P1Harmony, Auckland NZ, 2023

P1Harmony

24th September 2023
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Georgette Singer. Photography by Tom Grut.

Excitement for Kiwi K-Pop fans builds quickly in Spark Arena among a mix of eclectic individuals who have travelled from every corner of Aotearoa. Australians, too, join the roaring Kiwi crowd, with diehard fans coming to see P1Harmony one last time before their leg of the Australasian tour ends. In my personal and biased opinion, K-Pop fans are some of the most friendly, humble and giving individuals at concerts. I watch over the crowd as groups of friends rush to meet new people and hand out a range of freebies in the spirit of ‘just because’. Taking home souvenirs from various concerts has now surpassed the standard official merch band T-shirt. Instead, a community-based giving initiative adds to this exciting experience.

The lights drop, and the crowd roars as a neon green globe and the words P1ONEER appear on the back screens of Spark Arena. High-tech light sticks (no, not your standard glow sticks) decorate the black sea of seats and turn the audience view into a lighting extravaganza. My light stick flashes through an array of red, orange, turquoise, purple and blue while the inner reflector whirls as I wave and cheer. The K-Pop industry knows precisely how to put on a show – with interactive, branded electronics for each and every group.

The six members of P1Harmony appear onstage as the music builds and the smoke screen parts. Dark silhouettes of Keeho, Theo, Jiung, Intak, Soul and Jongseob are enough to make the audience scream louder. I didn’t think I could possibly yell louder, but my body took over, and I do. The excitement of seeing a Korean pop group, whom I see most weekends on shows like Inkigayo and Music Bank, feels so surreal to me.

Pyrotechnics burst into the air. Again, the crowd screams louder. It’s happening!

P1Harmony starts their sensational show with the hit ‘Look At Me Now’, and the chants from the crowd appear louder than the burst of flames coming from the front of the stage. Red and orange lights flash as the six-piece member group showcases not only their incredible vocal range and charismatic charms but some of the most intricate choreography I’ve seen – and that’s coming from a dance teacher! Dressed in dark blue military jackets with slick hairstyles a mixture of handheld and headset mics, the start of their show is an overwhelmingly good experience for your senses.

I scream as Hwang In-Tak (Intak) winks at the audience while effortlessly rapping and dancing around the stage. ‘Back Down’ from their smash EP, HARMONY: SET IN, in 2022, is the second hit and Spark Arena is hit with another huge wave of fan vocalisation. The set transitions to an all-green, vibrant light show as we scream ‘Back Down’ after the six members in classic K-Pop fan chant style. Fan chants, made famous by the Korean Pop industry, are shared far and worldwide, giving audience participation a new meaning.

Smashing their way through their extensive discography with the songs, ‘Scared’, ‘End it’ and ‘Black Hole’, P1ece, the fandom name, notice quickly that one member is missing from the dance routines. We soon learn that Haku Shota, their Japanese member, otherwise known as Soul, has injured himself. The band’s leader, Yoon Kee-ho (Canadian-born Keeho), translates Soul’s Korean words to P1ece, and explains that he is devastated he is injured but is adamant about continuing his part in tonight’s concert so he sits at the side of the stage to sing and continue his interactions with the fandom near the front rows. Lucky fans catch flying kisses from Soul as he dances from his torso upwards, waves and talks to everyone. Seeing idols in show with injuries, is a common occurrence in the K-Pop industry, with the intensity of the dancing and strain on these amazing performers’ bodies.

After their explosive intro, all six members take turns to introduce themselves, and Kiwi fans give every member a warm welcome to Aotearoa. Choi Ji-ung (Jiung) delights us with his Te reo Māori knowledge, “Kia ora, it’s Jiung!!!”. I’d be surprised if the neighbouring buildings didn’t hear our screams with more local reo from Kim Jong-seob (Jongseob), their bad boy maknae (youngest member) and the encouragement from Choi Tae Yang (Theo), “Louder! I can’t hear you, louder, more!”.

Leader Keeho explains the name behind their tour, P1oneer; “Like the name, we will always show you a new way, a new journey, and we will continue to work hard”.

The stage lights change to a more moody setting, and Theo returns wearing an elegant black outfit while covering the song ‘21’ by Dean. Purple lights shimmer across Theo’s solo stage, and his vocal range is spectacular. These men aren’t average by any means, and each one of them can hold their own. Soul treats the audience to another slow melody with his cover of ‘Hug Me’ by Joonil Jiung, sitting on a seat under a night sky backdrop, with an open window under a full moon. Next to tear up the stage is Jiung with his cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Love Never Felt So Good’ as he moonwalks into our hearts like a smooth criminal. Keeho’s voice is, again in my very biased opinion, one of the most underrated in the entire K-pop industry. Effortlessly, he reaches the high runs and falsetto in Beyonce’s ‘Déjà vu’.

Seriously, if it’s all you do this week, you need to head to YouTube and watch Keeho covers.

K-Pop collects new fans because of its vibrancy. I’m not just talking about the passion the artists have for their craft, but the fanservice that stretches beyond the stage. After a massive two hour show, with spectacular vocals, incredible dance breaks, and multiple costume changes, the crowd refuses to leave and chants for an encore for an entire 2 minutes. Success! The guys return to perform another six songs and of course, their ‘end ment’. A term I hadn’t heard five years ago, and now something engrained into the fabric of every K-Pop concert I see. Idols from South Korea prepare messages and thank-you speeches for the fans at the finale of every show. Perhaps a way to continue to practice humility within this massive industry, the idols take their time to thank the fans, express their own emotions about how they felt their performances went and promise to return again. All six members repeat the same sentence, “The energy Kiwis have is so electric, so amazing!”.

P1Harmony are hardworking, incredible artists who definitely deserve a new listener on Spotify. Add their latest album HARMONY: ALL IN to your playlist today. Join the K-Pop fandom and enter into a new world of discovery. You won’t regret it!

Were you there at Spark Arena in Auckland for this high energy K-Pop gig? Or have you seen P1Harmony perform live some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Look at Me Now
2. Back Down
3. Scared
4. Me Too
5. That’s It
6. End It
7. Black Hole
8. 21 [DEAN cover] [Performed by Theo]
9. Hug Me [Jung Joon Il cover] [Performed by Soul]
10. Déjà Vu [Beyoncé cover] [Performed by Keeho]
11. Love Never Felt So Good [Michael Jackson cover] [Performed by Jiung and Keeho]
12. Bow Wow [Performed by Intak and Jongseob]
13. Secret Sauce
14. Follow Me
15. Gotta Get Back
16. Love Me For Me
17. Doom Du Doom
18. JUMP
19. Do It Like This
20. Intro; Breakthrough [encore]
21. Speaker [encore]
22. Swagger [encore]
23. More Than Words [encore]
24. good 4 u [Olivia Rodrigo cover] [encore]
25. AYAYA [encore]

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only. This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product using an affiliate link, Ambient Light will automatically receive a small commission at no cost to you.}

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