EXO’s The Lost Planet in Singapore | 4/5

SINGAPORE — I feared my eardrums would explode at some point during EXO’s first solo concert in Singapore on Saturday evening. Throughout the sold-out two-and-a-half-hour show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium — and even before — fans sitting around me screamed and cheered so loudly, I could hardly hear what anyone was saying half an hour after the show.

During the course of the show, which was presented by MediaCorp VizPro International, it became clear to me why this Korean boy band is so loved by its supporters. Every move they made was for the benefit of their fans, whether they were dancing and thrusting their hips along to catchy hits such as Let Out The Beast, My Lady and 3.6.5; cheekily mocking one another for their broken English; or taking Polaroid selfies and throwing roses into the crazed crowd in the mosh pit. Even the stage was cleverly designed in the shape of a star that reached out to different points of the stadium, so each member of the band could come up close to greet and blow air kisses to adoring fans.

In return, the audience sang and waved special light-sticks (which, incidentally, someone tried to sell to me outside the stadium for S$10) with extra verve to each and every song. And just when I thought the screaming couldn’t possibly get any louder, Tao clicked on what he said was the key to his car, only to reveal fellow band member D.O. dressed in a bathrobe.

As for me, I enjoyed some of the goofier moments of the evening, such as when the group danced cheekily around a very lucky fan to songs like Super Junior’s Sorry, Sorry and Girls’ Generation’s Gee. Or when the boys started jostling with one another on stage, cutting in when a member was trying to talk to the audience — who doesn’t appreciate a bunch of dreamy Korean “boys” being boys.

Because there are so many members in the band, I also appreciated the fact that each person was given time to perform a brief solo. I was particularly impressed with Chen’s powerful voice and energetic delivery, Luhan’s singing and dancing, and Chanyeol’s drumming — though Tao got plenty of cheers when he wiped his brow with a towel after his martial arts solo.

By the end of the evening, which included an unexpected undertaking of the ALS ice bucket challenge by Baekhyun and Kai, I left the stadium feeling a little sorry for my ears, but also a little more fond of EXO. Who is to say that the next time they perform in Singapore, I wouldn’t invest in a special EXO light-stick of my own? Hon Jing Yi