Wendy at Warner Theatre
By Sonya Lee
[Wendy: W:EALIVE] Queen of the Party; Sonya Lee
Apart from this, the energy from the theater could also be attributed to the fact that Washington, D.C. was the last stop on the U.S. leg of Wendy’s first world tour [W:EALIVE]. Time passed quickly as the lights dimmed and everyone was seated, waiting patiently as the venue was plunged into darkness. Then, without a moment to lose, white spotlights lit up the venue, the live band paused their beat, and Wendy stepped out on stage with an acapella intro into the first song, “Fireproof” (Cerulean Verge, 3rd Mini Album). In addition to “Fireproof,” part of a three-song run through were “Hate2“ (Cerulean Verge, 3rd Mini Album) and “Queen Of The Party” (Wish You Hell, 2nd Mini Album), kicking off the show with a blend of upbeat and rock elements. If there is one thing about Wendy, it is that she is a vocal powerhouse. She started the show with a bang and kept that energy going effortlessly. One aspect of Wendy as the concert went on was how much she interacted with the fans. I could truly feel the weight and sincerity of each of the words she was saying.
Wendy shared a bunch of personal anecdotes she experienced ahead of the concert, such as searching for top places to visit when in Washington, D.C., and wanting to visit the National Gallery of Art (but could not due to it being closed). Additionally, she shared that the music that was playing throughout the venue during the preshow was her personal playlist from her phone! She wanted to share her favorite genres in music with ReVeluvs to see if they shared the same taste in music. Wendy goes on to talk about how she put together the setlist and her tour name. She explained simply that the tour name, [W:EALIVE], was a combination of her name (Wendy) and “we alive”. The title carries the message of breathing/being present alive in the moment through the connection of music, which Wendy shares is how she feels when she listens to music. Complementing the audience for following along, she highlighted the magic of all being possible through her band. As for the intro list of songs, the reason for the order was to start off with a burst of energy. “Fireproof” and “Hate2“ being part of her latest album perfectly highlighted the tone for the first half of the concert, along with “Queen Of The Party.” While the last song was part of her previous mini album, she wanted to end the show on a high note and to capture the feeling of being the host of a huge party (the host in this case being herself).
Being the gracious host she is, Wendy complimented the audience for dressing up and coming out in such chilly weather. In return, she promised to warm the fans up throughout the show. Opposite of the cold winds was the mention of cherry blossoms. Wendy hinted to fans for a future return since she is a big fan of the flowers and wished to see the famous D.C. cherry blossoms. Keeping her promise of energy, she continued her performance with “Why Can’t You Love Me?” (Like Water, 1st Mini Album), “Best Ever” (Wish You Hell, 2nd Mini Album) and “Chapter You” (Cerulean Verge, 3rd Mini Album). This set of songs shifted the tone to a more jazzy setting. This was especially prominent in the song “Best Ever,” with the trumpet and light drum instrumentals adding to the ambiance. Going back to the topic of cherry blossoms, Wendy envisioned them blooming while performing “Chapter You.” She hopes that in the future, she gets to visit the city during a warmer season, while wishing for the same reception for eventual shows (should they occur). Additionally, she pondered on the thought of busking around the city (context: Wendy has been part of many Korean busking shows, such as Bangpan Music: Wherever You Go, presenting her raw vocal talent to different cities that the episode is held at). Hearing this, Wendy took some recommendations of places she should busk in, with the discussion ending in going everywhere. After pointing out a ReVeluv, she wished them a happy birthday and moved on to her next set.
The return of the smoke machine with the added car click sound effects meant the tonal setting was changed again, starting with “His Car Isn’t Yours” (Wish You Hell, 2nd Mini Album), moving to the soulful “Better Judgement” (Wish You Hell, 2nd Mini Album) and ending with the vocally charged “Vermilion” (Wish You Hell, 2nd Mini Album). “His Car Isn’t Yours” is one of my favorite Wendy songs, and this performance certainly did not disappoint. However, “Vermilion” truly blew it out of the water for me with her voice control. The feeling of hearing this particular song live is a one-of-a-kind experience that goes beyond listening to it on a device. I thought I was overthinking when I believed that there was an emotional weight carried on each word in this final song; however, it turned out I was correct. Wendy later revealed that the difficulty of reaching the high notes in the song, combined with the saddened weight the song carries, caused her to choke up during the performance. She closed up the first set with a final high note as the live band played into intermission. The live band took over for a couple of minutes as golden lights flared around. Outside of the intermission shift, it can be seen that there was a theme change occurring as well.
[Wendy: W:EALIVE] Outfit change (Believe); Sonya Lee
Still on the topic of songs, Wendy went back to the set of songs she sang before the outfit transition. Her input on “Better Judgement” was that she wanted a song to encapsulate the feeling of determination. The song was a perfect transition piece since the theme was centered around the assurance of being an adult. This flowed well into “Vermilion,” which Wendy stated is one of her favorite pieces to perform. Her love for the song comes from the genre the song is based on, R&B. Her dream is to put out a fully R&B album in the upcoming years. As mentioned earlier, she spoke of how “Vermilion” got her a bit emotional and asked the fans if they noticed points in the performance where her voice sounded in such a manner. Explaining the reason behind her feelings, Wendy went on to say how “Vermilion” is a story of courage, specifically the courage of falling into love. She continued her remarks about her performance in regards to her favorite song. Asking the fans about their favorite song, she reflected that her favorite song always seems to change based on how many times she hears them live. As she thanked the audience for shouting out their favorite song, Wendy pointed out the members of her live band for lifting the night’s experience to another level.
