Hypnotic, romantic and ecstatic — Korea’s sweetheart IU gave audiences the very definition of perfection in her “The Winning” concert, polished off with genius theatrics, blissful vocals and an attention to detail never seen before in any other K-pop concert.

IU held encore concerts for her “Hereh” world tour, titled “The Winning,” on Saturday and Sunday at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul, becoming the first K-pop solo female singer to fill the second-largest stadium in Korea. Sunday’s finale marked IU’s 100th solo concert in her 16-year career.


Any expectations the audience members may have had, however high they may have been, were surpassed with flying colors. And quite literally too, with drones embroidering the night sky, and a gigantic Tweety Bird balloon flying over the stadium. Grandiose fireworks also brought about a festive mood for the evening.

Anticipation for “The Winning” was more than high. Not only is IU already famous for flawless performances, but the monumental entrance to the World Cup Stadium had onlookers giddy for what a veteran singer with 16 years under her belt would bring to the historic stage. IU delivered three full hours of flawless performances, stunning an audience of 50,000 with a whopping 26 songs from her outstanding discography.

“I was told that today is my 100th concert, but what makes it more amazing is that it was counted [by a fan],” IU said during Sunday’s concert. “The 99th concert and 101st concert are just as important as a singer, but the fact someone has been out there counting for me — not even my mom does that for me — I don’t know who they are but I feel gratitude as great as the type I have toward my parents.”

“The Winning” concert was divided into five parts, each filled with songs fitting each section's title: hypnotic, including “Holssi” and “BBIBBI” (2018); energetic with “Celebrity” (2021), “Blueming” (2019) and more; romantic filled with ballads such as “Your Meaning” (2014) and “Through the Night” (2017); ecstatic, including "You&I” (2011) and “Love wins all”; and the heroic encore part with “Twenty-three” (2015), “Shh...” and a repetition of “Holssi.”

The incomparable theatrical presentation boosted the show. As opposed to concerts that usually have one main stage at the end of the venue and a smaller protruding stage connected to the main stage, IU had a stage set up on the either end of the stadium and flew over to each in a lift decorated with flowers and more.

Performers danced around the floor of the stadium with different-shaped lanterns, including whales and planets, during the performance of “Ah puh" (2021) giving a carnival-like mood. Even the videos and performances in between the different themes were delicately designed to allow the audience to stay focused on the concerts, in contrast to video sessions in common K-pop concerts that merely seem to fill the gap in time.

With the addition of 1,000 drones used for the light show and the more than generous use of fireworks, the night turned into a frenzy, which was prolonged by IU’s iconic “en-encore” songs. During the encore, she sang an unbelievable eight more tracks.

“If you were here yesterday, you would know that today’s concert is quite different and that’s because of the weather,” IU said, citing Saturday’s rainfall and sudden temperature drop that followed.

“We were told that we couldn’t have the fireworks and drones together because of safety," she said. "So, today’s weather really let me give the best performance of ‘Shopper’ I could ever imagine.”

“The weather was also perfect for my new, self-written song, ‘Bye Summer,’” she added. “I personally don’t like summer, but this year really was the longest summer for me because I’ve been touring around hot cities since March. If you welcome the autumn weather with this song, then you will make me the happiest person this season.”

Attention to detail was evident throughout the concert to give the most optimal experience to viewers. All of the song lyrics were shown on LED screens showing IU’s face, as well as on smaller screens placed throughout the stadium. The visitors were also all given a cushion to sit on and binoculars to watch, the latter of which fervent fans typically bring to concerts to see their stars closer up.

Even before the concert, IU surprised the residents of Sangam-dong, where the stadium is located, by handing out garbage bags with a note asking for residents' understanding ahead of her upcoming concert.

“The binoculars carry a special meaning for me,” IU said. “There's a scene in ‘Shopper’ where I look through a telescope. It symbolizes me setting my goal and working toward that dream. I want you to find your own goal with the telescope that I gave you, however small or big it may be. I hope you achieve triumphs, both small and big, in your everyday life. I hope I can contribute even a little toward finding the courage within yourself.”

“The Winning” came after the 18-city “Hereh” tour, with 31 performances.

IU met with 527,000 concertgoers during the tour, the highest number for a Korean solo female singer. She also was the first Korean soloist to perform at the Philippine Arena and the first female soloist to hold shows at both the Olympic Stadium and the World Cup Stadium.

“The Winning” became the talk of the town even before it took place, especially regarding the preservation of the grass at Seoul’s largest football stadium. The anticipated crowd of 100,000 over the two concerts had football lovers on edge over the condition of the grass for upcoming matches, which IU’s agency EDAM Entertainment paid particular care to.

“We strictly followed the manuals for using the ground to protect the grass,” the agency said. “We took extra care to communicate with the related staff and managers within the venue so as to keep the best condition of the venue.”

IU closed the 185-minute concert promising fans more music.

“I don’t have grand dreams, but my goal is to become a singer who’s just there, looking far into the future,” she said. “I was able to say hello to the world and the gratitude that I felt and whatever other feelings that I had. I’ll put them into good music and come back to you all. Thank you again. I owe everything to you all.”

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]