From Seoul to the World: IU's Historic 18-City Concert Tour Comes to an End

(MHNSports Reporter Sun Shin) The world tour concert, which kicked off in Seoul last March, has come to an end.

Starting with the grand opening of her "World Tour Concert 'HEREH'" in Seoul last March, IU met with fans in Yokohama, Taipei, Singapore, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Manila (Bulacan), Kuala Lumpur, London, Berlin, Bangkok, Osaka, Newark, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Rosemont, Oakland, and Los Angeles.

IU met with audiences in 18 cities across Asia, Europe, and the Americas during this tour, making her the first female solo artist from Korea to achieve this feat.

Notably, during the ticket booking process for each city, the website servers temporarily went down, and all seats sold out consecutively. In Kuala Lumpur, the highest number of concurrent users was 820,000, and in Jakarta, 630,000 users, making headlines. In Manila, where IU was the first Korean solo singer to enter the Philippine Arena, the local media gave extensive coverage. Even in her first visit to the Americas, tickets sold out within 10 minutes of opening.

The performances themselves received rave reviews from local fans. She opened the world tour with "Hold My Hand," captivating the audience as she descended on a lift, and made a splash by performing with local child dancers. She presented a rich set list including hits like "Jam Jam," "Ah Puh," "BBIBBI," "Obliviate," "Celebrity," "Blueming," "Eight," "Coin," "I'll Be Your Audience," "Through the Night," "Shopper," "Above the Time," "You & I," "Love Wins All," "Shh..," and "Twenty-three." The encore featured songs like "Someday," "Love Poem," "Unlucky," "Lilac," "Knees," "Autumn Morning," "Friday," "Palette," "Hold My Hand," and "Epilogue," to appease fans' longing.

On August 2nd in Los Angeles, singer Patti Kim, who participated in the narration for "Shh..," attended the concert. After performing the song, IU expressed heartfelt respect towards Patti Kim, fostering a warm atmosphere between the senior and junior in the music industry.

Special stages for each city's audience also drew attention. In Yokohama and Osaka, she performed "Beautiful Dancer," "Voice Mail," and "Good Day (Japanese ver.)," songs released during her past activities in Japan. In Taipei, she moved the audience by singing "The One And Only" by local artist Accusefive. In Hong Kong, she surprised everyone by performing "一人之境" by singer-songwriter Terence Lam. In Manila, she showcased "Pasilyo" by the local band Sunkissed Lola. In London, she sang Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like A Star" while playing the guitar. In Bangkok, she covered "First Love" by singer NONT TANONT. In Atlanta, she displayed her wit by changing the lyrics of her song "Strawberry Moon" to "Blueberry Moon" using the local specialty blueberries. Each city had unique outfits, with Rosemont featuring "rose" as a key element, drawing cheers from the audience.

At the final concert of the world tour, IU said, "I have thanked you many times today, but it's never enough. I want to thank everyone who came to support or enjoy this world tour, though it's not my last concert," and concluded by shouting "I did it" as she exited, wrapping up the official schedule.

Meanwhile, IU, having completed her world tour successfully, will hold an encore concert on September 21 and 22 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. This will make her the first female artist to perform at the venue, following her first entry into the Jamsil Main Stadium in 2022, once again earning the title of "first" in the Korean music industry.

Photo = EDAM Entertainment