Baekhyun was adorable in Singapore concert, even when he tripped on stage

They say concerts are all about the vibes and Korean singer Baekhyun certainly lit the stage up at his solo concert on Saturday (Nov 1).

Performing at the Indoor Stadium for the final stop of his solo world tour Reverie, fans went wild as the 33-year-old captivated with his impressive vocals and adorable gimmicks.

Baekhyun, who debuted with the K-pop group Exo in 2012, released his fifth mini album Essence of Reverie in May and he kicked off the tour in June, travelling to 29 cities across Asia, Europe and the US.

Having been an Exo fan since 2014 with Baekhyun as my favourite member, I felt like a teenage girl all over again as the lights dimmed.

He appeared on stage dressed in all black, starting the show with performances of Young, Ghost and Pineapple Slice.

I let out the biggest scream when my favourite song Bambi came on as he donned a cowboy hat and swept me away with his continuous high notes and alluring choreography.

Fans burst out laughing when he tripped over a step before striking his charismatic ending pose. During his talking segment later, he pleaded with fans to forget the embarrassing moment.

"During Bambi, I didn't fall, it was part of the performance," he joked, adding: "I want you to pretend it didn't happen.

"Even as I was exiting the stage, you were still laughing. Anyways, even though I was little embarrassed, isn't that the beauty of a live performance?"

Heading into his next set, he switched into a white shirt and lime green hoodie with a blue cat-eared beanie, performing songs like Black Dreams, Betcha and Candy.

He expertly delivered fan service with his adorable gimmicks from finger-hearts to peace signs.

During one of his talking segments, he also mentioned his Essence of Reverie pop-up store, held in celebration of his fifth mini album, which is open till Nov 16 at Plaza Singapura.

He said: "Even though I'm leaving after one concert day, the Singapore pop-up will be here so I hope you can visit and have fun."

The highlight for me was the encore segment where he returned to the stage dressed in a casual black shirt, ripped jeans and a white flower crown.

Singing Garden In The Air, Baekhyun held up an Exo light stick — a particularly poignant moment for some of us (more on this below) — and asked fans to follow his movements, including goofy ones like brushing his teeth.

He also sang a medley of songs including nostalgic hits such as Beautiful, the original OST soundtrack for Exo's 2014 web drama Exo Next Door, and Dream, his 2016 duet with Korean actress-singer Bae Suzy.

He even performed Paranoia, the debut track from the 2023 League of Legends virtual boy group Heartsteel, three times and got the crowd all fired up.

He ended the concert with Amusement Park, sweetly bidding fans goodbye, and as he disappeared behind the big screen, my adrenaline was quickly replaced by post-concert emptiness.

In Baekhyun's words: "See you again, love you."

Whether 9 or 6 members, fans say: 'Just continue supporting them'

After the concert, I also spoke with fans about the recent controversy over Exo's comeback in December.

Baekhyun is one of the main vocalists in Exo, which also consist of Suho, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, Lay, Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin.

Last week, Exo's agency SM Entertainment announced a group fan-meet Exo'verse on Dec 14 and the release of their eighth full-length album in 2026. However, fans noticed that only six out of the nine members are in the participating roster with Chen, Baekhyun and Xiumin (collectively known as CBX) missing.

Chinese member Lay, who has been out of group activities in the last few years, would be returning.

For the last two years, CBX have been embroiled in legal disputes with SM Entertainment.

CBX stated they intend to reach an agreement with SM Entertainment so that they could participate in the group activities.

I asked how Exo fans feel about the recent news and whether they have hopes for a full-strength comeback with all nine members, also called OT9 in K-pop lingo.

Nikki, a 27-year-old sales rep, said: "The hopes are quite low now because it's not about whether the members want it or not, it's more on the company. And as a long-time SM fan, whatever is happening isn't surprising. What we can do as fans is just to continue supporting them as best as we can."

"Baekhyun really cares a lot about the fans so I think he's going to try his best to make OT9 happen. But in the case where SM and CBX can't reach a mutual agreement, I totally respect CBX's decision because I don't want them to be unhappy and just succumb to SM's demands," said 25-year-old HR manager Britney.

"I'll just support both Exo and CBX separately."

Exo's D.O, also known as Doh Kyung-soo, recently returned to Singapore for his first solo Asia concert tour Do It! on Aug 23 while Exo's Xiumin performed at the Bubbling & Boiling Music and Arts Festival on Sept 13.

[embed]https://youtu.be/Cv6m6kVhQ9A?si=xUm1sRqWuT2A03lk[/embed]

[[nid:724722]]

esther.lam@asiaone.com

No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.