Dreamcatcher Returns To Taiwan, Bringing Long-Awaited Joy To Fans

Dreamcatcher is one of the most-traveled K-Pop groups in their generation, putting forth a resume of tour locations that could rival even the largest and most popular acts. It's long been known to be a core pillar of the group's success and concept, and many from around the world have been fortunate enough to see the group live.

That said, fans who aren't quite able to make traveling plans to see Dreamcatcher are sometimes stuck waiting for them to be able to come around to where they are, or in some cases, to return. It's not for a lack of wanting on the part of the company or the group - tour logistics and a number of factors can make a difference in how and when Dreamcatcher hits a country for a show. And in Taiwan's case, the group hadn't come around since 2018. Fortunately for Taiwanese fans, that wait ended this past week as Dreamcatcher returned to put on a great show, one of two in Asia that they'd planned for as part of their Luck Inside 7 Doors World Tour. Let's take a look at that and the group's activities this past week!

The second portion of Dreamcatcher's behind-the-scenes for the 2024 EU tour went up, covering Offenbach, Paris, and Milan. As usual, there were thoughts and ideas from styling, photos, and food, but plenty of funny moments, from an impromptu arm wrestling tournament to SuA, Yoohyeon, and Siyeon discussing an inadvertent stage incident involving SuA getting a bit too excited hamming it up on stage with an embarrassed Yoohyeon. Most of all, the group seemed excited to come back to locations they hadn't been to in a while and for places they'd never been, something that helps with the overall tour grind.

Content-wise it really felt like Handong carried the vast majority of public Dreamcatcher releases this week. A special clip of Handong covering another Taeyeon song, this time the iconic "11:11", was a nice surprise, especially as it clearly utilized footage they took during EU tour downtime.

And as for live broadcasts, Handong did double duty this week, with her birthday livestream and her new weekly radio show allowing fans to chat with her as she talked about preparations for Dreamcatcher's travel to Asia late in the week. One fun highlight included the fact that one of the cakes was one that Handong's friend Vivi, formerly from LOONA and now a part of Loossemble, had given her, while another teased the fact that there may be surprises at the upcoming Taiwan concert. I know I've said this a lot over the past couple years since Handong returned from her brief foray to China for "Youth With You", but the fact that she's able to carry herself with such confidence and with a unique style all her own has made that trip and subsequent boost in her visibility in Dreamcatcher worth it.

But perhaps the most exciting part of the week for Handong and the rest of Dreamcatcher was hitting the road into Asia, with first stop being Taipei, Taiwan. As I mentioned before, the group hadn't been back here for six years, and just as they did in other places since pandemic restrictions listed, they showed off their vocal and choreographical maturity and the depth of their expanded discography. The surprise that Handong was teasing when talking to fans this week turned out to be a couple of subunit covers of songs in Chinese, with Handong joining up with JiU and Siyeon to cover Mayday's "Suddenly Missing You So Bad" and SuA, Yoohyeon, Dami, and Gahyeon trying their hand at JJ Lin's "Those Were The Days". Last time the group was in Taiwan, they did something similar when covering S.H.E's "Mayday" so this was a nice treat for fans and something that I hope they consider for other tours. As much as I obviously like Dreamcatcher's songs, subunit covers are always fun to hear.

There was also Dami and Handong getting to celebrate their birthdays with fans in Taiwan during the "Silent Night" performance, with all the usual celebratory fanfare, cakes, and wishes, and a bonus of Handong paying back Dami for her piggyback ride during the EU tour with one of her own, though even someone as strong as Handong has her limits.

As for Dreamcatcher's setlist, there were very few changes, with the most notable one being 2022's "MAISON" subbing in for 2018's "YOU AND I", perhaps a conscious decision to put a modern song in for one that was performed back in 2018. We also saw synthpop B-side "Starlight" make an appearance as well, which I don't think we've seen in a while on the tour circuit. We may see similar changes for the upcoming Hong Kong concert, but it was nice to see that Dreamcatcher fans who hadn't were able to hear the latter part of their discography live for the first time.

And as a nice bonus, Dreamcatcher being in Taiwan meant that old connections were re-established. Elkie, formerly of CLC and now a soloist and actress in her own right, attended the concert and got close friend Handong a birthday cake. After the circumstances that led to Elkie's departure from Cube and CLC a few years back, it was good to see her express her heartfelt feelings at seeing Dreamcatcher and Handong again, and maintaining the friendship that's been five years running now.

Dreamcatcher's got one more stop in Asia before heading back home to South Korea, and if the sold-out Taiwan show was any indication, Hong Kong is going to be just as exciting for Dreamcatcher fans making the trip and for those who are local. You can, as always, expect to see the latest from the group here on the site, so for all that, and more, I'll see you next Sunday!

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