Shinhwa 2nd Live Concert - The Everlasting Mythology

Shinhwa "The Everlasting Mythology"- The Long-Awaited Live Concert

"The Everlasting Mythology" (18th to 20th April 2003) was the sophomore live concert of the topnotch Korean group Shinhwa. Just the exquisite stage settings plus the concert hall upgraded with costly special effects are glamorous enough to put Shinhwa on the same platform to be compared with the Johnny's Idols in Japan and the sensational idols in Hong Kong. What came first in the live concert to amaze all audiences were the 6 Shinhwa members lying on coffins plus their blazing microphone stands and they went on to reveal many more gadgets including hand-held flame shooters.

The music started with "Perfect Man" followed by "Wild Eyes". It is of course entertaining enough to get carried away by the groovy dance moves in their music videos. However, the live performance of "Yo! +Jam#1" and "Usha Usha" should deserve much credits because of Shinhwa's onstage ebullience. It was also a combination of chemistry on the tune when Shin Hye-sung sang accompanied by Kang Ta 's instrumental play. We can catch a glimpse of the group's acapella performance on Track 14 (Track 12 of the VCD version), which presents a time in this live concert when each member could show off their very own talents. The part of Kim Dong-wan characterized by rock & roll music was particularly impressive in so far that it could help prove the capability of Dong-wan to stand solo as a rock singer. Both "History of Shinhwa" and Dong-wan's Photo Essay which features the interesting pictures he took of his teammates' lives are very amusing. Overall speaking the 6 different parts featuring each Shinhwa member can be one walking example showing how important multiple talents are to a pop group. To their fans, however, what matters the most should still be these 6 men's dedicated performance on the stage.

There are, nevertheless, a few shortcomings in the recording of their live concert. It seems that the video cameras were not controlled fast enough to keep up with the pace of the show in such a huge concert hall. Another problem, which is frequently found when the songs hit the climax, is that there were far too many long-distance shots focusing on no one while some shots were meaninglessly wasted on the fans. I bet one main reason for the fans buying this recording is to relive the time when the stars were shining on the stage. However, isn't it a bit ironic for them to see more of themselves than their idols on the TV screen?

The running of the show was also not smooth enough, which has created some redundant chapters. The group dancing was fair of course but not all of the content was up to standard enough for the adult to enjoy. Hopefully next time more effort can be spent on the management of the concert so as to produce a smoother performance. Actually, wouldn't it be a nice idea to invite a veteran of directing from Japan to perform the duty?

Reviewed by Noo Kamie (Japan)
Translated (English) by Holly (Hong Kong)