[CONCERT] IVE embarks on first world tour to ‘show what they have’

K-pop girl group IVE kicks off its first world tour, "Show What I Have," with a two-day concert in Songpa District, southern Seoul. Fans lined up in anticipation of the group's performance.

IVE performs during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

It was only a matter of months until girl group IVE shot to the top of the K-pop mountain, and now it's ready to travel the globe and show what it's made of, in its first world tour "Show What I Have."

IVE kicked off the tour with a two-day concert on Saturday and Sunday at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, just shy of two years after the girl group made its debut on Dec. 1, 2021, with its first single, “Eleven.”

The girl group has six members: An Yujin, Gaeul, Rei, Jang Wonyoung, Liz and Leeseo.

“We are aware that there are people who wonder whether IVE can show something new again; [‘Show What I Have’] is our answer to that doubt. We are asking ‘Well, will it really be like that?’” Yujin said during a press conference held ahead of the girl group's concert on Sunday. “We still have a lot to show.”

IVE performs during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

The concert venue was buzzing with IVE concertgoers hours before the event kicked off, some queuing for on-site events, some swapping their IVE merchandise and trading cards, and some checking out the girl group’s official server on Discord.

“I’m very much looking forward to the concert, and the timing for IVE to begin its world tour is excellent,” Hunter, a 27-year-old American fan living in Ulsan, said. Hunter was wearing an orange dinosaur onesie, handing out handmade photocards to promote IVE’s Discord server.

“Following the release of IVE’s successful first three releases, they released their first full-length album in April and I think the timing is perfect for the fans of IVE who’ve been waiting to see the group for so long," he added.

IVE performs during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

The concert on Sunday began shortly after 5 p.m. with a rearranged version of "I AM," the lead track from the girl group's first full-length album, "I've IVE."

“We’ve prepared performances of never-before-seen songs, new versions of existing performances and much more,” Gaeul said. “'Show What I Have’ is filled with brand new sides of IVE.”

Throughout the two-and-a-half-hour concert with 23 tracks performed, IVE indeed showed many sides, from the familiar girl-crush concept shown with a rearranged performance of "Love Dive" (2022) and "After Like" (2022), to "Cherish," which the girl group performed for the first time. The latter featured a unique dance move in which members held a selfie stick on the stage and took a video of themselves, which was livestreamed directly from the big screens on stage.

Gaeul and Rei show the duo's "unit" performance during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

The highlight of the show was arguably the "unit" stages, where the six members of IVE were split into three duos to perform. Gaeul and Rei dressed up in leather jackets, performing “7 Rings” (2019) by Ariana Grande, “H.S.K.T.” (2021) by singer-songwriter Lee Hi and Crush’s “Rush Hour” (2021).

“From choosing who to work with for the unit stages to picking the songs to perform, it was all done with our own suggestions,” Gaeul said. “Rei and I chose tracks to show the girlish yet hip-hop side of ourselves that we haven't shown before. I think we managed to surprise our fans!”

"I, too, can be sexy, you know?" Rei said, which was followed by loud cheers from the stands. "I was a bit nervous yesterday, but I think I did better and was sexier today."

Wonyoung and Liz show the duo's "unit" performance during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

Wonyoung and Liz went for a different concept and wore matching yellow dresses, singing "Reality" by Richard Sanderson, a classic soundtrack for the 1980 film "La Boum."

"We wanted to differentiate ourselves from other members by going for a movie-like stage, and Wonyoung recommended the song to me," Liz said.

Yujin and Leeseo also managed to showcase a new side of themselves by performing “Woman Like Me” (2018) by Little Mix, a charismatic tune, accompanied by the concert’s only special guest, Lee Young-ji.

Yujin told the crowd that it was she who had asked Lee to perform on stage with her. Yujin and Lee both starred on tvN's variety show "Earth Arcade" (2022-23).

“I was always known for my young age, so I wanted to show you the charismatic side of myself in our world tour,” Leeseo, the youngest member, said.

IVE performed "Either Way" and "Off The Record," two of the three lead tracks from the girl group's upcoming first EP "I've Mine," set to drop on Friday, alongside "OTT," a B-side track from the album written by Wonyoung.

"I've Mine" will also feature a third lead track "Baddie," which was only teased during Sunday's concert with a short video clip.

Yujin and Leeseo show the duo's "unit" performance during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

The album was meant to express the different sides of IVE instead of limiting them to a certain style, which is why the group went with an unorthodox three-lead-track setup, members explained during the press conference held prior to the concert.

“‘I’ve Mine’ is a story about ourselves, and it connects back to our previous albums, while also showing a brand new side of IVE,” Wonyoung said. “It’s about looking at myself from different angles, which is why we prepared three lead tracks.”

Throughout its career, IVE has been highlighting the message of positivity and self-affirmation with its songs such as "Eleven" and "Love Dive" and other promotional events. That positivity is the very essence of IVE and what makes it different from any other group in K-pop, Wonyoung said.

IVE performs during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

“Through the positive messages we sing in our songs, I think we also relay the positiveness to our fans and to anyone listening to us, so we are a group that really cheers people up," she said. “Now our goal is to successfully complete our world tour, and I think if we try hard enough for our upcoming world tour, other achievements will follow us naturally. We plan on planning our future steps based on our world tour,” Wonyoung said.

Following the Seoul concerts, IVE will begin its album promotions for "I've Mine" on Friday. The girl group will be holding its world tour across 27 cities in 19 different nations, performing in Japan, other Asian countries, North and South America and Europe.

IVE poses for the camera during the girl group's first world tour ″Show What I Have″ at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul's Songpa District over the weekend. [STARSHIP ENTERTAINMENT]

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]