The event

Described as the first big K-pop Festival in Spain, KPOP LUX – a multi-artists concert – happened in Madrid on July, 22nd. While many K-pop groups have yet to visit Europe for solo concerts, festivals and multi-artists concerts have become more and more regular.
Madrid had yet to experience such a major event though. So when KPOP LUX announced a quite diversified line-up, fans quickly made sure to grab their tickets. From 2nd generation veterans SHINee to 5th-generation rookies Xikers, the line-up was well-diversified.

As it is often the case of such festivals, the pre-show has allowed a local dance cover group – getshine – to perform in front of the fans who had entered the venue early. Luckily for fans considering the temperatures of the day, the concert started as 9PM, when the heat became more bearable. Most of the groups greeted fans first while Xikers remained backstage, ready to perform.

The performances

KQ’s newest group may be young, they already acquired stage experience through previous busking events and touring as ATEEZ’ opening act. So it’s not a surprize to see them so at ease as they perform Rockstar, Tricky House and Xikey.

Their “Kill This Love” cover is a perfect way to show how versatile they are, as well as to prove that the members already have developped their own style when performing.

STAYC is the second group to perform that night. They, too, were meeting their European fans for the first time . Their audience gave them a warm welcome by singing along to Poppy. They also performed Teddy Bear, Run2U, and ASAP, as well as a cover of Love Shot later in the evening. The members were smiling throughout their performance, capturing the heart of european K-pop fans.

While Cravity fans are still waiting and hoping for the group to bring their solo tour to Europe, the group is not new to performing in Europe. They know what their European fans love and deliver it with Groovy, Baddie, Get Lifted and Fly. Just like Xikers and STAYC, the group also prepared a special cover for their fans. They chose Super by SEVENTEEN.

Next is Enhypen’s time to perform. With their growing list of hit songs, it probably must be difficult now to choose what to sing for festivals. They decided to perform Future Perfect, Tamed-Dashed, Sacrifice, Bite Me and Karma. The group knows how to get on the audience’s good side. They interact with the crowd, smile, are powerful and energetic… It’s efficient and the fans’ excitement grows.

IVE’s set-list is an other list of successful tracks and no-skips. Kitsch, After Like, Eleven, Love Dive and I AM are well-known by most K-Pop fans. It shows from the cheers errupted from the crowd.

Next is ATEEZ, who definitely are at home in Europe. The group visited Europe for various solo concerts in the past two years. They are enjoying a huge popularity in Europe. For many concert-goers, ATEEZ was one of the highlights of the evening. They sang Halazia and Bouncy, their latest title tracks, as well as Wave (perfect for the summer time), THANXX and Guerrilla.

Last but not least, SHINee were back in Europe for the first time in years. Minho, Key and Taemin, the veterans of the evening, performed Don’t Call Me, View, Juice and Hard. They sent hearts to the audience and gave a lot of smiles. For European fans, seeing the members on stage after a long wait felt like achieving a difficult goal. There was a sense of emotion that came from Shawols.

Feedback

K-POP LUX was, unarguably, a successful event. It met fans’ expectations in terms of line-up, in a big stadium were the audience was happy to support their favorite groups. Seeing many major names of the K-POP industry is an opportunity. Especially in a region of the world where many groups haven’t held solo concerts yet. In Korea, festivals formats are usually slightly different. Some groups only perform for one or two songs. K-POP LUX give more time to each group to show their music and performances. As a result, it’s also a great opportunity for rookie groups to expend their popularity and for veterans to meet fans without all the implications of a tour.

It also came as a good surprize that several groups prepared covers for their fans. Paired up with games, ments and interactions, it showed how such festivals are also something important for the idols. K-POP LUX is set to hold an event in London next, this time for a total of 3 days.