Concert Recap: wave to earth Fills the Philadelphia Fillmore with Harmony and Healing
After playing Head in the Clouds in May and Austin City Limits Music Festival in October, Korean band wave to earth’s year has been anything but slow. As they bounced around cities and countries, their fanbase grew immensely, following them from city to city. With a tour announcement at the beginning of the summer, fans ran to ticketing websites to try to see the band in their nearest city. As luck would have it, the group decided to try out the Philadelphia crowds, and they made a lasting first impression.
The group promotes with members Daniel Kim, John Cha, and Shin Dong Q, but they decided to go all out for the “0.03 World Tour.” Wave to earth session members Jeon Min and Jonggeun Cho made time in their personal recording schedules to assist on tour with live saxophone and piano, two very prominent instruments in wave to earth’s discography. With over half the stops on the tour already completed, one could expect that wave to earth may be tired, but instead, they were absolutely electric.
Are You Excited?
With a casual stroll onto the stage and a pick up of their instruments, wave to earth began their concert to a venue erupting with screams. As “are you bored?” began, the air instantly became quiet, fully absorbing the groovy piano playing of Jonggeun and drumming of Dong Q before the wavy vocals of Daniel Kim joined them.
The crowd was under the spell of wave to earth’s calm playing until they seamlessly switched into their most recent title track “play with earth!” As the upbeat, groovy track filled the room, instead of screams surrounding everyone’s ears, fans started dancing and smiling with fulfillment at their first time hearing this song live.
The group’s simplicity is what fans enjoyed most. As they swayed side to side playing their respective instruments, they seemed to be enjoying the music as much as the fans were. Right as fans were settling into the atmosphere with the knowledge the group they love was finally here, wave to earth switched into their earlier love songs “peach eyes” and “bad.”
As the first song suggests, the group sang about their love having the sweetest eyes as the room stared adoringly back at them. Contrary to the second track’s name, “bad” is anything but. After the song went viral in 2023, the anthem shot up the charts and became the band’s second most streamed song.
Looking into the sea of fans, Kim sang the end of the song with the room, “Face to face, we smiled and I finally held your hand.” As the strumming of the final guitar slowed, the set list moved back into their new album with “beck.” Similar to “bad,” the anticipation grew throughout the song as Kim neared the ending. It seemed wave to earth have a knack for adding signature speak-singing parts into their music that act as a sweet fanchant. With that, the venue sang, “Well anyway I just wanna say thank you,” before finishing the song along with Kim, “Just the thought of not being alone gets me through.”
Right when everyone thought the song was over, wave to earth lit up the stage with an elaborate surprise instrumental tagged onto the end of “beck.” Daniel Kim and John Cha met Dong Q at the back of the stage as he slammed on the drums, shaking the walls. With the lights flashing sporadically, all three musicians played with a vigor new to the night.
With a final powerful strum of the bass and guitar and one last hit of the drums, the group moved into a set of four of their slowest songs: “slow dive,” “holyland,” “love.,” and “homesick.” In the same order they’re in on their album, “slow dive” and “holyland” are tragic separately, but devastating when together.
Moving in Slow Waves
“Slow dive” started and a hum of peace blanketed the audience as Kim opened up about his worry and frustration surrounding imperfection. The groups playing instantly became raw and honest, creating a connectivity in the crowd most artists strive for. The echo of Kim’s voice reverberated all around as they transitioned into “holyland.” The dim lighting fabricated a safety net to feel alongside the band and unmask troubles of our own. Only this time, a specific grief had taken over as the room sang, “Can you settle down my soul? / And take me back to the days of old with you.” Even with a sold out show, during “holyland,” everyone was individual, alone, fully feeling all the healing the song had to offer.
Wave to earth had created a world where individuality and togetherness synchronistically merge to create an atmosphere of tranquility. The lights were kept low with intricate colored spotlights changing with every song, beat, and strum. Even while playing simultaneously, every instrument could be heard and isolated. It wasn’t until “love.” when Kim’s voice rang throughout with raspiness in a plea to be heard, that the music stopped. He sang in Korean, “My small heart / Like small waves inside / Break and push towards you / Melting and falling away / And only then can I see my eternity.”
