Last weekend, over 10,000 fans gathered at the Amphitheater at Yonsei University to enjoy veteran balladist Sung Si-kyung’s live outdoor concert titled “Congratulatory Wedding Song.”
Though the downpour on Sunday marred the concert’s special theme ― of attending a wedding ceremony on a nice spring day ― the weather did not stop Sung from delivering his soft yet passionate vocals for all attendees, who were decked out in white raincoats throughout the night.
Introduced as “tonight’s groom,” Sung appeared on stage singing the romantic, jazzy melodies of “Dance with You,” as female and male dancers gracefully danced around in pairs.
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Sung Si-kyung performs at the Amphitheater at Yonsei University. (Jellyfish Entertainment) |
Unlike in typical pop concerts, his gig involved not only his singing but also DJing and audience participation. In intervals between songs, Sung returned to his days as a radio DJ, introducing many personal love stories of the people attending the concert.
Sung took great care to acknowledge and communicate with those in the stands who had shared their intimate tales and tribulations. The ballad singer even dedicated and sang Han Dong-jun’s “Pledge of Love” to a couple who came to watch Sung’s performance after getting married that morning.
The singer featured an eclectic set list that included his signature ballads “We Make a Good Pair,” “Though It Would Be Nice,” “Oh My Goddess,” “On the Street,” “Heejae” and “You are My Spring.” He also sang expressive, well-interpreted covers of old favorites such as Lee So-ra’s “Trust,” Park Jin-young’s “Don’t Leave Me” and Yoon Sang’s “Love Is.”
Sung surprised the audience at one point with a comical rearrangement of the recent K-pop hit dubbed “Ssam,” based on “Some” by Junggigo and Soyou. The balladist sang a casual one-man duet with a female version of himself singing in the background.
The evening’s performance atmosphere was amplified by flashy appearances by R&B singer Kim Jo-han and girl group A-Pink, who sang their hit single “No No No” together with the balladist.
As the Sunday concert reached its closing, Sung expressed his sincere gratitude toward all the fans who had sat through the rain for over three hours.
“I will never forget tonight’s performance. I am so sorry and thankful. I know how bad it is to sit through a long concert in the rain. ... I will always remember all the support I received tonight,” Sung said.
Surprising and delighting many fans, Sung also announced that he would release a new album this year. “My song might remain on the charts for only three days, or EXO might suddenly make a comeback, but I will not be concerned,” the singer joked.
In a calm ending to a rainy night, Sung delivered a poignant performance of “You Touched My Heart” and “Road to Me,” as well as a heartfelt encore run of “Two People.”
Sung is slated to hold a concert titled “An Unforgettable Night with Sung Si-kyung” on June 7 at the Hollywood Palladium in California.
By Sohn Ji-young (
jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)
