I have finally seen aespa in person, and I have some candid thoughts

    First, my proof. Because, for some reason, people sometimes think I'm lying just to validate my critique of groups that aren't Mamamoo or NJZ.


    PXL_20250209_022311745

    PXL_20250209_011444723


    Photos taken by yours truly.


    Moving on to those candid thoughts I mentioned, I deliberated not only if I would post about this but how, and I decided to keep it short and simple, since I have a pretty big football game to lock into in a bit.


    My friends were eager to hear my take after the concert was done, and I decided to break it down into Block A and Block B.


    During Block A, I thought aespa had incredible visuals and the excitement of the legitimately sold out arena was palpable the moment they took the stage. The stage itself wasn't extremely elaborate, but it effectively added some flash and flair to their performances with some pretty neat visual effects (other than that AWFUL Uncanny Valley virtual idol performance during one of the intermissions).


    ...But I thought I would have to come here and roast aespa. For the entirety of Block A, I don't think there were any live vocals. I don't care if a music show is lipsynced, but when I pay good money for good seats at a concert, I expect some live vocals. I enjoyed the spectacle of the stages, aespa's insane visuals and the electric atmosphere, but the lack of live singing, especially when I know how well they can sing, was starting to get to me.


    However, Block B saved the day. When they came out in the pink hoodies and started performing Spicy, the energy took a total 180. From that point on, I'd say they were 95% live. When Winter (my bias) belted high notes, I could see the strain in her neck from the effort. They performed so well in Block B that it still puzzles me why SM or their Performance Director wouldn't let them cook during the first half.


    I won't get an answer to that question, but the second half was enough to make those questions mostly irrelevant background noise.


    All in all, I was asked by my friends where I would rank the concert compared to all the ones I've been to.


    I excluded the Mamamoo concerts, since I personally don't think it's fair (and they asked me to do so as well), so aespa actually makes my top 3. Which is impressive, considering my frustration with the first half and the weird a.i. intermission that stole Illusion and/or Savage stages from me (wtf SM).


    Winter and Ningning shined the most individually, and I really don't think it was close. No shade to the other two members, but Winter was a lot more...engaged with the crowd than I expected? And Ningning had her game face on for the entire show, which I actually respected. She understood the mission the whole night and delivered. She's now my second favorite member just from how she ate up the stage.


    That's not to say Karina or Giselle were lacking to me, but those two just particularly stood out. And trust me, I know idol stage presence when I see it.


    Anyway, this ended up not being all that short, but I think I at least kept it simple.


    Just be on notice, fellow girl group stans, I will put my money where my digital mouth is, and go see your favorites perform to confirm if all the hyping up you do is legitimate :pepe-devil:

    Quote from CaraFIMIE

    Exxcuuuse you? :meme-u-ok:

    Kpop Superstan on Instagram: "It’s honestly a bit disappointing to see how Naevis, aespa’s AI member, has been largely ignored by fans since her debut. While the focus is often on the real-life members of the group, Naevis, as an integral part of aespa’s…
    40K likes, 407 comments - kpopsuperstanley on January 31, 2025: "It’s honestly a bit disappointing to see how Naevis, aespa’s AI member, has been largely…
    www.instagram.com

    Edited 2 times, last by Yama-Chan ().

    Quote from foreveraespaaa

    Interesting since most people usually say Giselle shines the most and become Giselle stans after concerts :!:


    Unfortunately live singing is becoming rare even with western artist concerts! I understand that they’re dancing song after song but it’s no excuse when people paid to attend your concert and not some festival or music show :/


    Glad you enjoyed!

    I may have been subtly influenced by my equally opionated friend who was roasting Giselle all night.


    I thought she did fine, and she was essentially the host for the night since she's the only member fluent in English.


    But Winter and Ningning were a cut above for me



    Quote from Taemin-Identity

    Good for you Yama. I wish Aespa came to my state :drinktears:

    Also hard agree on Naevis. The song is horrible on top of that.

    I hope SM takes notes feedbacks about lipsinging, cuz aespa can sing, each one of them, and minimise it in their performances

    The LS was pissing me off because aespa can SING. Then i was proven right in the second half of the concert, and I'm left wondering WHY I couldn't get a fully live Supernova.


