[Newsboy]
Hot Response over All Aspects of Taiji Encore Concert on TV,
March, 5, 2001

Written by Song Byunghun
Trans. By Dream of Balhae


2000-2001 Seo Taiji Band Encore Live Concert was aired on TV, last Sunday (Mar. 4th). The Encore concert was held at Chejo Stadium in Seoul Olympic Park on Feb. 3rd. After watching the program on TV, Taiji Fans and other netizens are expressing their explosive responses to the concert all over its aspects such as sound, vocal, stage manner, direction, etc. They are continuously posting their requests of its rerun on the web board of MBC, the TV station which aired the concert, as well as on the websites of Taijimania, Taijizone, Seokihei, and Seosahei, the most widely known Taiji Fanclubs. Although some expressed their worry about whether the heroicization of Taiji goes too far, along with the debate between Taiji Fanclubs and other Fanclubs, the main stream of response was that it was really moving to watch such a concert performed in our country. What was most impressive in the concert besides Taiji¡¯s musical talent was the scene he tore into shreds a piece of newspaper, which has been in uncomfortable tension with Taiji by keeping spreading out groundless stories about him. As for this act that might cause a backlash of the press to check his musical activities, one netizen notes; ¡°What I liked most today was that he stamped down the big powers of the entertainment world. Today, Taiji warned the press, one of the big powers of our culture, by tearing up the newspaper before all the people in the Sunday golden hours of TV. This is why I follow him. Didn¡¯t some say Rock is music of defiance? Taiji took the Rock spirit into action.¡± With regard to the fans who sobbed during and at the end of the concert, another netizen posted her feelings; ¡°When he ended the song Si-Dae-Yu-Gam (Regrettable Times), Taiji asked, ¡®Were all your han(spite) vented? Or not enough still?¡¯ Han(spite)¡¦Is there any other word than this that Taiji and his fans feel so acute? So many days of incidents and sufferings we had to have as Taiji fans¡¦ The outer world didn¡¯t leave Taiji and his fans alone. Many things happened to make our heart painful. So our han deepened. Taiji fans didn¡¯t cry just over the sad mood of the concert ending¡¦They cried cuz all the so far deepened emotions blew up all at once.¡± The public opinion, arising not just on the margin of our music scenes but all over our social strata, is gaining power that our music market, both deformed and deforming our music scenes, should not be left to keep going in its current direction. There are signs that the day for restructuring of the music scenes is coming closer. Only through such a renewing transformation can our music regain its place in the affection of all our people. That is why Taiji and his fans with their capacity of supporting the transformation are important. Taiji promises a future innovation for our music scenes, not staying as a star. It is one of the reasons that with certain expectations, we keep our attention to him and his fans.