Almost 5 years since his last stage appearance in Singapore, closed to 1,600 fans of Korean heartthrob gathered at the Resorts World Ballroom on 14 June 2023, to spend quality time with their idol, Lee Seung-gi.
The 2-hour mini-concert started with a video, the first of a series which links the different segments throughout the night, which showed Lee waking up to have breakfast, before leaving with his bag. The entertainer then appeared on stage, mesmerizing the crowd with the title song of this Asia Tour The Dreamer's Dream, decked in a suit.
During his first talk segment, Lee disclosed that he had a cold, before admitting that he could have been too overwhelmed by the fans' enthusiasm. The singer claimed that his heart always flutters, whenever he is in Singapore. Fully aware that his fans are watching him via his dramas, movies, and variety shows, he promised to present more entertaining content through Viu, which is the presenter of this mini-concert.
"Personally when I was contemplating on an Asian tour, it was an important period in my life. That's why I decided that instead of a fan meet, I want to do a live concert, so that I can meet you and start the Chapter 2 of my life, as a singer. This concert means a lot to me, I really hope you guys can start my 2nd chapter as a singer, together with me."
The beautiful images of nature flaunting the backdrop, along with Lee's smooth vocals for the ballads Wind, Return and The Ordinary Man, created a dream-like healing ambiance for the opening segment of The Dreamer's Dream - Chapter 2 concert.
Lee highlighted that Return was one of the 2 songs that swept Korea in the year 2012, the other song being Psy's Gangnam Style. The thespian also disclosed that next year will be his 20th year as a singer. When he was a rookie, he thought that everyone would have retired after 20 years, but now he knows that 20 years is just a start. There will be a chapter 2, with so much more to do. "Just like the change of the season, I have spent 19 springs with you, and soon it will be a 20th winter with you. I promise you that next year, I will have an album for my 20th anniversary. The album will be as meaningful and great as the time I have spent with you. I think fan meeting is great, can talk and play games, but as a singer, it is more meaningful to meet you, through the music in a concert."
He then performed a new song which is to be included in his next album. The music is composed by Captain Planet, the duo who are his keyboardist and guitarist for this Asia tour, while the lyrics is written by Lee himself. He wanted a ballad that can soothe the pain, since whenever something good happens, something bad will also happen, and vice versa. He hopes that the song can give some comfort to his audience, for all the bad things that had happened.
The second video that followed, showed Lee in a suit, appearing on a deserted beach with big luggage, entering through a rusty door, passing a narrow passage, seemingly to the next chapter.
After an interim solo performance by a female pianist, Lee appeared on stage for the next segment with fast paced songs. His fans became excited and danced along when the yet to be released Circle (Don't Forget, Remember, Don't Be Late) was performed. "This was the first song that I had collaborated with Captain Planet, with the intention of singing at a very meaningful national event such as celebration of peaceful time when there is no more war, but we are unsure when we will be able to sing it"
The last rock song of the segment was Losing My Mind, taken from his drama, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. Previously he would dance when he performed this song, but now he claims to have quit dancing. He laughingly told his fans not to push him, "there are so many other idols who are great dancers, so watch them, not me".
Upon completing his rendition of rock songs, Lee lamented that his actual diet happens during the concert. He felt more tired after the fast songs, compared to the exercises he did that morning - an hour swim at the 50m pool at Hard Rock Hotel, followed by cycling. He lightheartedly added that he almost died as he pushed himself too much during the swim. Upon mentioning about the direction for his 20th anniversary album, his fans requested for both ballads and rock genre to be included.
"Every time I come to Singapore, you guys greet me with such warm embrace which I am super grateful, so I keep thinking what can I give back to you, I think song is only thing I can give you" the multi-talented artiste then proceeded to sing a few cover songs, which he had either performed on his variety show, Master in the House or in his youtube channel https://youtube.com/@humanmadeofficial.
Despite the rough patches he had to endure recently, in both professional and personal domain, Lee appeared upbeat and genuinely thanked his fans "As a singer, I promise to come back and see you, with good songs and great live band in a concert. I will always do my best, so please continue to support me with such love".
After walking through a passageway, Lee appeared in an empty room in the 3rd video where he painted a tree with a few brush strokes, signifying a brand new start.
For the last segment, Lee dressed in denim, performed ballads, which are his forte. He had initially planned only 13 songs for this mini-concert, as he had not done a full concert in almost 10 years. The balladeer then promised to return to Singapore within the next 2 years for a full concert.
"Thank you everyone for coming to the mini-concert tonight, especially the Singapore Airens (name of Lee's fanclub). These days, I feel very happy and I know where to go, I am very clear with my direction." Lee explained that the videos shown were meant to portray that he is ready to put some things that he had done in the past 19 years, in the back burner, and re-focus on things that really make his heart throb. He may make mistakes along the way, but he is not afraid of failures. Most people lack the courage to try, due to fear of failures, but Lee is determined to do what he wants. He looks forward to receiving the continuous support and love from his fans.
The last video of the night showcased Lee winning multiple awards from singing, acting and the Daesang (Grand Prize for acting), followed by behind the scene footages of the videos that were shown throughout the mini-concert. He added a "love note" to thank his fans at the end of the video, before appearing on stage for the final song of the night, Because You're My Woman.
Watch his The Dreamer's Dream performance below:
Writer: Wang | Photo Credits: Viu and Melin | Video Credits: Melin
