Red Velvet, the beloved K-pop girl group, made an extraordinary comeback with their fourth concert, “R to V,” after a hiatus of three years and five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans from all over the world eagerly awaited the performance of their favorite queens as the KSPO Dome in Seoul was filled with thousands of people. The concert was also live-streamed via Beyond LIVE, allowing fans worldwide to enjoy the show.
The concert opened with Red Velvet appearing on stage in striking jet-black outfits that transformed them into black swans, sparking thunderous applause from the audience. Joy explained, “The name of our concert is ‘R to V,’ which stands for red to velvet. From flaming hot red to elegant velvet, we wanted to show that we can do it all.”
For the first time on stage, Red Velvet performed a series of sidetracks from their mini-albums, including “Beg for Me,” “Bamboleo,” “Zoom,” “Bye Bye,” “On a Ride,” and “Celebrate.” The “Red” section of the concert, the first half, was full of seductive and powerful performances. Red Velvet demonstrated a flawless balance between their vocals, performance, and energy. The K-pop queens also thrilled their fans with individual dance breaks while performing “Bad Boy,” demonstrating their fluid dance moves that left the audience breathless.
Even when the girls went backstage to prepare for their next set, a mega dance crew performance filled up the gap with dazzling dance performances, featuring 25 dancers led by the renowned performance director Choi Young-jun. Creative use of the main stage was also a feature to watch out for.
The “Velvet” section of the concert started like a musical, with Red Velvet appearing on stage on a lift decorated as a music box. Dressed like princesses, the members stood on the music box. Seulgi shouted, “How do we look? We changed into human cherry blossoms! We look like princesses, don’t we?” As the girls transformed into princesses, the vibe of the concert took a different turn.
“Are you going to stay seated throughout the whole concert?” Seulgi asked the audience when they performed their track “Queendom.” The crowd rose to their feet and began jumping and dancing, turning the concert into a festival. Red Velvet also seemed to burst with energy, bringing the concert to its climax.
“This concert comes after three years, so we prepared really hard for it. It was fun preparing for our gigs. After this, we are hitting the road for a world tour. Will you keep supporting us?” said Yeri. Red Velvet is set to embark on a world tour, holding 13 gigs across ten different cities. Their first stop is Singapore on April 21.
During the concert, Joy’s gear kept falling off during performances, and she seemed to be distracted. “I think my headset doesn’t like me today. It’s bothering me so much, so I’m going to use my customized hand mic from now on,” said Joy. Red Velvet continued their concert as K-pop veterans, showing off their unique spring-themed, cute colors.
When the curtains went down, Luvies began singing “Remember Forever” to call the girls back on stage. They then raised card posters for a card stunt event they had prepared for Red Velvet. The cards read “Thank you, our pride” from the stage. The surprise event brought Joy to tears of happiness.
“Today’s concert was definitely different from the first day. On the first day, we were a bit tense because we were nervous. Also, the cheers from the audience were much louder, so we had more fun performing on stage. I will try to keep this beautiful memory with me for a long time.
