Welcome to the Best of Weekly Music Shows, where everything’s made up and the points matter quite a bit. This week we saw comebacks from Infinite, as well as old school legend Fly to the Sky, with T-ara‘s Jiyeon making her solo debut. Exo continued their success with wins on M!Countdown, Inkigayo, and Show! Music Core, but Wheesung managed to clinch Show Champion. Once again, Music Bank didn’t air, and I’m starting to wonder if it got canceled and KBS just forgot to announce it. These are five performances that caught my eye, but please comment with your own.
Wheesung’s “Night and Day”, MBC Show Champion, May 20, 2014
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We-eIMv0ayY]Confession: I am not a ballad person. Yet this performance of “Night and Day” made me fall head over heels in love. Maybe it’s the passion and power in Wheesung’s voice. Maybe it’s that incredibly long note. Probably, though, it’s the fact the Wheesung uses his backtrack to go crazy with adlibs and sing counterpoint to himself.
ALi‘s “Girl’s Generation”, MBC Music Travel Yesterday, May 23, 2014
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGDll4sxu4o]ALi’s cover of Lee Seung-chul‘s classic damn near brought down the house, and it’s not because of her stunning voice. It’s her energy. ALi is just so into the song, and it shows. She brings the whole audience to their feet and takes a break for an acapella call-and-response. Performances like this are why it’s tragic that Music Travel Yesterday has been cancelled.
15&‘s “Sugar” SBS Inkigayo, May 25, 2014
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H0O-Zv6ndo]This is easily 15&’s best song yet. It’s jazzy yet modern, and very, very fun. Yerin and Jimin‘s voices play off each other magnificently, especially live.
Infinite’s “Last Romeo”, Mnet M!Countdown, May 22, 2014
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNHQwZadckM]Oh, Infinite, it’s good to see you and your glorious 80’s-ness again. All their comeback performances were fabulous, but M!Countdown was a cut above the rest. Their dancing was utterly in synch, their vocals were flawless, and their intensity took the performance up to 11.
Hyosung‘s “I Hate Night Time” MBC Show Champion, May 20, 2014
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aFq4thswtw]Why was this not Hyosung’s title track? It just suits her so much better than “Good-night Kiss”. This performance stuck out of all her performances this week based solely on how Hyosung sells it. She just looks so freaking happy to be onstage and it shows.
