Veteran K-pop group Super Junior entertained a sold-out crowd of 7,000 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 14 Jul 2024 with the latest edition of their Super Show tours, titled ‘Super Junior Half-time: Spin-off’. It featured eight members: leader Leeteuk, Yesung, Shindong, Eunhyuk, Siwon, Donghae, Ryeowook, and maknae Kyuhyun.
Super Junior last performed in Singapore in 2022. Boasting 19 years of industry experience under their belts and a trove of loyal fans (also known as E.L.Fs, short for Ever Lasting Friends) – who have stuck by the group through its ups and downs, the nearly three hour-long show felt more like a long-awaited reunion of close friends.
With close friends, one can comfortably look back on and talk about bad situations in the past. This was most evident during the VCRs leading into the unit stages, which featured SHINee’s Minho as a museum curator taking the audience on a walk down memory lane. At first glance, these appeared to be unlikely what-if situations that resulted in equally unexpected sub-units. However, fans who have journeyed with the group would recognise these ‘IYKYK’ situations as moments of conflict in Super Junior’s history – now turned on their heads, with the wisdom of time and age, and re-imagined with a happier ending.
In an alternate universe, Leeteuk’s more measured response to the prank pulled by Donghae and the hapless Eunhyuk in the waiting room of Korean music show Inkigayo gave rise to the sub-group L.E.D. They performed the light-hearted number ‘Suit Up’, appearing on stage in colourful toy boxes and delighting fans with their sleek moves.
Rather than getting upset with Kyuhyun over not buying ice-cream for the older members, Yesung and Shindong teamed up with the youngest to form S.K.Y. The trio crooned their hearts out and moved fans with the ballad ‘Let’s Not’. Meanwhile, Ryeowook had a more sensitive response to Siwon’s constant requests for high-fives – lighting up the stage and thrilling the audience with the fiery R&S rendition of ‘Danger’.
There were many other fan-worthy moments, such as when Leeteuk appeared on stage in a crop top that showed off both his confidence and his toned abs. Or when the supergroup had the audience of blue-clad E.L.Fs on their feet barely three songs in, cheering and grooving to the aptly-named ‘Dancing Out’. Or when they performed timeless favourites such as ‘Sorry, Sorry’, ‘Devil’ and ‘Black Suit’, which was met with roars of approval by the revved-up crowd.
But what is a Super Junior concert without their brand of irreverent and off-kilter humour, which fans know and love them for?
During the talk segments, Shindong started off strong by joking that he was here to find a wife, while Donghae flirted with the audience in fluent Singlish. Siwon mused upon his walk through the Singapore Botanic Gardens and his experience trying Indian food, as the other members nagged him in mock-exasperation to hurry up. Leeteuk proudly shared that he had devoured three chilli crabs before the concert – but also got hurt by their pincers. At one point, he even teasingly pointed out a couple seated in the front row and asked the male concertgoer how he felt about his girlfriend’s enthusiastic reactions to the group’s performances.
There was also plenty of self-deprecating humour, especially in the imagined parallel universe where all K-pop idol groups are called Super Junior. “Super Junior 23”, consisting of Leeteuk, Yesung and Donghae (dressed in the Gen Z-esque outfits of school blazers, ties, and white sneakers), performed an energetic dance cover of 5th-generation boy group RIIZE’s ‘Get A Guitar’. This was followed by a charming cover of NewJeans’ hit song, ‘Hype Boy’ by “Super Junior 22”, featuring Donghae, Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun, Shindong, and Ryeowook dolled up in cutesy accessories like cat-ear headbands.
Although the show was over in a jiffy, it seems that E.L.Fs may have even more to look forward to for Super Junior’s 20th anniversary next year. A brief video segment at the end of the show teased the return of member Heechul, who has been sitting out of stage performances due to an old injury. Might a full nine-member on stage reunion be in the works? We can only hope and see!
Article: Samantha
Official Photos: SM Entertainment
