Three years after its debut, the group aespa performed, for the first time, on a French stage, during the last concert of its world tour which began eight months earlier.
This September 30th 2023, mid-way between "Kwangya" and the real world, K-pop girl group æspa gathered its fans at the Dôme de Paris for their first french concert, also the last show of the "SYNK: HYPER LINE" world tour which started in Seoul, South Korea on the 25th of February 2023.
Here's what KARAOME thought of this night!
Grand premiere!
If K-Pop fans are now used to walking the Zénith de Paris, the Accor Arena or the Salle Pleyel, this is the first time a south-korean group is playing at the Dôme de Paris, a mostly seated venue for around 5 000 people. As usual, Mys (name for aespa's fans) and K-Pop enthousiasts started to queue several hours before the show to get as close as possible to the stage and admire aespa's members : Karina, Ningning, Giselle and Winter.
Yet, as the concert's getting to star, the seating tier struggles to be filled and raises some questions : is the venue really a good fit? Is there something wrong with the organization to get the spectators inside ? The excitement gets barely felt.
A really precise show!
It's at 20h20, eventually in the almost full venue, that the lights turn off and the song "Lingo" rings loudly in the ears. After 2 minutes 30 sec of audio, thinking the group will appear on stage, a video is then being played on the main screen showing the four members of aespa in their cyberpunk universe. Then, after 4 minutes of video... aespa's still not here. Their respective avatars “æ“ are now presented in sophisticated visuals specific to the group’s universe.
We notice the fans' enthusiasm waning after this long introduction but it quickly picks up again with this time the long-awaited arrival on stage of the four girls. The concert starts strong with the energy of the song “Girls” rearranged in a rock way which gives Winter the opportunity to showcase her guitar and mime very-well a pre-recorded solo. The hits “ænergy” and “Savage” close the intense start of the concert, which will benefit from the majority of the interactions that will take place with the public during this evening... Too bad!
The show continues to the rhythm of the VCRs and the solos of the members who divide the concert into four main parts. If VCRs are a good way to keep fans waiting during outfit changes, videos are even more enjoyable when they interact with the audience, which was not the case during this concert. But the members manage to bring back the excitement after each break: the all-rounder Karina with her track “Menagerie”, Winter and her captivating voice on “Lips”, the catchy rhythm of Giselle in “2HOT4U” and the captivating melody of Ningning’s solo “Wake Up”.
In each part, the key titles follow one another, reminding us to what extent æspa's discography is effective and appreciated by everyone. The group offers us re-invented choreographies for each track, accompanied by dancers to fill the stage, as well as beautiful visual productions on the giant screens. However, æspa's virtual universe could have been more developed, with holographic effects for example, we hope to see that on their next tour!
But the fans already seem satisfied and share their voice with the group to accompany them on all the hits, including “Illusion”, “Dreams Come True”, “Hold On Tight” and even “Spicy”.
The long-awaited ending!
After almost two hours of show, eyes are now directed towards the public who are in the spotlight to show their dancing talents, before the four girls, exhausted after eight months of touring, return to the stage to perform the last two dedicated songs to fans “'Til We Meet Again” and “ICU”. The pit takes advantage of these last moments to share its gifts which are warmly welcomed by the members. After shy thanks and a few words to tease their comeback scheduled for November 10, it's time for Winter, Giselle, Ningning and Karina to recover after these exhausting months and come back more dynamic for their next concert in France when it will be right time.
See you next time...
For this first French concert, three years after its debut, æspa provides a well-stocked show of 23 songs with unique choreography and original visuals, unfortunately tinted by the fatigue of months of touring around the world. But that doesn't stop us from seeing the live potential of Ningning, Winter, Giselle and Karina, which certainly promises great development for their next performances.
The entire KARAOME team wanted to thank LIVE NATION, SM Entertainment and aespa for making this live report possible.