DO OR DIE WITH AN
ATTITUDE:
2NE1 Kicks-Off AON
World Tour in Seoul
By Anjie Blardony
Ureta (Originally published in Pulp Magazine, April 2014 issue)
They are the
notorious bad girls of K-Pop, this gang of four. Not bad meaning bad but bad
meaning good, you know. And for two nights in chilly, post-winter Seoul, the
hottest place in the city was probably the Olympic Park SK Handball Arena whose
stage virtually burst into flames as the fierce foursome 2NE1 kicked off their
second world concert tour, All or
Nothing, in a show that reminded everyone why they are considered one of
the most phenomenal groups ever to storm out of Korea and into the global music
scene.
Living up to
their girls-who-play-hard trademark, the group -- composed of Lee Chaerin (CL),
Park Bom, Sandara Park and Gong Minzy -- entered the stage perched on a
towering platform amidst a conflagration of fireworks, laser lights,
spellbinding beats and that uniquely infectious exuberance which has long set
their performances apart from the cute and sexy routines of their peers.
As they
chanted their familiar anthem -- “Nolza!
Hey hey hey, nolza!” -- the impassioned
quartet jumped, waved and shook their fists in the air, igniting a frenzied
atmosphere as they summoned the feverish crowd to get up and party. Dutifully,
their fans (known by the moniker “Blackjacks”) rallied and cheered, raising
their winged light sticks towards heaven and thanking the music gods that the interminable
wait for a comeback is finally over.
All or Nothing comes after an extended
and painful drought that saw the group releasing only two studio albums four
years apart. Following the highly successful 2009 debut that catapulted them to
the top tier of Korean girl groups, 2NE1 slayed music charts with their first full
album, To Anyone, with its carrier
singles Fire and I Don’t Care. In 2011, they made a triumphant return with a
six-track mini that proved to be a treasure trove of hits, including the
unsinkable I Am the Best, Can’t Nobody and Lonely. Before the year closed, they flew to New York City and were
crowned MTV Iggy’s Best New Band in the World for their “unparalleled presence
in the K-Pop music scene”. Basking in the afterglow of global recognition, the highly
anticipated promise of second full album lingered in the air… Only for the
excitement to be marred by a succession of postponements and delays that went
on longer than anyone ever expected.
Despite the
lack of new material, the irrepressible quartet embarked on an ambitious world
tour in 2012 – the first of its kind attempted by any Korean girl group – and
played to packed venues around Asia and the US. Dubbed New Evolution, the tour enabled the girls to reach out to their
international fans in a more intimate manner, temporarily sating the growing deprivation
for new songs that was beginning to reach ravenous peaks.
Homebound
once more, last year saw the release of leader CL’s first solo track and three
digital singles that foreshadowed the imminent transition of 2NE1 in both music
and image. The temporary hiatus found the girls shedding off the frisky and
aggressive persona everyone has been accustomed to and instead, putting on the
more mature and even more powerful aura of full-grown women poised to enter
their prime as musical artists.
Then somewhere
amidst the growing excitement that mingled with equal doses of curiosity and
skepticism, bam! News about a second
world tour and the much-awaited second album scheduled for the first quarter of
2014 spread like wildfire and stoked the unflagging spirit of a patient fandom
whose loyalty would prove to be richly rewarded.
The new
album, Crush, with its twin title
tracks, Come Back Home and Gotta Be You, signaled the return of
2NE1 to their home sweet home: the top of the charts. Strategically revealed
three days before the All or Nothing concert
launch in Seoul, the album immediately zoomed up to the apex of Korea’s major
music sites within hours of its digital release, achieving an all-kill before
sundown. Remarkably, all ten songs in the album enjoyed an upper niche in the rankings.
While waltzing the roof at home, Crush
also rose rapidly overseas and landed on iTunes’ Top 100 albums in over 20 countries,
where it continues to enjoy an impressive, upwardly mobile standing. Monitoring
the album’s breakthrough success, US music channel Fuse described 2NE1 as “one
of the driving forces in K-Pop’s international expansion” and gave Crush a clear shot at entering the
Billboard charts if it continues its skyward sales trajectory.
Against this
heady and triumphant backdrop, the All or
Nothing World Tour opened in Seoul last March 1 and 2. This early, a total
of 15 shows have already been lined-up to cover 12 cities in Hong Kong, China,
Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, with
negotiations still ongoing to meet the growing clamor for additional tour
stops.
On both days, concert-goers
milled around the venue as early as 1 p.m. to line up for tickets and
merchandise, visit fan club stalls for giveaways, and basically just hang out
together to “spazz” and rejoice at the return of their favorite girl group.