    And they need to retire the Naevis stage forever

    Quote from Yama-Chan

    A person who paid hundreds of dollars to watch aespa, not see a boring a.i. replica dance around for 5 minutes?

    5 minutes out of an hour or so. You'll live.

    Quote from Yama-Chan

    Why are you trying to make an issue out of this?

    Huh? Am i aware of this?

    Quote from Yama-Chan

    This is MY concert experience, and I'm sharing what I liked and disliked.

    now THISS, I'm aware of, hmmmm :pepe-use-head:

  • AllKill VIP

    As a fellow enthusiast who actually attended a recent tour stop as well, I can attest to what Yama-Chan said.


    Lip-syncing was done for, say, the first 60% of the show. They focused only on choreography. There wasn’t much, if any, effort to hype up the crowd. Everything looked like it was done for the camera, which was what they were trained for.


    It wasn’t until the last 40%, when they came out in pink hoodies and later their tour merch that their live vocals were present. And when this happened, they were great and charismatic!


    This may have been the first live K-pop music show where I didn’t have post-concert depression, likely because I didn’t feel as immersed in the experience.


    But you know what? I hope the haters don’t take this as a “gotcha” moment. I’ve been to aespa’s Outside Lands set in 2023, where they sang live all the way through. Maybe the fact that Giselle was absent forced them to improvise, but they did amazingly well.


    So they CAN do it. It’s simply a production choice to make them lip-sync.

  • AllKill VIP
    Quote from foreveraespaaa

    Interesting since most people usually say Giselle shines the most and become Giselle stans after concerts :!:


    Unfortunately live singing is becoming rare even with western artist concerts! I understand that they’re dancing song after song but it’s no excuse when people paid to attend your concert and not some festival or music show :/


    Glad you enjoyed!

    Most people came in not really caring as much about the vocals or lip-syncing; they were there for the members and for the killing parts of the choreo. Giselle shined there, including her solo stage for "Dopamine."


    Yama went into this concert with the conscious decision to seek out their lip-syncing. He even asked me to tell him if they lip-synced when I went, but I refused to tell him since I didn't want him to have a biased preconception about the show.


    So ultimately, everyone's experience is going to be different. Since I also care about live vocals when I attend a concert, I can vouch for Ningning and Winter being the strongest vocally.


    But Giselle did her thing when it came to dance, which is impressive when you consider how far she has come with that.

    Quote from selfmate

    interesting


    cheers for the feedback


    but for the live singing/lipsyncing issue would there be anything else you would say aespa (or SME) could improve on your concert experience?

    Their crowd work wasn't great. When I went to Twice and Mamamoo's concerts, it really felt like a party with idols and fans vibing with each other and feeding off the energy of the moment.


    They were just more fun. That's not the strength of every group, especially one with the concepts and vibes of aespa, but when they DID interact with the crowd, it was cute and funny, so I know they're capable.

    Quote from supa

    What is your top 5 ranking?

    Concerts?


    1. Mamamoo (The Moosical Concert specifically)

    2. Twice

    3. aespa

    4. BLACKPINK

    5. KCON NY 2016


    I left out NewJeans at Lollapalooza since it was a music festival but I'd slot them in at 2 if you count that and Moonbyul at 3 if I count her solo concert last year

    I cared because I really, really wanted to hear aespa's live vocals, and I would have been legitimately livid if they didn't sing live the entire show.


    Like I said earlier, the second half of the concert validated my initial rage, because they were amazing and my opinion completely reversed.


    Giselle did really well, but vocals and stage presence usually grab me more than dancing.

  • AllKill VIP
    Quote from Yama-Chan

    I cared because I really, really wanted to hear aespa's live vocals, and I would have been legitimately livid if they didn't sing love the entire show.


    Like I said earlier, the second half of the concert validated my initial rage, because they were amazing and my opinion completely reversed.


    Giselle did really well, but vocals and stage presence usually grab me more than dancing.

    Yup, that's exactly what I mean. I'm just explaining to foreveraespaaa why your opinion differs from others'.


    You and I aren't so different in that we prioritize vocals. Live vocals matter a ton, but they don't have to be perfect. SM should just let their idols really sing live.


    aespa's first half of the concert felt like they were just going through the motions of what they were trained to do with the choreo. There wasn't much of an effort to engage with the crowd.


