Can't stop the music

They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So when it comes to music, then surely the proof of the rhythm is in the live performance.

Fans of CNBlue swear the South Korean rock band is better appreciated live than through their albums or concert DVDs where the experience is, at best, 2D. 

The four-member group proved that the fans were telling the truth on May 4, when they offered a totally unforgettable live concert experience on the Bangkok leg of their “Can't Stop Tour”.

Due to the Sewol ferry tragedy in their home country, coverage of the concert was embargoed until yesterday, May 16, out of respect for the victims. CNBlue also kept the disaster in mind during the concert thanking Thais for their help and support and asking for continued prayers for South Korea.

"We hope our music can become the light to them and to you Bangkok!” band leader Jung Yong-hwa told the 11,000-capacity crowd at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani.

Bangkok was the first overseas stop on the band’s  “Can't Stop” tour and featured new songs from their fifth Korean mini album of the same title. Of the six songs, five were composed by Jung while vocalist and lead guitarist Lee Jong-hyun wrote the sixth.

Jung said the latest album shows a “new side” of CNBlue with calmer, slower-paced and toned-down music. It was certainly a change for some fans, especially the devoted disciples of the band’s earlier frenzied rock numbers.

But even the doubts of those wary about the musical experiments of their heroes quickly fled as the lads swung into “Can't Stop”, a Brit-rock-style number that had the entire arena rocking and singing along. Jung, who plays piano on this number, looked surprised but delighted.

“Jung Yong-hwa writes his songs as they are meant to be heard live,” said a Boice, as their fan club is known.

Jung, lead guitarist Lee, bassist Lee Jung-shin and drummer Kang Min-hyuk charmed the Bangkok crowd by engaging them in both English and Thai and performing some of their hits in the more than two-hour show including their debut single “I'm A Loner”, “Intuition”, “Love”, “Miracle” and “Try Again, Smile Again” as well as the other tracks off the new album “Cold Love”, “Diamond Girl”, “Love Is” and “Like A Child”.

Jung is a livewire performer, tirelessly rousing the audience like a professional conductor. His powerful vocals and showmanship might be the band's trademark but each member contributes to an act that elevates them to a class above K-pop factory-issued idols.

Lee Jong-hyun had his fair share of the spotlight with “Love Rides the Rain” and “Teardrops in the Rain”, which turned the entire arena into a karaoke party as fans enthusiastically sang along while lyrics flashed on the screen onstage.

Lee Jung-shin was cool and unperturbed even as fans screamed in his face when he wandered off to the extension stage to get closer to the crowd. Kang, forced to stay put behind his drums centrestage, nevertheless had his fair share of screams whenever he flashed his smile and especially when he talked about Thai food.

With their fans embracing the band's foray into new sounds, CNBlue told the audience that they would continue pushing the envelope as they embark on future projects including a solo album for Jung. Jung is one of South Korea's more prolific songwriters, composing not only for the band but also for his labelmates at FNC Music. He already has at least 60 composing and writing credits to his name in a span of just five years.

When pressed for more details on the solo album at the press conference a day before the Bangkok concert, Jung said it would likely feature other artists but did not elaborate.

The band's fan base has widened thanks to TV dramas but it is clear that for CNBlue, especially for Jung, it is only about a passion for music. And he emphasised this just before they performed their last encore, “Love Light”, when he conveyed his message to the crowd and his countrymen back home.

“A few weeks ago, there was a tragedy in Korea. Many Koreans are grieving. We know that many people in Thailand share the sorrow and prayers for Korea. We believe that we can give light for the people in sadness. We hope our music will be a light to them.”

For the band, their music is the message and nothing can stop it. And it is, as the fans say, better appreciated live.

“Once you watch CNBlue live, you can’t stop watching them live,” said “blueearth”, a fan from Singapore.

 

“CNBlue Can't Stop” was brought to Bangkok by Four One One Entertainment.