So Long, The Rose: Throwback to We Rose You Live in L.A.
A band composed of four members under J&Star Company, The Rose finally made their way to the states with their steadily rising global popularity. Starting off the We Rose You Live world tour in Seoul, the band embarked on a journey to make nine tour stops in America. The Kraze was lucky enough to spot the band on tour at their last U.S. stop in L.A. and experience an unforgettable night.
One step into the venue and one could see hundreds of Black Roses jamming out to one of Queen’s classics, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and LANY’s mellow “Pink Skies.” The show was yet to begin, but the venue was already heated with passionate cheers in the crowd. Despite the hour delay, fans were ready to go all out with the artists’ arrival on stage.
The band was welcomed with a collective wave of enthusiastic screams as they started off with their emotional track “ILY.” The atmosphere soon turned sentimental as Woosung’s rich tone shook the hearts of many and Dojoon’s smooth voice enveloped fans in the soft mood. The track soon merged into “Insomnia” continuing onto “I Don’t Know You.” Slowly but surely, the quartet completely brightened up the atmosphere with “Candy” as Woosung carried on the same lighthearted vibe as he sang “Beautiful Girl.” As a couple of staffers worked to get the stage ready for the next performance, Dojoon spontaneously started singing “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, blessing fans’ ears with his calm, rich tone as Woosung later joined to form an amazing harmony. Moving on with their agenda, the band went on to perform a variety of their releases such as “Like We Used To” from their 2018 Void album, their most recent release “California,” and one of my personal favorites, “She’s In The Rain.”
The Rose performed a series of cover songs that definitely shifted the mood; the band made many fans’ wish come true as they sang the iconic “Breakeven,” “Sign of the Times,” “ILYSB,” “Home,” and “Greed,” bringing back memories of Super Band in which Woosung participated as a contestant and reemphasizing the group’s undefeatable chemistry through their beautiful harmonization. From a personal standpoint, it was truly one of the unforgettable aspects of the show; I mean, where and how are we going to see these iconic cover stages ever again? And to see not just one but five of them sung by The Rose? It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience that one would never want to miss!
The cover series transitioned over into another sequence of songs: solo stages. Dojoon was first up for the solo stages prepared by the band, hyping up the crowd with his very own version of “Hold Back the River.” His soft yet powerful voice instantly excited the fans as they sang along to his simple yet rich acoustic guitar sound. Jaehyeong, the bassist, and Hajoon, the drummer, were up next. Prior to their brilliant duet stage, Jaehyeong surprised many fans as he accidentally knocked over Dojoon’s guitar, and the moment when he dramatically fell to the ground repeatedly crying “sorry” and “expensive” as he fake-cried is still clearly engraved in my mind. But his adorableness was soon gone as he snapped into performance mode. The duo especially surprised me with their outstanding singing skills and instrumental talent as they strummed their own guitars, moving fans with their emotional cover of “Soldier.”
Woosung continued the stream of individual stages with his very own solo “Lonely,” further captivating the crowd and leaving them in sentimental awe. Providing an exceptional amount of fan service, he performed his solo title “face.” From that point on, the concert was full of energetic vibes; with “I Can’t Let You Go,” “Photographer,” “O.M.G,” and “baby,” the band rallied spirit from the crowd. Exiting the stage and returning with the encore chant, the lighting in the venue enhanced the feeling of excitement even more as the band finally concluded the concert with their debut track “Sorry,” their amazing B-side “Take Me Down,” and their latest title “RED.”
The show was full of positive energy as the artists gave their full effort, impressing fans with their stable live skills and amazing performances. Of course, there were also moments that revealed the band’s personality as a whole; motioning to spray water to the audience as a joke, the members were stunned by fans actually encouraging them to do so. Taking Black Roses’ words into consideration, every member of The Rose sprayed water at the crowd, hyping fans up and later thanking them for this special opportunity.
Overall, the We Rose You Live Tour was absolutely one of the most impressive concerts I’ve personally been to. On behalf of The Kraze, thank you so much to MyMusicTaste for bringing the band to L.A. We hope to see The Rose back in the States soon!