K-pop boy group Shinee is back with long-awaited ‘Shinee World’ online concert
- After a three-year hiatus due to military service, the boys from Shinee played online to 130,000 fans from 120 countries
- They played a mixture of songs from their new album and older tunes recalling their vocalist Jonghyun, who died in 2017
It’s been a while, but on Sunday, K-pop band Shinee held their first concert since 2018.
During the event, the group previewed their upcoming new single Atlantis, set to drop on April 12 as part of a reissued, extended version of “Don’t Call Me”.
The Beyond Live show was Shinee’s first concert in three years, coming after three of the band members finished their national service.
According to Shinee’s label SM Entertainment, 130,000 people from 120 countries tuned in to watch the highly-anticipated show live.
More are expected to watch the event over delayed streams, set up for those who want to relive the experience or couldn’t watch it live.
The delayed streams were previously planned to air on April 6 and April 11, but it was announced after the concert that they will now air on V Live on April 13 and April 18.
The event featured a live band and augmented reality (AR) features to enhance the online experience. Shinee’s show also featured XR, or extended reality, elements, creating a more immersive experience for the artists and audience.
The Shinee World show, which draws its name from Shinee’s fandom that is often known as “Shawol”, featured old and new songs from the band which was formed by SM in 2008.
The set list included performances of early-era Shinee songs like Love Like Oxygen and Juliette to B-sides from the “Don’t Call Me” album, as well as hits such as View, Sherlock, and Married to the Music.
Fans on social media praised what they perceived to be the inclusion 0f the voice of Shinee’s vocalist Jonghyun (Kim Jong-hyun), who passed away in December 2017.
After the concert, member Minho posted on his Instagram account a picture from the four members from the Beyond Live stage, reaffirming the band’s intent to keep Jonghyun’s memory and role in the group alive.
“What explanation do you need?” he wrote. “This is Shinee. We are five.”
