Exo wow Thai fans

It was the first time that K-pop kings Exo performed their concerts with six members since Xiumin, 29, and D.O.,26, started military service and their only Chinese member, Lay, 27, was busy in his home country. However, their strong teamwork made their latest concert — Exo Planet #5 Exploration in Bangkok — better than ever. During September 20 to 22, the group — Suho, 28, Baekhyun, 27, Chen, 27, Chanyeol, 26, Kai, 25, and Sehun, 25, — held their three days of performances at Impact Arena and we attended on the second day. 

HIT AFTER HIT 

The show opened with a video of the guys driving racing cars and travelling into a futuristic world. The boys appeared in racing outfits and greeted their fans with the electronic dance track, “Tempo.” The crowd became more hyped up when they guys performed the intense “Transformer” and continued with the fun groove of “Gravity.” Throughout two and half hours, Exo sang 23 songs including a long list of their massive hits —  “Love Shot,” “Overdose,” “Call Me Baby,” “Monster” and “Power” — making their fan club Exo-L joyful.  

SOLO STAR

One of highlights of the show was the solo performances, except rappers Chanyeol and Sehun who performed as a duo called Exo-SC. Generally they’re great rappers, but their rapping on “What a Life” and “Closer to you” was mediocre. Two best solo shows were performed by Chen on the heartfelt ballad “Lights Out” and Kai on his hip-hop dance “Confession.” While the main vocalist Chen mesmerised the crowd with his melodious and powerful voice, the main dancer Kai dazzled the audience with his playful and provocative movements. These two shows seemed too short since we wanted to see more.   

LAID-BACK INTERACTION     

Because September 21 was Chen’s birthday, fans created the words “HBD” “KJ” (Kim Jong-dae is his real name) in the hall. Chen was impressed to know that the fans wore pink for him. He thanked them and said that they made him want to stay in Thailand.   

Exo really had great interaction with their fans, especially during their chat sessions. They usually got close to the fans and even tried to understand what they said. Their casual vibe made us felt like they were hanging out with each of us. 

WAITING FOR AN ENCORE 

The group worked well to fill the gap of the missing three members. On the plus side, we could hear Kai, Chanyeol and Sehun sing more than before, and they had beautiful voices. The chemistry between members was great too. The guys enjoyed themselves so much and kept saying that they could feel great energy from Thai fans. Obviously, Thai Exo-L wanted to see the guys again. After they left the kingdom, the fans’s request for another concert trended on Twitter.