The Rose Invite You Into Their ‘WRLD’ In NYC

The Rose, the 4-member Korean alt-pop indie band, are back on the road on their third world tour.  The crowd of more than 5,000, filled the Theater at Madison Square Garden to mark the 4th North American stop of their ‘Once Upon a WRLD’ world tour.  Woosung (Sammy), Dojoon (Leo), Taegyeom (Jeff) and Hajoon (Dylan), are back in New York City after last month’s Tribeca Film Festival World Premiere of their documentary ‘The Rose: Come Back to Me’, with a new show concept all their own.

The show’s opening announcements had the crowd laughing and set the tone for what would be a playful atmosphere for the next two hours. The Black Roses, the band’s name for their fandom, not only watched the show but were also asked to be a part of the show. The first five songs of the show, as requested the crowd remained seated and kept their lightsticks off, while the band performed acoustically in the dim lights of the venue, except for a solitary spotlight that alternated highlighting each member. After the opening songs the backdrop, resembling a quilt, and the acoustic set up was removed to reveal a stage that looked like a bedroom set, complete with a bed, couch, chair, and nostalgic accessories that included a working toy train and lava lamp.  In the first ment of the night Sammy told the crowd that they wanted an intimate feel for this tour and wanted to perform in smaller venues. They wanted to break free of the typical performance cadence and they stayed on stage the entire night, performing and telling stories.

The twenty-three song set included songs from their debut to their most recent album, ‘WRLD’. Sammy and Leo told the crowd the story of how they wrote their very first song, ‘Sorry’, which became their debut song.  Leo told the crowd that they did not have the support of songwriters or producers, at the time, but through the process of creating this song they were able to learn how to write and produce on their own and they continue to do so to this day.  Dylan and Jeff described their early days playing music on the streets of Seoul to anyone who would listen, but most of the time half the crowd were their friends. Regardless of their rocky beginnings, now eight years later, the band’s internal comfort level was externally displayed with the cozy, fun vibes of this tour. The show may have kicked off with a slower set, highlighted by Sammy’s haunting but soothing vocals, but the band quickly ramped up the energy that they are known for.  ‘Lifeline, ‘Back to Me’ and ‘Red’, were obvious crowd favorites, eliciting the loudest cheers and sing-alongs of the night. Sammy and Leo kept the energy up with their on-stage antics, a crowd-pleasing display of booty shaking, hip thrusts and bed hopping!

The Rose’s ‘Once Upon A WRLD’ world tour was a non-stop celebration of inclusion.  They want everyone, regardless of age, nationality, life experiences, to know you have a place with them, in their ‘WRLD’. The Rose has come a long way from busking on the streets of Hongdae in Seoul and have hit their stride. They refuse to be restricted to any one traditional genre of music. Their performance made it obvious that they are confident in their identity and are creating the music that they want to create.   That comfort was visibly on display with the set design, ments and performances. Their unfiltered personalities and humor is yet one more reason why this tour is a can’t miss!