O: The 2nd Asia Tour explained

Concert Tour Name:O: The 2nd Asia Tour
Border:yes
Artist:TVXQ
Album:"O"-Jung.Ban.Hap.
Number Of Shows:13
Last Tour:Heart, Mind and Soul Tour
(2006)
This Tour:O: The 2nd Asia Tour
(2007 - 08)
Next Tour:Five in the Black Tour
(2007)

O: The 2nd Asia Tour (stylized as TVXQ! The 2nd Asia Tour Concert "O"), was the second Asia-wide concert tour (third overall) by South Korean pop group TVXQ, launched in support of the group's third Korean studio album, "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. (2006). Selling out almost all shows in arenas and stadiums across Asia throughout 2007 and 2008, it attracted 184,000 people in total.[1]

The tour commenced with three shows in Seoul, South Korea from February 23 to 25, 2007 at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena. The theme of the concert war and peace, which was inspired by the lyrics in their album's lead single, "'O'-Jung.Ban.Hap." The members of TVXQ were presented as warriors of peace, descending to earth to protect humanity from war and corruption. The show was divided into twelve segments, including the encore. The setlist was mostly composed of songs from TVXQ's first three studio albums. The tour concluded in Beijing, China on June 12, 2008, at the Fengtai Stadium.

Background

After embarking on their first Japanese concert tour, the Heart, Mind and Soul Tour, TVXQ returned to South Korea in late 2006 to release their third Korean studio album, "O"-Jung.Ban.Hap. The album sold 350,000 copies in three months, becoming the best-selling album of 2006.[2] On January 8, 2007, TVXQ's agency announced the O Tour and revealed its official promotional poster as well as the tour's plans to perform 14 shows in 7 cities across Asia.[3] The cities included Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur; however, the date for the Hong Kong leg never took place.

Ticket sales for the tour's first three stops in Seoul were made available on January 15, 2007, through Inter Park. The tour kicked off with a three-night residency at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul from February 23 to 25, 2007. It held its first overseas concert in Taipei, Taiwan at the Chungshan Soccer Stadium. Due to severe weather conditions, a second show in Taipei was canceled.

Three encore dates in Seoul were announced in September 2007, and all 33,000 available tickets were sold out within a few minutes, crashing the server of Inter Park.[4] An addition encore concert in Taipei, held at the Taipei Arena, took place on May 10, 2008. The O Tour ended on June 12, 2008, at the Fengtai Stadium in Beijing, totaling 13 shows and attracting 184,000 fans across Asia.

Development and performance

The theme of the concert war and peace, which was inspired by the lyrics in their album's lead single, "'O'-Jung.Ban.Hap." The members of TVXQ were presented as warriors of peace, descending to earth to protect humanity from war and corruption. The stage was much more elaborate than their previous tour, with moving platforms, pyrotechnics, moving props, and wire fu, totaling a cost of US$1.6 million. The members of TVXQ were presented as warriors of peace, with action-packed video interludes.

The set list for the concert consisted of songs from TVXQ's first three Korean studio albums, as well as solo performances by each member. Super Junior's Donghae and Zhang Liyin remained as guest performers throughout the tour; Super Junior's Donghae was featured as a guest rapper for U-Know Yunho's solo performance "Spokesman", a number Yunho comprosed and wrote himself, while Zhang Liyin's vocals were featured in place of BoA's in TVXQ's performance of "Tri-Angle." For the Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok shows, Zhang Liyin performed her debut single "Timeless" with Xiah Junsu. During the Seoul encore shows in October 2007, Super Junior and Girls' Generation made guest appearances. Throughout the three-day encore concerts, Yunho had to perform in a separate stage platform due to a back injury he sustained during rehearsals.

Broadcasts and recordings

The February 23 to 25, 2007 shows in Seoul were recorded for CD and DVD. Prior to the concert's debut, a documentary of the band filming the concert's video interludes and concert rehearsals were aired on South Korea's Mnet. On February 26, Mnet aired a short program featuring the members getting interviewed and rehearsing in the studios. The November 24, 2007, show in Kuala Lumpur were recorded for television, and it aired on Malaysia's Mandarin Astro AEC in February 2008, airing in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.

