Welcome back to the Best of Weekly Music Shows! It’s apparently Ladies’ Night this week, as we saw comebacks from Lovelyz, Gugudan, Jang Yeon-jeong, and Taeyeon. Ladies also made up most of the winners, with Twice taking top honors on M!Countdown, Music Bank, and Inkigayo, though NCT Dream snagged The Show. Will the ladies run the table on my favorite performances the way they did comebacks? Only one way to find out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW63bKQcVnY
Dreamcatcher‘s cover of SNSD‘s “Into The New World”, SBS MTV The Show, February 28, 2017
I have long been a sucker for special stages, but extra props must be given to Dreamcatcher. Not only are they covering one of the most iconic songs in K-pop, the gentle, girly “Into The New World” is a complete 180 from “Chase Me”. And they nail it. The choreography is perfectly executed, crisp and powerful. The vocals carry the strength and resolve of the original, and they don’t slip into cutesy despite being a cute concept. Most importantly, everyone looks comfortable performing a stage that is so off their normal in both tone and concept.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHR8coHqvV4
Twice’s “Knock Knock”, KBS Music Bank, March 3, 2017
Okay, I admit it: Twice is wearing me down. “Knock Knock” is bright, cheery fun; the kind of song that puts a smile on your face whether you want it to or not. The vocals are solid, the outfits are cute, but what really won me over is that choreography. “Knock Knock” is one of the most intricately choreographed routines I have ever seen in K-pop. Loaded with small, precise movements and those shuffling formation changes; “Knock Knock” is brutal. The instant someone is half a beat off, the whole thing will go out the window, but Twice not only hits it out of the park, they make it look easy.
Gugudan’s “A Girl Like Me”, MBC Show! Music Core, March 4, 2017
You know what niche is always underfilled in music? The “I’m so glorious you should be kissing the ground I walk on” song, so thank the lord for Gugudan. “A Girl Like Me” is cocky and arrogant in all the best ways. It’s gloriously grandiose, and the ladies on the stage sell that attitude like the rent’s due. Every note, every step, and especially every hair flick fills the audience with equal parts jealousy and admiration. The clincher is the brilliant wardrobe choices– sweet, pale pink paired with bad-girl black and some killer boots.
Melody Day‘s “Kiss On The Lips”, Arirang Simply K-pop, March 4, 2017
As much as I enjoy big, bold performances, something understated is just as likely to win me over. Case in point is Melody Day’s “Kiss On The Lips”. Everything here is underplayed. The dance is kept small and restrained, the usage of the stage is deliberately small. Even the seduction the members are engaging in is kept more subtle; sticking to provocative poses and bedroom eyes rather than going all-out in their sexiness. This allows “Kiss On The Lips” to ooze class and smolder that balances out the melancholy and forlorn music and vocals perfectly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8hoqWjAqMI
NCT Dream’s “My First And Last”, SBS Inkigayo, March 5, 2017
See, there are guys here! All jokes aside, the boys of NCT Dream never fail to impress me with their stages for “My First and Last”. Their place on this list wasn’t a question of if, but which one. Really, I could have picked any of them, and it would have been a valid choice. Their energy, their engagement, their dancing, their vocals all held steady at “awesome” all week. The only reason Inkigayo won out over the others was due the costuming; the black and white jackets and jeans give off a casual feel that really meshes with the song.
Any stages you think I missed? Leave them in the comments!