The next segment of the show was something unexpected. This portion of the show covered Wendy singing her OSTs (Original Soundtracks). Her concern for the setlist was that songs that involved just her solos would have meant a shorter concert. To help prolong the show, she wanted to add some songs that people might not know she sang. Changing the stage setup, she brought out a chair to sing heart-to-heart with “Goodbye” (K-drama: The Beauty Inside), “Because I Love You” (K-drama: Mimi), “What If Love” (K-drama: Touch Your Heart) and “Two Words” (K-drama: Start Up). With each track, she recommended the drama each OST was associated with. Out of all the OSTs, her most famous one is “Goodbye,” and like Wendy always is when choosing songs for her setlist, the OSTs she picked were no exception. “Because I Love You” was picked due to the sentimental value it held, as it was one of her earliest works as an artist, twelve years ago, when she was still a trainee. Wanting to show her growth as an artist over the years is what made her choose the track. Opposite of holding sentimental value was “What If Love,” which was picked because of its chill energy. During her career, Wendy has sung 15 OSTs, but out of the 15, only “What If Love” carries a lighthearted tone that does not border on the topic of heartbreak, which is why it became her favorite OST. Finally, for “Two Words,” the theme of heartfelt and emotional turmoil returned as she recommended the drama Start Up.
Clearing the chair from the stage, Wendy was back on her feet as she sang some songs with equal value to her and a bit of choreography to make the audience move with her. The first being “Airport Goodbyes” (The Black Skirts x Wendy), which was a collaboration with one of her favorite indie rock artists. No matter the setlist, she spoke of how she always wished to incorporate this song because of how meaningful the collaboration is. Returning the sentimental feeling to ReVeluv’s she sang “Light Me Up” (The Velvet, 2nd Mini Album). The added harmonies of the other Red Velvet members in the background moved the hearts of all the fans who listened. As in the title of the song, Wendy expressed that while this may be a solo concert, the light from ReVeluv’s is a given. She asked if she succeeded in shifting the tone from the OST portion of the show, to which she was met with tearful applause. Affirming her success was the sound of her live band as she decided to name them out one by one as they each played an instrumental solo on cue. Some of the band including Yeonwoo on keyboard, Jong on bass, and Sungwon on drums. Then, with a saddened heart, she closed out the second half of the show with her final two songs, “Wish You Hell” (Wish You Hell, 2nd Mini Album) and “Sunkiss” (Cerulean Verge, 3rd Mini Album), doubling down on the promise that she will try to release more albums.
As the theater darkened, it looked as if the show was done, yet no one dared to move out of their seats. Some fans even began chanting for Wendy to do an encore. Hearing the cheers of the crowd, it seemed like their wishes were heard. Wendy’s voice started playing in the speakers, and the band played jazzy background music. With no visuals, the fans focused on Wendy’s voice as she thanked the fans for coming to the show. She hoped that with each stop/performance, her anxiety/pressures would go away. To her, concerts go beyond performing or singing. She said concerts are a way of expressing her gratitude to her fans, as they are her reason to continue singing and are considered her most precious gift in life. As the fans were gathering their feelings together from the heartfelt message, Wendy returned to the stage wearing her tour hoodie and crocheted head cover, starting the encore with “Best Friend” (Like Water, 1st Mini Album) and into “The Road” (Like Water, 1st Mini Album). If the voice message earlier was any indicator of anything, it was that this was an encore unlike anyone had experienced. The spotlight focuses on Wendy, mixed with her ethereal vocals, hitting every note.
By the end of the second encore song, fans’ cheers were loud enough to give a standing ovation. Wanting a moment to gather her final thoughts, Wendy asked the crowd if they enjoyed her voice message, to which she was met with a wave of unison agreement. With a smile, she appreciated the audience’s reaction as she expressed her gratitude once more. Dwelling on the previous two songs, she brought up her groupmate Seulgi, who is a feature on the song “Best Friend.” Fans erupted in cheers at the mention of the fellow group member, which only crescendoed as Wendy mentioned she was in contact with Seulgi the morning before the show. The two spoke for an hour on the phone, talking about how they were and plans for the upcoming year. But, besides the feature being one of her groupmates, she chose the song for the encore as a way to give fans the message that they are her best friend. As for “The Road”, she explained the song was a perfect dichotomy to balance the one of serious and soul theme to capture an emotional moment. Moreover, she mentioned the fact that it is one of the hardest tracks to sing in her discography, which made her want to sing it during the encore to end it on a high note.
Before getting into the final song of the night, as per her request, she asked for a selfie with the audience. A couple of silly faces and bright flashes ended the quick picture time as Wendy then pulled out a handwritten letter. She starts by mentioning how hard it was to figure out what the right words to say were, sleeping till 8 P.M. the day before, then waking up at 7 A.M. before sleeping again, and awaking at 4 A.M. However, the needed rest gave her a clearer state of mind as she found the message she wished to convey to the fans. She spoke about her experience for her first solo tour, which could be compared to debuting all over again. Throughout the show, Wendy conveyed every thought she could to her fans, but her ending speech truly felt profound. She promised to give the best stage performances and albums, which in return she hoped the fans would continue this artistic journey with her. Her words were met with waves of cheers as she indicated her gratitude for the night, asking everyone to hold the memories made during the concert close to their hearts. Yet, somehow, after every expression of gratitude being conveyed so easily, Wendy revealed she felt a bit awkward after giving such a long speech. To shake off the tension in the venue, she asked everyone to sing along and dance their hearts out to the final song “Existential Crisis” (Cerulean Verge, 3rd Mini Album). The fans responded quickly, ending the concert on a high note of rocking vocals and upbeat dancing, as Wendy made her final bow as she cheerfully exited the stage.
[Wendy: W:EALIVE] Wendy Final Ment; Sonya Lee
