Korean singer Lee Mu Jin visited the U.S. for his first overseas solo concert on January 27th. Taking place at the Pechanga Resort & Casino, the singer’s one-night-only concert was thoughtfully prepared, with a special setlist for fans in the U.S., plenty of witty and funny moments, and even instances of awkwardly charming fan service.
The evening began with some games for the audience while waiting for the show to start. With fans having traveled from as far as Suwon and Gwangju, Korea for it, the MC made sure to give these individuals special gift bags for their dedication. Other gift bag recipients included those who answered riddles or trivia questions about Lee Mu Jin correctly. As the venue began to fill up, the fight to answer the questions became more and more lively and competitive, and the audience all but forgot about the wait because of how much they were having fun. The final pre-show program was karaoke, in which brave audience members stepped on stage to sing songs by or affiliated with Lee Mu Jin. The winner was chosen by the crowd’s cheers, and as the karaoke participants stepped off stage, the evening’s live band stepped on, indicating that the show was finally starting.
The concert began after a polite greeting from Lee Mu Jin, introducing himself to the audience and thanking everyone sincerely for coming to his first overseas concert. Then, the beginning instrumentals for “Fall in Fall” could be heard as the singer jumped straight into the music. Lee’s slightly raspy yet soft vocals paired perfectly with the live band, as the instruments highlighted his voice without drowning it out. The soloist went through several of his own popular songs, such as “Whistle,” “Astronaut,” and “Ordinary Confession,” which range in genre from jazz to folk to ballad. Also known for his participation in various K-drama soundtracks, Lee performed several OSTs as well. Sad songs such as “Rain and You” from Hospital Playlist 2 were paired with atmospheric background videos like one of a stone cobble street on a rainy night, which evoked such emotional from the crowd that some fans were seen shedding tears. In contrast, cute romantic songs such as “Sweet” from Business Proposal were met with loud cheers from the crowd, and couples in attendance swayed and sang the lyrics to one another.
On his show on YouTube, Lee Mu Jin Service, the singer is usually making conversation full of awkward dad jokes and performing covers with guest artists. Creating an atmosphere like a live taping of an episode, Lee also prepared several covers throughout the evening and engaged in small talk and silly banter with the audience. After each OST he performed, he’d ask the audience if they’d seen the drama yet, taken by surprise when some were more popular than others. There were a lot of “ums” and awkward pauses, and in moments his dad jokes didn’t garner as many laughs as he’d hoped, he would simply apologize and move on, speaking faster and faster each time.
The singer treated the crowd to vocal covers in both English and Korean. Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” was the first cover of the evening, amping the crowd up with the sultry jazzy vibe of the song. Lee also performed Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours,” making this his first performance of this song in full, Don McLean’s “Starry Night,” which was met with applause that lasted nearly a minute long, Han Young Ae’s “Anyone There?,” which he previously performed on music audition show, Sing Again. He also performed, Song Chan Sik’s “First Confession” and Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect,” as encore songs. Whether it was a Korean song or an English song, each track was made easy to sing along to, as the side screens of the stage displayed both the live video of Lee performing and the lyrics of each song.
Even with all of the amazing talking segments and musical performances, the undoubted highlight of the show was Lee’s performance of his first single, “Traffic Light.” Nearly everyone in attendance knew the lyrics by heart and sang along, and as the song approached the end of the second verse, the singer suddenly walked backstage, only to appear moments later walking through the crowd. Lee walked slowly through as many sections of the floor as possible, singing and greeting the primarily older audience with respectful bows. Finally making his way back to the stage, Lee wrapped the song up with his final wishes and hopes that everyone was able to create beautiful memories of the evening through his music. Especially with it being his first single, the song and thoughtful words felt all the more meaningful at his first overseas show.
With a well curated setlist and a glimpse into his naturally goofy personality, Lee Mu Jin’s concert was the perfect showcase of his talent and stage presence. Giving concertgoers the unique experience of seeing his performances live, outside of their small YouTube screens, Lee truly put together a show that was unforgettable.
Click on the photo below to view our photos from the concert:
