They came, they performed, they conquered.
Held at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (18th March), the Malaysian leg of EXO’s (엑소) “EXO Planet #3 The EXO’rDIUM” was easily one of the most memorable K-Pop concerts we’ve attended so far.
Like last year’s “EXO’LuXion”, the long awaited concert was organised by Star Planet (星艺娱乐) and it attracted 15,000 EXO-Ls from Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, China, and South Korea. However, it only saw the presence of 8 EXO members as Lay (full name Zhang Yixing) had “other commitments” to deal with at the time. The idol will also be skipping the Singaporean and North American shows.
Hours before the show started, dedicated fans have already gathered at the venue. While some EXO-Ls arrived early to stand in queue, others swarmed Stadium Merdeka to catch up with fellow fans from the same fan club. Because time flies when you’re talking about your favourite K-Pop star 🙂
When we entered the stadium at about 7:30pm, we saw an incredible sight as fans illuminate the venue with their light sticks. While waiting for their idols to appear, excited EXO-Ls sung along to the songs that were being broadcasted. It was pretty evident to us that they came prepared because memorising Korean lyrics is no easy task.
At around 8pm, the floodlights dimmed and EXO appeared on stage to perform a remix of their hit dance number, “MAMA”. The members, all dressed in sleek black outfits, swept the audience off their feet with their powerful choreography and stage manner. After that, they performed a couple of upbeat numbers such as “Monster” and “Wolf” (늑대와 미녀). Our favourite part of the segment was when the boys (especially Kai) sexily danced to “Artificial Love” with a walking stick, which sent the crowd wild.
After energising the crowd with their high powered dance moves, the boys went to change their outfits. While waiting, fans were entertained with a VCR that showed the members doing various fun activities such as playing pool and dancing. Although Lay wasn’t around, EXO-Ls didn’t forget to chant his Chinese name when he appeared on the big screen.
Once the clip ended, the boys returned onstage with “Unfair” (불공평해). This time, the boys were clad in white shirts. With Chanyeol playing the guitar, they then sung an acoustic medley of “My Lady”, “My Turn To Cry”, “Moonlight” (월광), “Call Me Baby”, and “Love Love”. Needless to say, their heavenly vocals made fans’ hearts flutter.
Without wasting time, the boys proceeded to sing a couple of tracks off their 2nd repackaged album. This includes “Love Me Right”, “Tender Love”, and “What If…” (시선 둘, 시선 하나).
There were many unforgettable moments throughout the night, one of them being an early birthday surprise for Xiumin, whose actual birthday is on 26th March. When Xiumin was changing his clothes for his next performance, Sehun instructed fans to sing a birthday song for him when he comes out. As planned, EXO-Ls sang “Happy Birthday” loudly when the idol stepped out.
“I’m thankful for the surprise. I feel so good but I feel so shy right now,” said Xiumin bashfully.
Another main highlight of the night for us was Sehun, Chanyeol, and Xiumin’s special rap performance called “Do It Together” (같이해). The track, which sounded very similar to Keith Ape’s “It G Ma” (잊지마), perfectly displayed the trio’s intense rap skills. Who said idols can’t do underground hip hop? On a side note, we sincerely hope that the track will have an official release because it is dope af.
The rap performance was followed by their last segment, which is a club-themed stage that consists of “Full Moon”, “Drop That”, “EXO Keep On Dancing”, “Lucky”, and “Run”. One VCR later, EXO ended the show with “Growl” (으르렁), “Lucky One”, and “Into Your World” (너의 세상으로).
“I really had so much fun today. I felt that your presence means that you guys waited for us for so long. We’re under the same rain now and it feels like we’re falling in love together. I love you guys so much,” said Baekhyun.
Despite being one of the biggest K-Pop concerts in Malaysia, there were 2 things that disappointed us.
Firstly, the boys had to cut out some tracks due to the outdoor venue. After comparing the Malaysian show with the tour’s other legs, we found out that the boys didn’t perform “Let Out The Beast” and “Cloud 9”. After watching fancams from “EXO’rDIUM in Seoul”, we felt that they could still perform the aforementioned songs on an outdoor stage.
Secondly, aside from Sehun, Chanyeol, and Xiumin’s special performance, there weren’t any other solo stages. We were hoping to see the group’s first sub-unit, EXO-CBX, sing “Hey Mama!” or “Crush U”.
But all in all, we have to say the concert was a good experience and we hope to see Lay the next time the group visits Malaysia.
Special thanks to our friends from Star Planet for extending the invite. See you next time, EXO 😉
For more information, hit up Star Planet’s Facebook page.