    But this likely wasn't the members' fault. It was probably the company's decision.


    The second half, when they sang live and got to improvise whatever they did onstage, it finally started to feel like a true concert experience.

    Quote from icyruios

    I will never understand why SM makes them lipsync when they can sing so well, especially for a concert that fans paid for

    Performance capability and singing skills are not the same things.


    You may be able to hit the notes in say one 30 minute-1 hour set or in studio but when you have back to back shows for six months and have to perform over and over again it’s entirely possible that aespa is simply not capable of that. Your skill in these circumstances is NOT the same as your over all skills.


    An average vocalist may have much more stamina than a skilled vocalist who will lose their skills when they are tired.


    Aespa look dead on their feet in so many performances, literally no energy. It’s not surprising they don’t sing live.

  • AllKill VIP

    I was going to mention the potential of burnout, but I forgot. That could be a very real possibility as to why aespa didn't sing live for the first half.


    They can for a 45-minute festival set, but it's a different story when it comes to a concert where they have to perform for approximately 2 hours (without the VCRs, talking segments, etc.) each time during a world tour.

    It is not exclusive to Aespa tho.

    Same happened with Red Velvet, Riize and SHINee who toured in last 2 years.


    It is more of an SM issue.

    Back in the day when Taemin started doing solo concerts he performed all his songs live. After Covid everything changed at SM. Most of their acts started lipsinging.

    But then in 2023-2024 with Shinee they sang half or 2/3rd of the concert live.

    This has nothing to do with what I said.


    No I don’t think SM is “making” anyone do it. It’s entirely possible all those acts are simply not capable of live performance any more. Taemin for example has indeed suffered severe voice deterioration. So that’s not surprising for me at all.

    Quote from ISaidISaid

    This has nothing to do with what I said.


    No I don’t think SM is “making” anyone do it. It’s entirely possible all those acts are simply not capable of live performance any more. Taemin for example has indeed suffered severe voice deterioration. So that’s not surprising for me at all.

    Lol how Taemin suffered voice deterioration when he is performing live his most vocally challenging songs recently😭


    This is from 2 months ago and it is completely live. There is no backtrack, only backtrack for some harmonies and background vocals…

    I don’t think Guilty and Heaven are easy to sing songs

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  • AllKill VIP
    Quote from Taemin-Identity

    Lol how Taemin suffered voice deterioration when he is performing live his most vocally challenging songs recently😭


    This is from 2 months ago and it is completely live. There is no backtrack, only backtrack for some harmonies and background vocals…

    I don’t think Guilty and Heaven are easy to sing songs

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    Also doesn’t prove anything. You can be good for some months and bad for some months. That’s how vocals are. You have to rest and recover and manage yourself. For many months in between taemin used to struggle so much to sing. This was even a topic of debate in many forums and social media. When it comes to vocals, some can go on continuously some need many months break etc etc.


    So I stand by what I said : vocal skills =/= ability perform. If aespa had the ability to perform live for 10-20 back to back dates they will.

  • AllKill VIP
    Quote from Yama-Chan

    Their crowd work wasn't great. When I went to Twice and Mamamoo's concerts, it really felt like a party with idols and fans vibing with each other and feeding off the energy of the moment

    I think it's because their discography

    When i watched on youtube for example snsd and aespa concert they are both my bias but the vibe was different


    Snsd concert felt like a real party cuz they had a lot of joyful, fun songs where you can just have fun


    Sadly i think this type of song are missing from aespa discography

  • AllKill VIP

    Great report.


    I have no clue about Taemin specifically but Isaid is spitting hard truths. And it's not even the idols' fault tbh. It is physically impossible to do choreo and sing on pitch without massive autotune.


    This is why Aespa disappoints me. If you're lipsyncing or being backed by 120decibel backtracks, at least make your stages and choreo energetic af. I only see Karina bringing it consistently, there is a reason why she is the It Girl (beyond her A tier looks and personality).


    Even mah girl Morissette cannot sing well while dancing, this is what she sounds like sitting down and singing one of the toughest pop songs ever made (her performance will make anyone cry):

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    And this is what she sounds like having to do a much easier song but doing it while dancing (she is flat on every single note):

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  • AllKill VIP
    Quote from superyeah

    aespa's first half of the concert felt like they were just going through the motions of what they were trained to do with the choreo. There wasn't much of an effort to engage with the crowd.


