"This moment forever" The 75-year-old king of music was still hot. Jo Yong-pil captivated 18,000 people for 150 minutes.
On the afternoon of the 6th, a free performance titled ‘80th Anniversary of Liberation KBS Grand Project - Jo Yong-pil, This Moment Forever’ was held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. ‘This Moment Forever Jo Yong-pil’ is a project that KBS and Jo Yong-pil have collaborated on after long discussions. This is Jo Yong-pil's first solo stage in 28 years since the ‘Big Show’ in 1997 on KBS.
Celebrating his 57th anniversary since debut, Jo Yong-pil holds numerous records, including being the first in Korea to have a million-seller single album, the first to surpass 10 million cumulative album sales in Korea, the first Korean to win the Golden Disk Award in Japan, the first to sell out all seats at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium concert, and the most songs included in music textbooks among domestic pop singers, making him a living legend in the Korean music industry.
This performance was made more meaningful with the participation of the super band ‘Great Birth’ (leader Choi Hee-sun (guitar), Lee Tae-yoon (bass), Choi Tae-wan (keyboard), Kim Sun-joong (drums), Lee Jong-wook (keyboard)), who provided the best stage with Jo Yong-pil.
At 75, Jo Yong-pil performed 28 songs for about two and a half hours without any guests, connecting with 18,000 audience members. Wearing a white jacket and sunglasses, Jo Yong-pil opened the performance with ‘The Unknown World’. He then lifted the atmosphere with songs like ‘Can’t Find the Cuckoo’, ‘Pride’, and ‘Oh, You’.
Jo Yong-pil greeted the audience saying, “Hello everyone, you’ve waited a long time, right? Thank you for the warm welcome.” He expressed, “This moment forever,” hoping it would be remembered for a long time.
As Jo Yong-pil's hit songs like ‘Reunion in Memories’, ‘The Woman Outside the Window’, ‘Candlelight’, and ‘Yesterday, Today, and’ followed, the audience naturally sang along. Jo Yong-pil encouraged audience participation during ‘Short Hair’ and ‘Dragonfly’ to create an enjoyable performance together.
When he performed ‘Empty Space’, ‘The Teahouse of That Winter’, ‘Q’, and ‘Come Back to Busan Port’, the audience stood up and sang along. The diverse audience, including mothers and daughters, friends, and couples, became one through Jo Yong-pil's songs.
Jo Yong-pil's thoughtful consideration for fans was evident as lyrics were displayed on screen to sing along with the songs. The free cheering sticks prepared by Jo Yong-pil and KBS changed colors with the music, making the performance even more beautiful.
With performances of songs like ‘Forgotten Love’, ‘It’s Okay’, ‘Dream’, ‘Where Your Footsteps Stop’, ‘Song of the Wind’, ‘Eye of the Sun’, ‘Flame of Asia’, ‘I Like You’, ‘Moment’, ‘Youth Era’, and ‘Mona Lisa’, the audience enjoyed the moment shouting “Jo Yong-pil”.
For the encore, Jo Yong-pil sang ‘The Leopard of Kilimanjaro’, ‘Bounce’, and ‘Let’s Go on a Trip’ to bid farewell. It was a performance that made clear why junior artists like IU, Park Jung-hyun, and Younha respect him as “the one and only living legend.” Jo Yong-pil showcased his unyielding passion, energy, and unchanged stage manners for two and a half hours, demonstrating why he is called the ‘National Singer’ and ‘King of Music’.
A man in his 50s who came from Gwangju said after the performance, “I got to see the concert thanks to my daughter,” and gave a thumbs up, saying, “It was really an exciting performance.” A woman in her 60s said, “My nephew booked it for me,” and added, “What more can I say? It was the best.” A woman in her 20s said, “I came with my mom, and it was so good,” smiling, “I understand why they call him a ‘living legend’.”
A representative from Gocheok Sky Dome also mentioned, “There have been large-scale concerts by top domestic and international artists like Maroon 5, BLACKPINK, Dua Lipa & Charlie Puth, and Lim Young-woong at Gocheok Sky Dome. This performance for the 80th anniversary of liberation, ‘This Moment Forever - Jo Yong-pil’, was one of the largest among them,” adding, “It was especially noticeable that a lot of care was taken with the stage. The LED, lighting, sound, fireworks, and special effects made the stage unique and great.”
The production team of ‘This Moment Forever’ expressed, “We sincerely thank the 18,000 audience members who came together to genuinely enjoy the performance despite the rain,” stating, “It was a day when everyone united as one with the king of music, Jo Yong-pil, without any incidents. We will show the heat of the scene on the broadcast.”
The heat of that passionate scene, the moment of the performance united by the king of music Jo Yong-pil, can be confirmed on KBS2 on October 6th.
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