When the gates finally opened an hour before the 6pm show, the excitement
became even more palpable. Before long, the arena was filled with fans of all
ages, many of whom were armed with light sticks, sign boards, and posters,
while others carried with them gifts and trinkets that they could toss onstage
or personally hand over to the girls if they got lucky.
As the
lights dimmed and the familiar thumping of the first song, Crush, filled the air, the crowd broke out in piercing howl of
thunderous applause, with all their pent-up excitement breaking loose after a
long and tedious wait. They were not disappointed as CL, Bom, Dara and Minzy swaggered
defiantly onstage in their shimmering gold and black tailored outfits, grim and
determined to prove once again why 2NE1 has gained a rock-solid reputation of
raising the standards in fashion, professionalism, musical quality, and level
of live performance in such highly competitive industry.
Reminiscent
of their early hits, the opening song (which was composed by team leader CL) is
an electro-pop dance tune that immediately set the mood for the evening’s
high-octane party. Immediately noticeable is how the four girls have blossomed
into charismatic young women who are ready, now more than ever, to take on the
world. Those who came expecting to see the same perky little ladies with
bubblegum colored hair and furry frocks from their New Evolution days might be disappointed, but only in the best
possible way. With their well-toned physiques and edgy styling, all four cut an
awesome and commanding presence onstage that went exceptionally well with the
tougher, wilder and sexier image they intended to project, which was obviously
well-received by the audience.
In terms of
visuals, most conspicuous was the coming of age of the group’s maknae (youngest), Minzy, who became a
full-pledged adult last year. The unrivalled dancing machine sizzled with her
signature chest-popping, body waves and daring splits, particularly for her
solo routine in Fire, all the while
donning costumes that showed a lot more skin than she was previously allowed
to. The deceivingly fragile-looking Dara,
meanwhile, revealed what could have been her best kept secret so far: eye-catching
sculpted abs which became a hot topic on social media even while the concert
was still in progress. On the other hand, with a cascade of long dark hair
complementing her legendary legs and statuesque figure, main vocalist Park Bom
gave off an enigmatic air despite her distinctively quirky, lovable
personality. And CL, whose golden mane flew across the stage with fierce
abandon, proved to be the “baddest female” indeed as she went through her
routines with red-hot sensuality that belied her icy smirk and brazen attitude.
(Be forewarned: her steamy solo stage for MTBD
threatens to leave the faint and the weak of heart with exactly what the title
suggests – a mental breakdown.)
Living up to
the All or Nothing theme, the girls
played onstage with a “do or die” intensity that saw them moving seamlessly
through genre-bending tracks that ran the gamut from electronic and hip-hop, to
pop, reggae, rock and R & B, usually resulting in unique musical hybrids
not usually associated with K-Pop. Ably supported by a six-member band that has
also played with K-Pop superstars and fellow YG artists, Big Bang, one of the
more interesting numbers was their head-banging version of I Don’t Care, simply because it was totally unexpected and out of
the box.
Definitely a concert highlight was their explosive
performance of the new album’s main track, Come
Back Home, with its rousing choreography and spellbinding lighting effects
that were in complete contrast to the relaxed, acoustic melancholy of its
unplugged version, which featured Dara playing the guitar alongside band
member, Justin Lyons.
Sexy met
sassy in a remixed version of I Love You,
which featured a special portion where four lucky guys from the audience
were brought up onstage to receive a “lap dance” from each member. Far from
being a scandalous affair, the spot turned out to be cheeky and playful at best,
leaving the audience cheering wildly as they rooted for the stunned male
subjects with unconcealed envy.
Unlike their
first world tour, All or Nothing relied
less on imposing sets and breathtaking special effects, choosing to focus more
on the much-enhanced musical abilities of all four members. Even Bom, who is
known for her forceful and robust vocals, presented a new dimension to her
singing, adding more warmth and texture to her signature high notes, even
venturing into a softer falsetto particularly in Gotta Be You.
The dynamic
tandem of Travis Payne and Stacey Walker, who previously worked with 2NE1 in
their New Evolution concerts, reprise
their roles as concert directors and main choreographers for AON.
With a
23-song set list that introduced some of their new songs alongside their more
established monster hits, All or Nothing captures
the best of 2NE1’s musical spirit, while at the same time allowing the girls to
grow, explore new discoveries and constantly improve in their manifold
abilities as performers. What is most significant in this concert is how each
member has evolved not only in personality and looks, but more importantly in
musical prowess, as their distinctly unique voices soared in impeccable
harmony, finally liberated by songs that truly depict the inner musings of
their hearts as women and artists in transition.
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