As the towering LCD screen in the center of the stage slid open, aespa, in their long glittering-white dresses, were met with screams from a feverishly packed Prudential Center on Wednesday, February 11.
The fourth-gen girl group is in the midst of their Synk: Parallel Line Tour with tons of new music, including their first full album, Armageddon, their latest mini album, Whiplash, and solo tracks from each of the group’s four members. Armageddon went viral multiple times with the “Body Bang” beat drop moment on the song “Supernova.” The most recent release, Whiplash, combines dark, futuristic, metallic visuals with high-fashion styling and a strutting beat.
The choreography showcased the group’s interconnectedness while still allowing the members’ individual personalities to shine on stage. The show was thoughtfully planned and regimented to give the girls ample time for clothing changes, as a ~three-minute concept video punctuated each set of songs. One notable absence from the setlist was “Savage,” the titular track from the group’s first mini album. The song’s tone would have fit well with the rest of the setlist, with songs like “Drama,” “Black Mamba,” and “Supernova” bringing tons of attitude to the first half of the setlist.
The first clothing change started the show off strong, as the members transformed their long, flowing skirts to reveal a sort of petticoat that allowed them to move seamlessly into their cooler, more choreography-focused tracks, “Black Mamba” and “Supernova.” “Black Mamba” was a clear highlight of the show, with the members coming out to the catwalk stage and performing the song’s intense choreography during the synth-heavy chorus, leaning over and casting their intense gazes at the front row, who were just a few feet away from the international pop stars.
In the middle of the setlist, they took a break from the full group songs to perform the members’ solo songs. This was a nice moment to give the group a chance to catch their breath and let the girls shine independently. aespa represents a change in the fourth generation of K-pop groups, getting solo songs much earlier than their third gen predecessors, who often had to wait until their sixth or seventh year to get their own solo project. This was partly due to wanting to space albums to prevent any competing projects within the same group, meaning larger groups would take years to give some members solo projects. aespa avoided this dilemma entirely by releasing solo songs for each member all at once as part of their promotion for this tour.
A core element of aespa’s concept when they debuted in 2020 was Naevis, the group’s “AI” virtual idol counterpart, which appeared to be a rotoscoped CGI model rather than actually AI-generated. The Naevis concept has lost its luster over the past five years, partly due to AI becoming a touchy subject as it enters daily life. This was evident when Naevis’ debut single, “Done,” came on. This song was the only song that almost none of the audience got up out of their seats for.
Naevis appeared late in the concert, dancing center stage using an LCD projection, much like the technology used by Gorillaz in the 2000s to depict their cartoon band for live concerts. The Gorillaz’s implementation was arguably better, with the LCD screen creating a false sense of depth by expanding the back of the stage, making it seem like the characters were really onstage. Naevis instead appeared to be standing on a circle three feet off the stage floor. This could have been an issue with varying production between venues or with the Prudential Center’s bowl seats breaking the forced perspective effect.
Aside from that blip, aespa had the full attention of the 12,000-strong crowd. Fans were so enraptured that, for once, a K-pop concert had reasonable lines for merchandise, and fans could buy something to represent their favs mid-concert without missing any songs.
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