It has been a long time since Day6 was in Singapore, with their last fan meeting in 2016. Singapore MyDays waited in anticipation on Saturday to meet the band and I am elated to say Day6 delivered a solid 2.5 hours of stunning performances, entertaining banter, and heartwarming interaction with fans. Covering close to 30 songs over the course of the entire concert, full with solo showcases from each member, it could not have been a more fulfilling experience.
Gravity in Singapore was held at The Star Theatre, a seated performing gallery. Deprived of a mosh pit, I was initially disappointed, considering I have watched the band during their Every Day6 concert in Seoul and danced to my heart’s content. Surprisingly, Day6 made the venue work as they spurred everyone to get on their feet the moment they stepped onto the stage. The concert kicked off powerfully with “Best Part.”
However, the band could not have pulled it off without the help of MyDays. The energy of the crowd was heated even before the concert started, peaking when the band showed up. It was the enthusiasm from MyDays that made the seemingly inappropriate venue for jumping better. The crowd danced without a care despite the seat restraints, sang their hearts out, and waved lightsticks and wristbands in pure enjoyment. I was pleasantly surprised by the eagerness of the crowd’s cheers and support for the band, thinking that it would be a milder group. A good part of the fun I had on Saturday must be attributed to the crowd’s positive vibes, one that made the whole experience warm and embracing.
Before I dive into the details of the performance itself, the impressive sound system at The Star Theatre deserves a mention. I was not expecting the level of clarity delivered. Some might have found it a tad bit too loud, but I thought it was brilliant. A crucial point for band performances has to be the instruments, conveyed in balance with the vocals. Oftentimes, poorer sound systems cause the music to come through only as a mash of noise, covering the vocals and making instrumental bits sound like a mess. The Star Theatre’s sound system ensured that each instrument was distinct without overwhelming the vocal delivery. I loved it even more for the heavy bass emphasis, allowing the drum and bass rhythms to boom so resoundingly I could feel the beats pounding from within me. For a talented band like Day6, this detail towards sound made it a quality musical performance, in addition to the general excitement of meeting them live.
The sturdy sound system was probably a good foundation for which the band were to perform their respective solos. Personally, I enjoyed Sungjin‘s guitar solo the most, performed prior to “For Me.” Unlike Jae‘s more electrifying guitar solo, Sungjin’s one was melodious with a touch of edginess in his use of the electric guitar. My second favourite would have to be Wonpil‘s simply because of the tinge of mischief tied into it. Rather than choosing to go with a soothing piano solo, Wonpil’s performed a synth solo, playing with EDM beats in a remix of their older songs like “Sing Me” and “Congratulations.” I found this an entertaining experiment for Day6, a band whom usually refrains from stepping into Techno and EDM territory. Performing it on tour over releasing a formal album in this style probably gave them more freedom to purely toy around with tracks. They were not shy about their enjoyment at this segment, with Jae teasing him and asking him what was he doing and what just happened.
Day6 deserves to be applauded for the amount of effort they put in for this particular concert. With the long setlist, they made sure to play a significant number of songs from every single album they released thus far. They began with their newer releases, tracks that were more upbeat and suitable for pumping up the crowd. MyDays jumped fervently to “Feeling Good,” “So Cool,” “Time of Our Life,” and more. As the concert went on, Day6 slowly helped fans throwback to their earlier tracks after the aptly titled “Wanna Go Back.” They brought back tunes like “Colours” and “Blood” from their debut days, and other tracks including “I Wait,” “I Need Somebody,” and “Lean On Me” from their Every Day6 project.
This was not all that the band had to offer. As they promised to the crowd, they truly had tons in store for fans. The remix of pop songs with their own songs was a brilliant twist. I never thought I would hear “Like That Sun” at the same time as Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” “Days Gone By” with Bruno Mars’s “Treasure,” or “Blood” with Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky.” Day6 made these remixes with flawless musical transitions, once again displaying their depth of knowledge when it comes to their artistry.
The band went even further than putting up a spectacular performance, full with a dazzling play on lighting, visual displays onscreen, and an array of other special effects. They made sure the whole experience was one that built a connection between fans and themselves. Day6 seemed to be having fun as they jumped around comfortably on stage, joked with each other, and dealt with unexpected situations in an adorable and light-hearted manner. One of Dowoon‘s drumsticks flew out of his hands during his solo but he laughed it off with the crowd. “Time of Our Life” started while Young K was still waiting for his bass so he picked up a mic stand and air strummed against it in good humour. Dowoon even played his part in the vocals section, offering fans with precious moments of his singing.
The band made the concert even more heart-warming as they orchestrated a mass singing session with fans using “Time of Our Life” and “I’m Serious.” At other moments during the concert, lyrics were also part of the video projections to make singing along easier. This big bubble of warmth was made even more touching when the fan project video came on a short while after Day6’s own mini clip of them having fun on a field trip. Singapore MyDays had prepared a video montage of messages for the band. After the video concluded, MyDays chorused in unity to “Beautiful Feeling” while holding up banners for Day6. Day6 members watched quietly and listened to MyDays offer their own support for the band before delivering their closing comments.
As the band members conveyed their appreciation for Singapore MyDays, I could feel their sincerity, especially in the conscious effort they made to speak English to the fans. Even though there was a translator present, they tried their best to convey their heartfelt thanks, breaking into Korean only when they struggled to translate what they wanted to say. It is easy to throw out phrases to hype a crowd in English, but definitely a feat to try to express depth and complexity of emotion in a foreign language. The constant attempts to connect and find a common ground to communicate with fans made me respect them even more. Closing comments can sometimes feel patronising and over-narrated, but Day6’s tone and expression as they spoke made their words heavy with sincere gratitude for fans, as with Young K’s words:
You guys are my motivation. You guys do inspire me and you guys are the reason why I sing, and I write songs, and can go on. So thank you very much. And… and you guys are telling me that you know 지금 잘 하고 있어, which means that we are doing well, right? (…) It might not be enough for you guys but we wanna tell you that you are doing your best. You are doing well, so you have the right to be happy, so I, we are going to wish you all the happiness that we can.
Their humble attitude in front of success and the roaring cheers of the crowd made me understand how much they value their fans and the manner in which they view MyDays an indispensable to their growth as musicians. As much as this was a concert to meet musicians I respect for their talent and willingness to experiment with their art, I walked out feeling appreciated and encouraged by these supposedly distant stars. Perhaps this is why Day6 continues to appeal in a way different from other idols, as a band away from the usual spotlight of variety shows and overwhelming media exposure. They are growing in popularity, but they have demonstrated their conscious efforts at continuing to build a very human sense of connection with fans.
As Sungjin mentions in his final comments, he admits he feels inadequate in many ways and hence, the band will continue to do their best to meet fans as better musicians, ones that fans can be proud of. I do believe that the band will continue finding new avenues of music to experiment with and in the process grow immensely as musicians.
Gravity in Singapore has showed me their humility, as well as their eagerness to grow and respect for their fans. With such good values they uphold as performers and musicians, they are sure to have a sturdy path to walk ahead together with supportive MyDays from all over the world. In Korean, they have been coined as “믿고 듣는 데이식스,” which translates to mean a band you can trust in and listen to. With their newest album being released on 22nd October, just a week or two from this concert, I am brimming with anticipation for what new musical experiments Day6 has delved into this time round.
(Images via JYP Entertainment, Live Nation Entertainment, ONE Production)
