Dreamcatcher’s Never-Disappointing Concert Experience
K-Pop Artist Stories
Dreamcatcher’s 2nd online concert with all 7 members is around the corner. Here’s some of the best of their live performances for fans.
For me, concert experiences have always been about two primary things: the experience of hearing and seeing a favorite artist live, and seeing how that artist interacts in real-time with their fans. I’ve both attended and planned concerts, so for me, it’s always been a fun experience.
Happyface Entertainment, the parent organization of Dreamcatcher Company, has its CEO quoted in an interview as saying that he envisioned a group that could tour, in part due to how well Dreamcatcher’s rock/pop unique style would go over in a concert setting.
“I personally want DreamCatcher to be a girl group that does a lot of concerts. I hope they grow to become a girl group focused on performances. In terms of a goal, I hope that they become a girl group that can hold performances in a concert venue with 20,000 people.”
While Dreamcatcher hasn’t quite hit the 20k milestone as of yet, and may not for a little while to come, they have been well-traveled all around the world, touring and performing in South America, Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States. In a live venue, their draw as of the end of 2019 was still modest, but still growing, as pointed out by Dreamcatcher leader JiU in a February 2020 interview with Media SR:
“Our first European tour was held with venues with 400 to 500 seats. Now our venues exceed 1000 seats. It made me realize that the InSomnia increased a lot during the past few years.”
(It’s worth noting that the concert I attended in 2019 had a 1,500–2,000 person venue, which Dreamcatcher easily filled).
Being a newer, less well-known group didn’t stop Dreamcatcher from going all-in with their concert presentation. When their discography was a bit lighter, they filled out their performance time with sub-unit stages of K-Pop favorites, or they enthusiastically sang covers of other songs. And through their last couple of years of touring, they’ve connected with and reacted to the fans that have shown their love and support in coming out to see them perform live.
Even the specter of COVID-19 hasn’t stopped Dreamcatcher from performing, with an online concert this past July that in all likelihood drew thousands of fans to the MyMusicTaste site to hear and see their favorite girl group perform old favorites and new, sometimes unexpected, songs.
For those of you who might not be as familiar with what Dreamcatcher has done at their concerts (or if you are and just want to take a trip down memory lane), here’s a small sampling of how they’ve rocked their fans live.
Video: Dreamcatcher at JUMF 2017 — Fly High
Date: 08/05/17
Why This Video: In 2017, Dreamcatcher’s debut year, it was pretty much non-stop for the group as they fought to establish themselves with their unique rock image. That meant frequent comebacks and just about any live appearances they could pick up. “Fly High” was Dreamcatcher’s third comeback of the year in eight months, and the 2017 Jeonju Ultimate Music Festival not only allowed them a fairly large outdoor venue to perform (despite the apparent sweltering heat) but also the rare treat of having a real live rock band to back them. We haven’t seen a live band since — but we’re about to get one with the upcoming November 2020 Dystopia: Seven Spirits concert. Consider this a tease of what might be coming up.
Video: Dreamcatcher — There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back
Date: 07/30/18
Why This Video: If you’re familiar with my other articles, you’ve probably seen me link this video before, and frankly, I’ll never get tired of citing it. Not only does this cover of a Shawn Mendes song serve to showcase Dreamcatcher’s high energy in the smaller, more intimate venues they occupied in South America in 2018, but it also gives fairly equal singing time to all of the members in turn. Watch for Handong’s deeper, richer register in the bridge as well as all the self-recorded fun moments on stage filmed by the members themselves.
Video: Dreamcatcher — Intro + You and I — KCON 2018 LA x M Countdown
Date: 08/24/18
Why This Video: Dreamcatcher’s invitation and subsequent appearance at KCON 2018 Los Angeles was the group’s first foray into North America, not to mention their first in a massive main stage concert venue in the famous Staples Center. Dreamcatcher made the most of their performance here, and the darkly haunting “You And I” was likely many fans’ first exposure to K-Pop’s resident rock/pop girl group. Between this, a fan meeting, a selfie cam dance on the convention floor, and a group collab stage where they danced to SuA’s choreography of Camila Cabello’s “Havana”, this was a sign that Dreamcatcher was ready for a large-scale live performance and audience in the West.
Video: Dreamcatcher — I Miss You (1st Album “The Beginning of the End”)
Date: 05/02/19
Why This Video: Dreamcatcher’s put out a couple of really nice Japanese album singles, and while they haven’t gotten as much play as they could have, that hasn’t stopped the group from fueling fan opinion that they could easily step into just about any anime series and provide a solid opening or closing song. “I Miss You”, performed in Tokyo, was one of 2019’s best arguments for this, and this performance, done in style with some sharp-looking stage costuming (Dami fans, in particular, will love how she rocks the suspenders-and-short-tie look) and is a can’t miss.
Video: Dreamcatcher in Milan — “Polaris” fancam (if you want an alternate, full stage angle, you can check out this wide-angle video from Aj Jankovics)
Date: 10/27/19
Why This Video: By late 2019, in the midst of the “Deja Vu” promotions, Dreamcatcher was hitting a bunch of milestones, especially when it came to the fandom. The highlight of Dreamcatcher’s tour through Europe for the second time, aside from a larger venue and discography to perform from, was Italian Insomnias showing Dreamcatcher some love by turning on their smartphone flashlights and waving them in a beautiful, firefly-like display while the group sang the B-side ballad “Polaris”. Off of the heels of JiU’s emotional response a week before to a surprise cake during their first fanclub meeting, this one hit some of the rest of the girls just as hard, likely realizing just how far they’d come since re-debut and feeling supported by their fans.
Video: Dreamcatcher — Over The Sky — US Tour Los Angeles
Date: 12/07/19
Why This Video: Dreamcatcher’s last tour before COVID-19 robbed pretty much every K-Pop group from being able to travel and go live in front of an audience was through the US, and without fail, every US Insomnia couldn’t get enough of the group. There were a bunch of ways in which US audiences got Dreamcatcher to come back out onto the stage for an encore, but no matter what, “Over The Sky”, Dreamcatcher’s 2nd Anniversary fan song, was always a final, high-energy love letter delivered to the audience. This lucky fan in LA just happened to be close enough to catch the group’s finale (be sure to catch this same fan picking up a truly fatal cover of Ariana Grande’s “Seven Rings” by sub-unit SuA and Yoohyeon).
Video: Dreamcatcher‘s Note: Into The Night & Dystopia: Behind The Scenes
Date: 07/04/20
Why This Video: MyMusicTaste collaborated with Dreamcatcher to bring their first online concert to the global audience in July 2020, and while this isn’t the actual concert, this sixteen-minute-plus behind-the-scenes video released by the Dreamcatcher YouTube channel gives you just enough insight and footage to show you what you might have missed, even if you happened to catch the concert itself. You’ll see the girls working hard to get their title songs and special stages ready, take a peek behind the curtain during the actual concert, and see that they have no problem presenting an amazing show even if they’re not actually in front of their audience.
Hopefully, this short trip through their concert history has shown you, dear readers, that Dreamcatcher’s upcoming “Dystopia: Seven Spirits” online concert proves to be their best yet — especially as it will feature them at full strength with Handong’s return from China. Don’t forget to pick up your tickets and chosen bonuses from the MyMusicTaste website for the concert, and definitely expect a write-up from me about the concert once it’s all in the books!
