These past two years have downright been the worst time in history for everyone involved but I am so glad that we are gradually getting back to where we were before the pandemic. I know I said that I wanted to update this blog with more stuff but I got so busy so fast that it just wasn't feasible.
Anyway, this past weekend saw even more proof of returning to normalcy with the return of Veteran K-pop idol Jaejoong. If you recall, Jaejoong had planned an Asia tour back in 2020 but the big thing happened and it was postponed. The great news is that IME Productions kept their promise and made sure that his concert would go on and it did.
The following is an account of the event by reporter Nabihah Ridzuan along with official photos by IME Productions.
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The first time I saw Jaejoong live was when I was 14. In 2010, Jaejoong was here for an album showcase event with his band at the time, JYJ. And now 12 years later, I got to watch him again, doing what I believe he was born to do: sing on the stage.
I arrived at Plenary Hall KLCC around 3:30PM and there were already a lot of fans queuing to get their hands on the tour merchandise as well as to take photos at the designated photo station (?), which was beautifully decorated with balloons and the concert key art as the backdrop. Unfortunately, less than an hour from when the merch booth opened, the lightstick+fan+postcard+slogan set were already sold out and only a handful of lucky fans got to purchase it.
They actually didn't reuse the art from 2020
Since I still had a few hours before the event started, I decided to meet up with some of my old friends that I knew from Twitter years ago, where we bonded over the same interests; one of them being Jaejoong himself.
I went into the hall right before 7pm. The night started with a performance from CJeS trainee boy group called MIC. Personally, I think they were really good. One of the trainees sang a cover of Falling by Harry Styles as the opening, which was followed by a cover of Chajjata - a song that Jaejoong’s fans were very familiar with. As soon as they were done with the performances, fans started chanting for Jaejoong.
MIC getting the crowd warmed up for Jaejoong
Cheers filled the hall as Jaejoong finally came out on stage - dressed in a black tank top with a printed silk shirt and a pair of black jeans - and opened his concert with one of his hit songs, Just Another Girl. On his first ment, Jaejoong apologized to the fans for taking 12 years to come back to Malaysia and he promised to come back sooner next time. “Probably next year or the following year”, he said as he made a pinky promise with his Malaysian fans. I too hope he comes back again sooner as he is definitely well loved here.
Fans are already looking forward to Jaejoong's next show in Malaysia
The concert continued on with two songs from his latest album, Born Gene. These two songs had a little more fun vibe to it, which seemed to be the concept he was going for with Born Gene. It was definitely a different direction than his last album N0.X which was released in 2016 or his mini album Ayo (2020) which were slightly more depressing.
They played a video during the intermission which showed us a little about the making of the album, who Kim Jaejoong is and how he got to where he is now. Widely known as Visual Shock, there’s truly no other idol with his stunning and unique looks. They even included his audition tape in the video and mentioned how he was banned from music shows in South Korea for a long time. But despite all that, his fans kept supporting his work, whether it was Kim Jaejoong the singer or Kim Jaejoong the actor. I believe he has one of the strongest fandoms today.
When the video ended, Jaejoong came back in an all white outfit that set the mood for the songs he was about to perform. This second set of songs were heartbreaking love songs titled Tender Love, Locking Love, Rotten Love and Broken Mirror (which is my favorite track from his new album). He wrote the lyrics to all these songs and I felt like it was something personal for him because it showed through his singing. I was genuinely so engrossed in the entire thing because his voice was so sentimental and soft, but with enough power when needed. I’ve always been a huge fan of his vocals which I think is very unique. And with Jaejoong, you can always feel the emotions he feels when he sings. I am not even trying to exaggerate when I say I’ve never felt that way with any other singer’s voice. Sitting there in the hall, I felt like the luckiest person alive to be able to hear him sing live.
One thing about Jaejoong is that he has the range, not just vocally but also emotionally. After getting us all into despair with his broken-hearted songs, he came back on stage in ripped jeans and a sparkling sequined jacket ready to rock the stage with Butterfly. I am personally a huge fan of rockstar Jaejoong. Like, if I had to choose the best genre for him it is definitely rock. I remembered being super ecstatic back then when he released his first EP, I. It was the aesthetic I always thought looked good for him and he delivered it so well.
He continued on the performance with 9+1#, a track from his WWW album and ended the rock stages with Mine, his hit single from the first EP, which I have to say was a cultural reset when he released it back then in 2013. All these three stages were definitely my favourite part of the night. I’m pretty sure everyone in the hall was dying to get on their feet when these songs were performed. After all, Jaejoong turned the whole thing into a rock concert and it’s only appropriate for you to stand up to fully enjoy it.
I could feel the concert coming to an end after Jaejoong replaced his sparkly jacket with a graphic tee. He had some interactions with the fans and threw a few slogan towels for them to catch before moving on to the next songs which he mentioned were the last two songs for the night. Everyone was singing along during Good Morning Night but you could feel the mood slightly going down when he was singing the last song. It was supposed to be the end of it but of course, we haven't had enough of him.
Loud chants of Kim Jaejoong! brought Jaejoong back to the stage, this time wearing a neon green jacket. The NCTzen in me couldn’t help but be like that pointing Leonardo DiCaprio meme, especially after knowing that Jaejoong has been hanging out with Yuta from NCT with his other friends, the legendary Hyde and Minwoo, an ex-member of TRAX.
Before starting the encore, Jaejoong mentioned he had to rush things because he had a flight to catch. He ended the concert with the title track of Born Gene, Nobody Like You.
This was my first time attending a concert at Plenary Hall, KLCC and I think overall it’s a good venue for Jaejoong who has a great voice that needs to be delivered with the best sound system. I also have to give praise to Jaejoong’s live band that accompanied him that night. Without them, it might not be the same experience. I am again feeling truly honored to be at his concert especially since it has been almost three years since I went to one due to the circumstances.
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