Before switching back to songs from their most recent album, the group launched into “homesick,” answering the lingering question from fans. Originally not on the set list, lovers of the song ran to social media at the start of the tour begging for the chance to hear the song live. Though four melancholy songs back to back may tire some crowds, the more somber, the more fans were engaged. The familiar song granted the group members a chance to soak in the attentiveness they had been receiving. As they played and sang, to their pleasure, everyone sang back, knowing every single word.
Wave to earth Gets Wild
Fan favorite track “pueblo,” though newly featured on the play with earth! 0.03 album, has been a cherished part of wave to earth’s repertoire since its release in 2020. A staple from their first world tour, “flaws and all,” the song’s timeless appeal instantly revived the velvety, cosmic aura set by the night’s earlier upbeat tracks. “Pueblo” serves as a fitting theme song as the band tours from town to town and celebrates their success with fans.
Before the next song began, lead singer and guitarist Daniel Kim gave a short speech to the crowd. “Now I have to say sorry to the parents, and children, because we’re gonna sing a bad word!” Ending the show was the song that has created the most stir recently: “annie.,” the band’s first explicit track.
For the first time since the concert started, Kim put down his guitar and picked up his microphone, perkily jumping around and getting as close to the edge of the stage as he could. Phones rose above as everyone excitedly tried to capture the moment while also relieving their frustrations, saying no to all that society asks of them. There is unity in resentment of expectations, and wave to earth had created a space where everyone could come together and happily express their aggravation with middle fingers all around.
Just Kidding, There’s More: Encore
Though most groups come out with a rowdy and lively encore song, with wave to earth, it started slow with Kim alone on stage singing a tour exclusive version of their debut single “wave.” Suddenly, there was a lack of elaborate, intense lighting. There was barely any screaming or shouting. From both sides, there was only reflection of the past five years of the band’s existence with a sense of gratitude. Prior to the concert, fans waited for hours outside, getting to know one another, reading, listening to music, and talking excitedly amongst themselves. During “wave.” they were watching the man that started it all sing the song that created the band they know and love today.
Only to enhance the warmheartedness of the set, the rest of the band members joined Kim before switching into their most famous song, “seasons.” Prior to the enchanting first chord, Kim delicately introduced the song, calling it a “gift” to the crowd, a thank you for the endless and immense support. As the song started, Kim’s voice was drowned out even with the microphone against his lips. The venue’s singing was so passionate it blended in harmony with Kim’s, mirroring his gift back to him.
Though eyes were closed all around, everyone’s attentiveness couldn’t have been stronger. “Seasons” is not only a song that wave to earth and their fans love, but it is a song that they feel in every way: for each other, for themselves, and about others in their lives. The group’s playing was honest and intimate, as if they were sharing a private moment with the crowd.
As the Philadelphia stop of the 0.03 World Tour came to a close, wave to earth wished their supporters off with one last song. The familiar sounds of “pink” filled the speakers as the introductory lyrics were sung in Korean, “Here, everyone is free.” With acceptance and love for those standing in front of them, the members happily hummed into their microphones and sang the final chorus, “The pink light vividly / Painted you, beautiful you / Your figure.”
Slipping into the instrumental half of the song, the members stepped away from the microphones to fully focus on their respective playing. With a strong saxophone from Jeon Min, tireless drumming from Dong Q, and soothing guitar playing from Daniel Kim, the dreamy spirit was restored and alive.
With that, the instruments were set down, the members stood up, and through a final bow, the show was over. Fans had the perfect night with wave to earth: a sold out crowd, and nonstop enthusiasm all around. Philadelphia will be longing for them, until next time.
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Looking for more concert recaps? Check out our latest recap on Atarashii Gakko!’s concert here!