    But this likely wasn't the members' fault. It was probably the company's decision.


    The second half, when they sang live and got to improvise whatever they did onstage, it finally started to feel like a true concert experience.

    I think it's just part of SM vision


    I remember how during SNSD i got a boy era they were criticize for lip syncing the entire first week

    And SM had to made a statement saying that it was because for the first week they prefer to focus on the dancing and performance to give a flawless stage

    Before live singing the next week


    I think it's a way to please everybody and i think it's possible that they work like this for concert too


    Most of the first part of the show is made of "title track" song so i guess they prefer to lip sync there to give to people the "flawless" performance that they can see in music show etc...

    (Which is the reason why some people go to concert to be able to see the same performance that they see on their computer screen)


    And the second half is mostly made of bsides and more engaging and fun songs like spicy and bahama, live my life

    So it's probably why they decide to sing here cuz live singing make some people more engage in the show like yama or you


    Considering that not everybody go to a concert for live singing, or performance etc... And each people go for different reasons

    I think it's the better way to find a good middle to everybody expectations.


    But i get it if someone who is very focus on live singing comes out as frustrated


    Personnally i don't really mind, i would actually think i would like a good middle

    Cuz i remember when i attended BP concert and they were sometimes some false notes it completely took me out of the concert experience for 3-4 minutes before refocusing.



    This is a good attitude to have. At least you are realistic and dont act like those crazies in YT comments or on TW pretending their faves are actually singing live lol.


    And this is every fanbase, not just MYs, Blinks, Tokkis, Wizones, etc. I dont know whether to laugh or cry when i read fans chest thumping about their faves vocals, so many kids that think that their faves are actually singing live when 99 percent of the time (i am not exaggerating either, i'm pretty sure this is the actual percentage) their faves are lipsyncing, being swamped by 100 decibel background vocals, or are being autotuned.


    This is what actual live raw unautotuned vocals sound like. And tbh Stayc prob sound better than 99.9 percent of the rest of Kpop and local pop. Not sure there are even 10 Kpop or American acts that could sound better while doing the choreo. So Bad is no picnic either it's challenging in parts.

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    Quote from ISaidISaid

    Also doesn’t prove anything. You can be good for some months and bad for some months. That’s how vocals are. You have to rest and recover and manage yourself. For many months in between taemin used to struggle so much to sing. This was even a topic of debate in many forums and social media. When it comes to vocals, some can go on continuously some need many months break etc etc.


    So I stand by what I said : vocal skills =/= ability perform. If aespa had the ability to perform live for 10-20 back to back dates they will.

    lol Taemin started to sing live much more after he left SM. He never sang Guilty and Heaven live until he left SM btw. He only sang guilty under SM in Killing Voice. After he left SM he sang Guilty and Heaven live multiple times already.

    Taemin is touring currently for half a year already(and will continue for some more months), and he is singing all of his very demanding ballads live. He is only lipsinging songs with incredibly hard choreos because he only focuses on dancing. His last performance at Gayo Daejejon was also live, while in SM he didn’t sing live at award shows since Covid.

    Also during Guilty promotions he didn’t sing it live on music shows, while he sang Sexy in The air and Horizon live during promo.


    It is okay to admit that it is an SM issue.

    I don’t know about what period you are talking about when Taemin struggled to sing live, but as a person who follows him on daily basis I didn’t see it recently. Even at Shinee concerts(2023-2024) when only 3 of Shinee members toured because Onew was in hiatus, in second half of the concert where they sang live he took all Jonghyun and Onew parts to himself.

  • AllKill VIP
  • AllKill VIP
    Quote from BlackpinkHouse

    chest thumping about their faves vocals, so many kids that think that their faves are actually singing live when 99 percent of the time

    I mean, i'm not stupid to actually think that people can realistically sing perfectly live for 2 hours non stop while dancing

    When 99% of them look exhausted in their behind the scene video of music show recording after performing just 1 song

    All your examples prove nothing and only showcases how you never understood what I said. So I won’t bother continuing this debate.


    Aespa don’t sing live continuously because they can’t sing live continuously. That’s all I’ll say on that.

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