It’s been 6 years since Shinhwa member Lee Min Woo (who also goes by ‘M‘ for his solo activities) last had a moshpit at his concert, and it’s such a pity because his concerts are always such a blast, and his ‘Original Intention’ fan concerts last weekend weren’t any different.
The first-gen K-pop idol held four concerts over his birthday weekend, performing 2 shows per day, with fellow Shinhwa member Junjin making a special appearance for the last show. At 45, the singer has amazing stamina to be able to perform 4 hours a day, even ending each show with a hi-bye session where fans were able to get upclose with him!
Having been in the industry since 1998, Lee Min Woo has performed on stage countless times but he somehow always manages to bring something fresh for each new show. This time round, he introduced some of his artworks that he had painted, jokingly telling fans that this was a special docent session for them. He introduced a different art piece for each show, even asking fans about their thoughts on his work. Through his artworks, one may be able to feel all the complicated emotions he had felt while painting them, releasing all his pent-up feelings onto the empty canvas.
M is one of 30 “artainers” whose works are featured at the special art exhibition titled “bbuck on & off”. The term “artainer” was coined to refer to artists who both entertain and create art. The art exhibition is currently ongoing till September 2024 and features works by other famous Korean celebrities such as 2PM member Chan Sung, singer Kim Wan Sun, and actor Go Joon.
While talking about painting and his artworks, M shared that as a celebrity, there are moments where he can’t express his emotions honestly. For example, if someone came up to him and told him that they were a fan, he would have no choice but to smile regardless of his mood. But he is able to pour all his emotions onto the canvas, which is way for him to destress. And you can really tell how much emotions he poured onto the canvas when looking at his artworks.
Since the title of his concert this time was “Original Intention,” fans were invited to submit their memories of their first M concert or first M birthday party, and fans whose entries were selected would join the singer for an intimate fan meeting, which he has been hosting every few months since Shinhwa‘s 25th anniversary last year (the first one being a cycling session with the star). It was a walk down memory lane for long-time fans as old photos and ticket stub images were projected onto the screen.
But of course, a concert isn’t a concert without music, and those who have followed K-pop for a while should know that M shines on stage as a performer. As the best dancer in Shinhwa (agree to disagree, Junjin fans), he executes his dance songs almost effortlessly, with explosive energy that reverberates throughout the concert hall. That energy almost seems contagious with the audience going crazy enjoying the music, jumping and dancing along with him as he performed hits like Minnovation, Taxi, I’m Here, Thriller, The ‘M’ Style, and fan favourite Bump!
What non-fans may not know is that Lee Min Woo also has a great voice and he’s actually one of the vocalists in Shinhwa. His latest single, “Again” is a ballad featuring Im Hyunsik of BTOB and this was the first time he performed it live, and perhaps it was the sad lyrics or the way Min Woo sings it soulfully but you could hear some fans sobbing in the background.
My personal favourite segment of the concert though was the acoustic live session with just a guitarist. During this section, fans were invited to sing-along to his sweet ballads like I ‘M’ U, If You, and Last, First Kiss. The singer joked that Shinhwa Changjo (Shinhwa‘s fandom name) was the best at fan chants, and while I’m not sure if that’s true, the sounds that filled the hall were so beautiful that when Min Woo said he got goosebumps, it didn’t feel like an exaggeration. He wrapped up each acoustic session with a cover song, singing DAY6‘s You Were Beautiful for the day show, and Eclipse‘s Sudden Shower for the night show. His vocals suited both songs so well that it was hard not to be immersed in the emotions and be mesmerised by the singer.
Although he performed a total of five songs for his encore for the last show (three of which were Shinhwa songs which he performed with Junjin – Orange, I Pray 4 U, Eusha! Eusha!), these concerts felt a lot shorter than his usual shows. Maybe it’s because the singer’s concerts are usually at least 3 hours long, with a much longer set list, so that was the only part I was a little sad about because I still had so much energy to expend even after going for all four shows. But it would have been crazy to expect Min Woo to do 3-hour shows twice a day with barely a break in between. Maybe he will consider just one longer show a day for 2 weekends next time?
Oh, and how could I forget that Min Woo also bought us all coffee/chocolate drinks on his birthday! That was such a sweet gesture on his part, and the iced drinks were a welcome respite from the summer heat. Bonus points for choosing a cafe with an orange interior (not sure if that’s on purpose to match Shinhwa‘s fandom colour but it’s an extra treat for fans). The stamp on the ticket was even an illustration by Min Woo! Talk about attention to detail.
When it was finally time to say bye to Min Woo (and to this article if you’re still here) in person, you could tell how sincere the artiste is, making sure to look each fan in the eyes and greet them, even agreeing to special requests such as selfies, doing cute poses for videos… He’s really a fan service king.
I already can’t wait for the next M concert.
