“Will you continue to be with me?”, “We will keep running”
The 10th anniversary of the group GFRIEND was not an end but a new starting point.
On the afternoon of the 19th, the solo concert ‘GFRIEND 10th Anniversary Season of Memories’ was held at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, located in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, to celebrate GFRIEND's 10th anniversary. All three performances were sold out, and due to the enthusiastic support, additional seats with limited visibility were opened. Over 9,000 fans gathered over three days to celebrate GFRIEND's 10th anniversary together.
This GFRIEND concert was realized by the six members' desire to gift precious memories to their fans. The concert became a moment to look back on the many hit songs of GFRIEND and the journey they have walked together with their fandom, Buddies. As it was a meaningful concert for both the artists and the audience, GFRIEND delivered a perfect performance like never before.
GFRIEND opened the show with their hit song ‘Rough’ (based on Circle Chart), the first girl group to achieve 100 million streams, and greeted fans with consecutive performances of ‘You and I’ and ‘Listen to My Heart’.
Right after the stage, the members said, “I got emotional thinking it was the last performance in Seoul. We worked harder,” and added, “The response today is particularly warm and good. There are many more great stages to come, so please look forward to it.” Before the concert, member Yuju had been diagnosed with vocal cord inflammation and seemed to have difficulties participating, but when she stood in front of the fans, she responded to their support with flawless stage presence.
GFRIEND debuted in the music industry in 2015 with the mini-album ‘Season of Glass’ and has received much love over the past 10 years by establishing a unique powerful yet pure concept. This concert was also divided into two representative concepts of GFRIEND: ‘Powerful Purity’ and ‘Passionate Melancholy’, enhancing the fans' immersion. Throughout the three days of the concert, the setlist was varied, adding diversity, and several dazzling performances that could only be seen at this concert, such as a ‘mashup’ of three songs with the word ‘wind’ in the title and the special album track ‘Always’ commemorating the 10th anniversary, excited the fans.
After presenting the stages of ‘Ping’ and ‘Fingertip’, GFRIEND expressed, “While performing, I felt that we and the fans are really friends. I want to thank all the fans who support us closely and from afar,” conveying their gratitude to the fans. With a brief comment time, GFRIEND entered the audience area during the performances of ‘Tarot Card’ and ‘Water Flower’ to communicate more closely with the fans. They also threw heart-shaped balls signed by the members to the fans, creating special memories.
The concert setlist and stage directions were filled with the members' touches. Following the concert order, the messages they wanted to convey, such as gratitude towards the fans and unforgettable memories built with the members, naturally approached the audience. Fans could enjoy everything from mega hit songs that span generations to the eternal tracks they cherish.
GFRIEND halted their activities after ending their contract with Source Music in May 2021. Subsequently, the trio group ‘VIVIZ’, consisting of members SinB, Eunha, and Umji, announced a new start under Big Planet Made Entertainment. Amidst the suspension of group activities, their original agency, Source Music, announced plans to organize and hold this concert to celebrate GFRIEND's 10th anniversary, drawing attention. GFRIEND, reunited as a complete group, released a special album ‘Season of Memories’ on the 13th before this concert.
The original staff of GFRIEND gathered to enhance the quality of this concert, which also raised expectations. The production team that participated in their first solo concert reunited, led by Source Music, which has been with the team since their debut and growth. Additionally, this concert was held in the same venue where GFRIEND held their first solo concert, adding more significance.
The production team for this concert increased the size of the relay screens so that members could be seen from all angles and put a lot of effort into the VCR, including the first public showing of the special album ‘Always’ lyric video.
GFRIEND concluded the first part of the concert ‘Powerful Purity’ with ‘Summer Rain’, ‘Spring Rain’, and ‘Dreamcatcher’, taking a brief break with a short VCR. Afterward, dressed in black, GFRIEND announced the start of the second part of the concert ‘Passionate Melancholy’ with ‘MAGO’ and ‘Apple’.
Continuing with ‘Rainbow’, ‘Flower’, and ‘Only One’, GFRIEND overwhelmed the stage with their charismatic charm, befitting their 10th year. While the members left the stage for the next performance, a VCR was shown, revealing the lyric video for the special album track ‘Always’ for the first time, exciting the fans. When a video capturing GFRIEND's journey over the past 10 years was shown, the fans expressed even more affection. When GFRIEND returned to the stage, they sang ‘Time for the Moon Night’, their first music show No. 1 song and a record holder with 15 wins, deeply touching the hearts of the fans.
Afterward, GFRIEND expressed their gratitude by personally listing the names of choreographers, songwriters, and staff who have been with them for 10 years.
GFRIEND concluded their performance with ‘You’re Not Alone’, ‘Have to’, and ‘Night’ as their last songs before leaving the stage. The fans, unwilling to let GFRIEND go, chanted for an encore. In response, handwritten letters from the members were revealed in a VCR, comforting the fans' hearts. Among them, the members hinted at the possibility of future complete group activities with phrases like “We will keep running!”, “Will you continue to be with me?”, “I want to remain a group like best friends”, and “The never-ending ‘GFRIEND’.”
Following the fans' wishes, the members returned to the stage to present an encore performance. They sang the title track of their debut album ‘Glass Bead’, along with ‘Here We Are’, and the title track of the 10th anniversary album ‘In Our Kind Season’, as well as the track ‘Always’.
Finally, the members slowly shared their thoughts on concluding the 10th anniversary concert. First, SinB said, “It was a happy time. It feels strange. I thought I would cry from the beginning. It was a concert with special meaning. I am grateful and proud of our members who made the 10th anniversary concert happen,” and added, “I want to thank Source Music for readily accepting our wish to hold the 10th anniversary concert. It felt like coming back home to Source Music. I felt at ease. I also want to thank our company (Big Planet Made Entertainment) for understanding, even though it must have been a burden for them. Thank you to the fans for waiting, I love you.”
Yerin expressed, “I want to say thank you to the fans for the past 10 years. I want to express more than just gratitude. I am very thankful to the members for wonderfully completing the last performance. It makes me happy to make eye contact with the members on stage,” and added, “I am so happy to be in a group for 10 years. I think I was lucky. I hope we can be a light no matter what path we take in the future.”
Sowon shared, “I enjoyed spending time with the members every day because of this concert. I felt sad thinking that there won’t be times like this for a while, but I believe this is not the end. I want to wrap it up happily with that thought,” showing her leadership qualities. However, like the other members, Sowon also shed tears as she looked back fondly on the past 10 years.
Eunha continued, “I think I made the right choice to become a singer. I thought, what if I can’t do it again, but I am grateful to the members, acquaintances, and staff who encouraged and supported me, and I hope you will continue to support and love us in the future.” Umji and Yuju expressed their gratitude to the fans through handwritten letters, concluding the approximately three-hour-long concert.
After the Seoul concert, GFRIEND will continue their Asia tour in March, visiting five cities including Osaka and Yokohama in Japan, Hong Kong, and Kaohsiung and Taipei in Taiwan.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
