Dreamcatcher Celebrates 7th Anniversary Milestone In First Performance in 2024

Fans know that Dreamcatcher usually starts things off pretty strong in January, mostly because the group celebrates its debut anniversary close to the middle of the month. This year, however, was extra special, because the group was passing their 7th anniversary. The "seven-year curse" is a common bit of info in K-Pop, referring to the current standard maximum contract length for idols, and how many groups either never make it to seven years, or negotiate new terms but shed members. So to have Dreamcatcher be able to do both puts them in fairly rare company.

I'll take a look into the group's 7th anniversary concert, the obvious highlight of the week, but aside from that, here's what else Dreamcatcher was up to this week!

Siyeon continued to be in the spotlight this week as she and Dreamcatcher Company dropped in two more videos this past week focusing in on the group's Main Vocalist. The behind-the-scenes video for her recently released 2nd digital single, "Start Over" was a nice and short insight into how even the rooftop singing parts for the song take quite a bit of shooting, monitoring, and directing. Through it all and in what was no doubt some pretty frigid weather, Siyeon persisted with the same cheerful attitude we've always seen her approach with video shoots. Thankfully her other video was taken in warmer climes, with an in-studio Special Clip medley to artist YB that covered four songs in the second cover/remake she's put out in less than a month. Siyeon's live vocals never fail to impress, and her choice of songs has always encouraged me to look up more artists I hadn't heard before.

We also saw "OOTD" era promotions continue through episode 305 of the group's Dreamcatcher's Notes. Downtime for music show recordings, even for as few music shows as Dreamcatcher appeared in this era, is pretty significant, so seeing how the group kills time (like a pretty funny arm wrestling contest between Siyeon and Yoohyeon) and also provides insight into styling choices are always welcome. Of particular note was Handong's humorous insistence that she doesn't work out - something which may be true but which is extra funny given that we have video footage of her in her own vlog actually doing so. and, of course, it was nice to see the group appreciate their fans at a fanmeeting, and be wowed by some of the promotional gifts (such as a giant cake in the shape of their newest album) they got.

The highlight of the week, of course, was not the past but the present, with Dreamcatcher having their 7th anniversary concert (also a way to kick off their Luck Inside 7 Doors World Tour) in their own backyard in Seoul. In what can be assumed by me as a miscommunication by MyMusicTaste, there was unfortunately (and most unusually) no livestream for this concert, which they've typically provided for a fee. I can only hope they do better next time, as the lack of clarification or an update isn't really great for international fans looking to celebrate this critical milestone with them live.

That aside, making do with the fancams we got is just fine. The group pulled out a bunch of stops for this concert, including having two "VCR" video presentations, a cool intro, and of course, killer fashion and styling.

A notable unexpected treat for fans, however, was some interesting musical arrangement changes for several songs in the group's discography. 2019's "Deja Vu" got a special acapella and piano version for its initial verse and curious, while B-side "The Curse of the Spider" was turned into a rock and heavy metal hybrid headbanger and debut year ballad "Lullaby" got a new rock-style coat of paint.

There were other little bonuses and tweaks as well - SuA did a brief cover of Taemin's "Guilty" choreography, "OOTD" led directly into "Black or White", and more. There were, from all fancam and social media video accounts, a lot of fun moments from the concert, and it seemed to turn out quite well - a worthy celebration for a momentous milestone for one of K-Pop's best underdog stories.

Here's the full setlist, sourced from local attendees:

• OOTD (with Outro dance break)
• Black or White
• YOU AND I
• DEMIAN
• Propose
• Rising
• Fairytale
• Diamond
• Wake Up
• The Curse of the Spider (Rock remix)
• Scream
• Shatter
• Deja Vu (Piano version)
• Lullaby (Remix)
• Mayday
• New Days
• Silent Night
• BOCA
• BONVOYAGE

Covers/Challenges

• SuA (Taemin - Guilty)

Encore

• We Are Young
• REASON

With the 7th anniversary concert behind them, Dreamcatcher now turns to their upcoming tour through 5 European cities. A potential preview of what could be merchandise was put up for the Seoul concert, and it feels like you'd expect some of this to transfer over to the Europe tour. Additionally, the Meet & Greet benefits for the tour have also been posted, with similar items to the NA REASON tour last year - a group photo, Hi-Touch, and exclusive merchandise being the highlights. It seems EU fans and those traveling to attend will have another great set of memories to create with the group.

Dreamcatcher is sure to keep working hard into February as they gear up for their latest jaunt across countries, and you can be sure that as I have for the past 4 years, you can hear all about what they're up to through this site. For all that, and more, I'll see you here at the same time next week!

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