Emotions Run High As Dreamcatcher Wraps Up Latest Tour In Taiwan With Hope Towards The Future

The news that three of Dreamcatcher's members would not be renewing exclusive contracts expiring at the end of March 2025 has meant that all eyes have turned towards the remaining schedules for the month, which began with work in South Korea and then travel to the Oceania region for a long-awaited set of Australian tour stops. Yet even with everything that happened during those events, the anticipation for the Finale of 7 Doors concert in Taipei, Taiwan, likely the last to be held before change could come to Dreamcatcher's activities, was viewed with a mix of anticipation, fear, and hope that reassurances would continue from the group's members. Let's see how it went.

It's probably pretty obvious that this concert's significance had gone way up after the news dropped, and much of the speculation that fans have been engaging in surrounded how this particular performance would go, both for the members and for fans in attendance and watching for news from home. Yet any comfort being taken in this being a concert that could be approached as a celebration of the group's eight-year career was somewhat dashed when the last-minute news arrived that Chinese-born Handong was unable to secure a visa to be allowed to enter the country, despite everyone's best efforts.

The news that the last concert before month's end would be a six-member instead of a full seven-member concert hit like a truck, with many fans expressing dismay, anger, and disappointment. None of this, I'm sure, likely approached the level that I would speculate was experienced by Dreamcatcher themselves and especially Handong, whose ability to perform in Taiwan and Macau recently was seen as a milestone achievement for her career. To be denied the opportunity to perform as the full group had to have been difficult for the group no matter how you slice it.

Circumstances surrounding the inability to secure Handong a visa despite efforts to acquire one up til the eleventh hour will likely never be known, though I wouldn't be surprised if escalating China-Taiwan tensions over the past few months were a factor. Regardless of the context, the net result was the same - Handong couldn't make it to Taipei.

Yet this did not stop Handong from making a surprise appearance of sorts during Dreamcatcher's concert in Taiwan, in the form of a pre-recorded video message to fans and played on the screen. The translation of Handong's message via fan account 2Moori expressed obvious disappointment at not being able to come and perform, but also asked fans not to carry regrets but instead hope into the future that they will see each other again. It was as heartfelt as could be expected, and a nice gesture that helped dull the pain of not having her in the venue.

And perhaps because they may have been used to having to do it during Handong's time away in 2019 into 2020, fans came through in their own way by having two life-sized cut-outs of Handong created and brought onto the stage. As always, these brought with them their own set of fun interactions, including SuA doing Handong's intro for her, one of the cut-outs (made from a particularly funny side-eye picture) bearing witness to the group's surprise cake celebrating them, and mock interviews. It's always been funny to see these show up and the group was more than happy to accommodate them.

Not even audio problems could stop Dreamcatcher from performing their setlist for fans. The songs were, as they have been for the last few months, taken from the Christmas Concert setlist, but the Zepp New Taipei appeared to have a house audio issue that cut out the backing vocal track from "Full Moon" (Christmas version), causing the members to sing completely live. It's no surprise, but it was "no backing track, no problem" for the group as they gave Full Moon a vocal treatment that delighted everyone.

(Translations for some of the following that do not appear via tweets are credited to cheesu toast of the Dreamcatcher Discord - thanks for your help!)

While the concert's songs went off as always without a hitch, fans waited with anticipation to see what would happen as the concert drew near to a close. With feelings and emotions running high, it was no surprise that some of Dreamcatcher had to collect themselves and take in the feelings of the moment as well as the knowledge that this marked the end of one era, and the beginning of another. Even Dami, normally a stoic rock at live events, let her emotions be seen as she addressed the fans:

"It's okay x3

Yeah so, while thinking of each member, I was really thankful. Thank you to our Somnias for leaving me with only happy and fun memories. Our DCC, good work to you too. Still, we, Dreamcatcher will come back with a new tour soon too so... It will be quick, really. So just a little, just wait a little okay?"

Gahyun, though feeling emotional herself, expressed comfort to fans that this wasn't the end for Dreamcatcher and that there was commitment to being connected to one another:

"Oh but I feel like I might cry...

Looking at Somnias' faces and performing today, felt... no different to me, since we will see each other soon anyways. Somnias too, don't worry too much. I hope that you just stay by our side and think that we are always together with you. We have been saying this haven't we? "Let's be together. Let's be together forever." We (the members) have been saying this amongst us too so I hope you don't worry too much. Thank you for such a nice and happy memory today."

SuA also talked about things as if it was not the end, and that this was a moment of change but also of growth. Not surprisingly, as close as her and Handong have become, she was thankful that everyone came together to try to make her absence seem less devastating.

Yoohyeon expressed thankfulness for being able to spend her 20s with fans and being grateful for what they've given her. It seemed to be a balance between the difficulty she said she was having in Melbourne and the boundless optimism of Sydney - just an emotional moment for her as she contemplated everything up to this point and what could show up beyond.

Siyeon's full speech and translation hasn't shown up just yet, but it appears she gave a moment of levity by dancing a little bit of "Love Shake" for the fans and making fun of her own past.

And finally, JiU, ever the leader, even in moments when she herself felt the weight of what this concert meant and what might or might not happen in the future, provided an overall wrapper to the whole thing, made sure to ensure that there was the right kind of hope out there for fans, and decided that maybe it was time to change Dreamcatcher's iconic greeting:

"We, Dreamcatcher... It's not the end is it, everyone? Somnias: YESSSS LET'S STAY TOGETHER FOREVER Jiu: So, don't worry too much everyone. I don't want to give you guys hope... Oh, I don't mean... Anyways, we'll be back soon so I hope you won't be too anxious (is what I mean).

So don't worry too much! Don't forget about Dreamcatcher! Wait for us, okay? We should change our ending greeting today. Not "This has been" but to "In the future too (we are DC)~"

The overall message, as it seemed to continue from Sydney, was that even though the future seemed uncertain and nothing was guaranteed, the intention to come back together and enjoy the music Dreamcatcher has put together for the last eight years was something they all wanted to do, and that this was not a past thing, but will be an always thing, for as long as they can keep it up.

People who are K-Pop fans will say that these are things every group says, and that this is something that of course would be expected even if there was no realistic way that it could happen. But I also think, as I always have, that Dreamcatcher has spent a long time bucking trends and doing things that weren't expected. The group occupies a unique place in the industry - not too small as to make the future nearly impossible due to resources, but not too big such that this same future becomes implausible due to scheduling reasons. Combine that with how long I've been watching and hearing this group communicate and I feel like it's better to take the group's advice and feel like we'll be hearing more from them as a group in the future, even as they all move on to other things for a bit. Those other things, and more, are what I'll continue to write about on a regular basis, even if they arrive less often than weekly - so for all that, and more, I'll see you here next week for a special column in which I talk about my own personal thoughts about the group's upcoming new horizons.