The CD recording of the first three Seoul concerts were released on June 18, 2007, topping album charts. The CD also came with two bonus tracks, which were studio recordings of Yunho and Junsu's solos. A 2CD+DVD version was released in Taiwan through Avex Taiwan on September 28, 2007. The 2DVD Korean version was released on December 6, 2007, which included a photobook, a calendar, rehearsals, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and an additional music video.

Setlist

This setlist is representative of the shows in Seoul on February 23–15, 2007. It does not represent all concerts for the duration of the tour.

  1. "Phantom"
  2. "Million Men"
  3. "The Way U Are" (Remix version)
  4. "Rising Sun"
  5. "One"
  6. "Believe" (Acoustic version)
  7. "You’re My Miracle"
  8. Xiah Junsu solo: "My Page"
  9. Micky Yoochun solo: "One Last Cry"
  10. U-Know Yunho solo: "Spokesman" (featuring Donghae of Super Junior)
  11. "Hey! Girl"
  12. "I Wanna Hold You"
  13. Max Changmin solo: "When I First Kissed You"
  14. Hero Jaejoong solo: "Crying"
  15. "Drive"
  16. "You Only Love"
  17. "Dangerous Mind"
  18. "Tri-Angle" (featuring Zhang Liyin)
  19. "'O'-Jung.Ban.Hap" (Rearranged)
  20. "Remember"
Encore
  1. "Balloons"
  2. "Hi Ya Ya"
  3. "Unforgettable"
  4. "Hug" (Rearranged)

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenueAttendance
February 23, 2007SeoulSouth KoreaOlympic Gymnastics Arena36,000[5]
February 24, 2007
February 25, 2007
October 5, 2007TaipeiTaiwanZhongshan Soccer Stadium
October 26, 2007SeoulSouth KoreaOlympic Gymnastics Arena33,000[6]
October 27, 2007
October 28, 2007
November 24, 2007Kuala LumpurMalaysiaStadium Merdeka20,000[7]
December 15, 2007BangkokThailandImpact Arena30,000[8]
December 16, 2007
May 10, 2008TaipeiTaiwanTaipei Arena10,000[9]
May 31, 2008ShanghaiChinaHongkou Football Stadium25,000[10]
June 12, 2008BeijingBeijing Fengtai Stadium20,000[11]
Total184,000

Guest acts

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: June 13, 2008 . 동방신기, '39만 관객' 아시아투어 베이징서 피날레 . November 9, 2023 . JoyNews24 . ko.
  2. Web site: 2006 Sales. Music Industry Association of Korea . April 27, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20090314151231/http://miak.or.kr/stat/kpop_2006.htm . March 14, 2009. ko.
  3. News: KBS Global . TVXQ to Tour Asia . January 8, 2007 . May 11, 2015.
  4. News: KBS World . TVXQ's Encore Concert Sold Out . September 17, 2007 . May 11, 2015.
  5. Web site: January 29, 2007 . 2nd Asia Live Tour Concert 'O'-正.反.合 . November 9, 2023 . KBS World . en.
  6. Web site: September 17, 2007 . TVXQ's Encore Concert Sold Out . November 9, 2023 . KBS World . en.
  7. Web site: November 26, 2007 . 말레이시아도 동방신기 매력에 흠뻑…2만여 관객 열광의 도가니 . Malaysia is also immersed in TVXQ’s charm… An audience of over 20,000 people . November 9, 2023 . Sports Kyunghyang . Naver . ko.
  8. Web site: December 17, 2007 . 동방신기 태국 공연, 3만 관객 동원 . TVXQ Thailand performance, 30,000 spectators mobilized . November 9, 2023 . Yonhap News Agency . Naver . ko.
  9. Web site: May 12, 2008 . '대만공연' 동방신기, 1만여 팬 '매료' . TVXQ's 'Taiwan performance' attracts over 10,000 fans . November 9, 2023 . JoyNews24 . Naver . ko.
  10. Web site: June 1, 2008 . 동방신기, 상하이 녹였다..2만5천팬 열광 . TVXQ melted Shanghai... 25,000 fans went wild . November 9, 2023 . Star News . Naver . ko.
  11. Web site: June 13, 2008 . '동방신기' 아시아 투어에 총 39만 관객 몰려 . November 9, 2023 . Sports Chosun . Naver . ko.