Dream Concert 2022 Caps Off Already Beauty Full Week For Dreamcatcher
K-Pop — Dreamcatcher Recall
With their upcoming North American leg of their world tour ever closer, Dreamcatcher performs and releases content closer to home.
K-Pop’s Dreamcatcher is getting ready to hit the road in late June, going on a whirlwind tour that will take them through ten cities and re-unite them with fans in North America who haven’t seen them in the flesh since 2019 (otherwise known as “the before times”, in pandemic-speak). After fans in Europe got a chance to show the group just how much bigger the fandom has gotten in three years, the group is no doubt excited to see even more of their global fans with a discography and maturity that has only expanded since their last journey abroad.
Before that, however, there was plenty to do on the homefront, not the least of which was another appearance at South Korea’s Dream Concert, one of the country’s oldest music events. With their third time around and second year in a row, Dreamcatcher was determined to do their part to make the event, returning with a live audience for the first time in two years, a memorable one. Here’s a quick recap of what the group has been up to since returning from Germany’s KPop.FLEX and Spain’s Primavera Sound.
[embed]https://www.vlive.tv/video/285195[/embed][embed]https://www.vlive.tv/video/285195[/embed][embed]https://www.vlive.tv/video/285195[/embed][embed]https://www.vlive.tv/video/285195[/embed]
Multiple vLives kept fans engaged over the past couple of weeks, with Yoohyeon, JiU, Dami, and SuA all checking in to talk about past performances and future possibilities. Both Yoohyeon and JiU talked about their experience with their Primavera Sound engagement, from their unfortunate but unforeseen delay in Munich to their rescue by the organizers via a private jet that gave them a new travel experience to talk about. And Dami (along with Yoohyeon) and SuA teased out some content to be released in the future, with the ’97 liners stating that they did a recording today that (for now) was a secret, and SuA asking fans to wait around just a bit longer for her “No Dot” special clip. There were also a few playfully fun moments for these broadcasts, including Yoohyeon and Dami deciding to take the vLive outside for a bit and walk around (a throwback to the walking vLives of earlier in Dreamcatcher’s careers) and fans messing around with SuA yet again by getting her to read a comment with profanity in it. In all, Dreamcatcher had plenty of good interactions and conversations with their fans, both over vLive and during a recent Wonderwall fansign winners call, while providing some interesting info.
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Speaking of the past, one of the bits of info fans have been asking Dreamcatcher about was where people could buy those Dreamcatcher shirts that the group was rocking at Primavera Sound. The two styles, one a white and pink colored design (Pink Monster) and the other a black and red (Dream Kiss) had total rock/punk vibes, pretty much made for concerts and right up Dreamcatcher’s alley as far as aesthetic, and this past week were finally put up for pre-order. A list of initial vendors was provided via the group’s fancafe, along with the fact that not only were the shirts on sale, but slogan banners and kits featuring both designs were also available. The kits provided a mixture of interesting stuff, from a photocard set to a bracelet to a bandanna to stickers, and more, unified under a theme of rock concert-like merchandise. While it’s still possible we may see some World Tour exclusive swag as well, fans rushed to pick up this new set of designs, and even though shipments aren’t started til almost late July, there will no doubt be people looking to save the wearables for the next time Dreamcatcher travels through town.
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That set of travel dates got a new addition this past week as well, with a second Los Angeles date added for sale. The west coast US city has long been a bastion for Asian culture and K-Pop in particular, so given that it was one of the fastest to sell out, it made sense to add another date. With 150 lucky fans also slated to meet Dreamcatcher through lottery via MyMusicTaste’s fansign event, it seems that the group and the company are well on their way to ensuring as many opportunities to see fans and show them their excitement.
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Of course, Dreamcatcher had plenty to show off on the official front as well, continuing a content drip they’ve always manufactured between comebacks (though the first of Dreamcatcher’s high-quality Naver photos from “MAISON” era, including first win pics, is a nice reminder of the last comeback being one of the best for the group yet). A nice Note about KPOP.FLEX went up, talking about Dreamcatcher’s excitement at not only the size of the European crowd but also the presence of their lightsticks, including a particularly long one made of extensions that stood out. The group was well-received in Frankfurt, something that certainly was moving for and appreciated by the members, so I’ll be looking forward to their inevitable Note on Primavera Sound as well.
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But of course one of the main attractions from the last couple weeks was the continuation of the releases of the group’s solo Special Clips for each of their individual songs on the latest album, and the two youngest members, Gahyeon and Dami, took point in giving them out to fans. Gahyeon’s “Playground” was as expected an airy, light-hearted performance recalling earlier, care-free city travel times from her childhood. But even that kind of performance took a bunch of work to learn choreography for and set up, which is why I was pleased to see the trend of Notes about these clips continue with a “Playground” Practice Behind video. These are insightful looks not just into the Dreamcatcher member who is the primary focus of the video/song, but also the choreographers and dance crew that provide some atmosphere, augmentation and synced talent to the clip.
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It’s something that lent plenty of all of those to Dami’s own “Beauty Full” Special Clip, which gave off a ton of 2000’s era pop punk vibes and provided the right kind of vibe you’d see in an Avril Lavigne video from that time. People are so used to seeing the aggressive, straight-fire stage presence that is Dami’s rapping that seeing her do a completely different genre with an equally different set of required mannerisms and mood might seem a little bit of a sudden change at first. But all it goes to show is that Dami, like her fellow Dreamcatcher members, is a multi-faceted artist, with the talent and skill to match. She definitely seemed to enjoy filming this video, so it’ll be even nicer to see the inevitable Practice Behind Note for “Beauty Full” as well.
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But of course, Dreamcatcher’s at their best when they are performing together, and their week was capped off with an appearance at 2022’s Dream Concert where they did just that. The group got a couple minor little boosts from last year’s appearance, such as being included in top billing with other well-known artists in the lineup video, and getting a bit more of a lead-in intro video that played a slightly modified version of Yoohyeon’s narrated story trailer for the “Apocalypse” story line along with a bit of the Intro: Save Us track, complete with a rising platform entrance and even a bit of an upgrade in pyrotechnics from last year. These are small things, if we’re being completely honest, but they’re a reflection of the group’s slow but gradual growth and a recognition that they are among the senior groups of their generation. Last but not least, performances like this make me excited for the group’s upcoming tour, and for seeing that songs like “MAISON” and “Scream”, the two songs chosen for Dreamcatcher’s brief set during Dream Concert, were honestly made for a live performance/rock concert setting. With a couple more years of discography under their belts, much of which would be great live, it’ll be neat to see what Dreamcatcher chooses to offer up for their fans over the next month from a live performance standpoint.
We’re one week closer to Dreamcatcher on the road this summer, and it’s going to be great to not only recap all of the news from that upcoming tour but also attend in person as well. I’ll see you here next week as usual for all the latest in Dreamcatcher news!
