IU's first world tour has come to a triumphant end. The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Lee Ji-eun, ended the HEREH World Tour on Aug. 2 with a sold-out show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. IU might not be well-known in the US but in South Korea, she’s affectionately known as Korea's "little sister." Since debuting in 2008 at age 15, the singer-songwriter has dominated the music charts in her country. She has also made a name for herself in the acting industry by starring in popular Korean dramas like My Mister and Hotel del Luna.
The multi-talented songstress’ popularity keeps rising and her tour has long been anticipated by her US fans (called “Uaena”). The last time IU performed in the US was at KCON 2014. It’s been a 10-year wait, so it was no surprise that most of the dates sold out in seconds. The tour kicked off in her hometown of Seoul in March and stopped in 16 other cities including Washington, Oakland and Atlanta.
Before IU's last show began, Uaena’s were passing out pink banners that read, “In the city of stars, you’re our celebrity” to every person in the venue. These banners were meant to be used when IU took group photos with everyone. There was also a special gift awaiting everyone in their seats - a pink tin box containing an IU magnet, picture cards and a personalized Los Angeles key ring.“It’s a gift from my mom for all of you,” IU told fans at the start of her show. A very kind and sweet gesture.
Right around 7:30 pm the lights went down and IU (wearing bedazzled headphones) commenced the show with the bombastic hit “Holssi,” the second track of her latest EP The Winning. Just like the music video which was filmed in Los Angeles, IU invited children to dance along with her on stage. After the song she reminisced about how Los Angeles has a special place in her heart and revealed the children were from LA. “You're my celebrity, you're my superstars” IU exclaimed.
The first song set the tone for the night, it was going to be a night to celebrate the end of her tour and to have fun. The tour was broken down into 5 sections using the acronym H.E.R.E.H which stands for Hypnotic, Energetic, Romantic, Ecstatic and Heroic. IU spared no expense in providing an unforgettable experience for fans. She was accompanied by a live band, a big group of dancers, and had different costume changes to complement each section.
To make the show as interactive as possible, a lot of the songs performed were accompanied by lyrics displayed on the screens so people could sing along - in both Hangul and English. IU’s songs are filled with catchy hooks and memorable choruses which are the perfect combo for a live setting. The official 21-song set was filled with songs from her expansive catalog.
It was nice to see IU’s vocal abilities in action. She brought a lot of warmth and sweet melodic vocals to the heartfelt low-tempo ballads “Through the Night” “Meaning of you” and “Love wins all.” For the energetic pop tracks like “Jam Jam” “Shopper,” and “You&I” she let her fun persona shine with choreographed dance moves.
Without a doubt, IU’s sweet and charismatic personality has the entire venue roaring with cheers. Although she is not fluent in English, she did her best to talk to the crowd in English and was assisted by an interpreter when she switched back to Korean. In between songs, IU would kindly express gratitude for all the love she’s received while on tour. She revealed she had memorized a speech in English so she could convey how much the success of the tour meant to her. In a moment of vulnerability, she expressed how she was anxious and had a lot of sleepless nights. “If there was anyone who was most doubtful about the success of this world tour, it was probably me." IU continued, "... I was scared every day that I might mess up this tour because I was sick or not in good condition and that I might not keep my promise to fans, but you know what? Not a single show went by where I did not feel immense happiness and love for humanity as I walked off the stage. Every single show was so precious and every single audience was so special. Fans always love me purely and it constantly makes me aware of my shortcomings. If every single one of you were not here today, the final show of this tour wouldn't have been this perfect. Because of you, I could stand here and I could be truly happy today."
The show ended with an unoffical second encore, where IU took suggestions from the crowd on what song they wanted to sing. It seemed like die-hard fans were ready for this portion of the show as many had handmade signs of songs they wanted to hear. IU was surprised by all the song choices and remarked on how a lot of the songs were not her most popular ones. She tried to sing as many songs as she jokingly complained about the US’s strict time venue policies. In total she performed 7 songs: “Friday,” “Lullaby,” “Good Day,” “Ending Scene,” “Hold My Hand,” “LILAC” and “Palette.” It was clear IU didn't want the night to end as she kept entertaining but the show needed to come to a close. She once again expressed her love and gratitude for making the tour a hit and left the stage the same way she came in - wearing her bedazzled headphones and disappearing on her HEREH lift. The tour will be a full circle event for IU as two encore concert will take place at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in September.
