Love Poem’ and ‘Child and My Sea’ were prepared. After the song, IU said, ‘I’ll be with you every step of the way. After seeing the slogan, ‘Because we are perfect friends for 14 years,’ he showed a tearful look.

IU said, “The moment I thought wouldn’t come has come. I spent about two months shaking with the worry that I won’t be able to do it in the end. ” I prepared. It’s not serious, but a situation where I couldn’t control my ears a year ago. Fortunately, my neck was fine, but from the end of yesterday’s performance, my ears got a little worse, so I spent a bit of hell until today’s rehearsal.”

He continued, “I had the feeling that I didn’t know what was going to happen even when I first started my song, but I really think you all finished today’s performance.” He continued, “I don’t have a hearing problem. I felt a heart to congratulate you,” he said, expressing his gratitude to the supporters.

Finally, he said, “The words ‘thank you’ are small. Some words like ‘I love you’, ‘thank you’, and ‘I’m sorry’ are small. Some people thought that it was too far away, but I wasn’t. People at the end felt that they loved it.” “Through today’s performance, I think I will sing hard with a much more humble heart. I have been challenging since I was a teenager and on the road, I thought a lot that maybe this stage would be my last destination ever. I never dreamed of such a big stage in the first place. overwhelmed by the memories of today.”

“It’s our 14th year, and we’ll go another 14 years. I promise the next concert won’t be as long as these three years.”

Kim Soo-young, reporter for Hankyung.com swim@hankyung.com