IU is All Roses in Rosemont
Lee Jieun, known globally by her stage name IU, is embarking on her first world tour since her debut over 10 years ago. The South Korean singer-songwriter enchanted Rosemont, IL during the fourth stop of her H.E.R.E.H. tour. The tour’s title is an acronym depicting the flow of the show, with each letter representing a different section of the set.
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Starting with H which aptly stands for ‘Hypnotic,’ IU rose from the stage to the cheers of a packed Allstate Arena. A group of young child performers joined her onstage for “Holssi,” referencing the song’s music video. Professional dancers then took the stage for “Jam Jam,” “Ah puh,” and “BBIBBI.” The dancers laughed and jumped around the stage, continuing the feelings of youthful delight throughout the set. IU took a moment to chat with her audience saying she found Rosemont’s name so romantic because it sounds like a place where roses bloom everywhere. As a gift, she prepared special outfits for the Rosemont stop that all featured roses. IU introduced her next song “Obliviate” by playing with the audience and pretending to erase everyone’s memories, stating that when she returned after the song it would be as if we were seeing her for the first time.
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The second section of the show was entitled ‘Energetic’ and kicked off with her hit single “Celebrity.” IU expressed how excited she was to sing “Blueming” in Rosemont, going as far as to say that it’s as if she made the song just for this moment. She ended the song by gifting a bouquet of flowers to some lucky fans who were donning flower crowns. This segment continued to focus on the fans as IU gifted one attendee a gold-colored coin that was used during “Coin” and took time to capture multiple photos with all three sections of the audience before finishing with “I stan U.”
As IU disappeared backstage to change into a different rose-themed outfit, a personalized video played that was filmed during the concert day. The video featured fans, venue staff, backup dancers, and IU as fans beautifully sang along with an acapella rendition of “Heart.”
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The ‘Romantic’ portion portrayed the slower side of IU’s songs as she sat atop a stool with a lone spotlight shining around her during “strawberry moon” and “Through the Night.” While the ‘Romantic’ set presented her slower hits, the following section, ‘Ecstatic,’ showcased IU’s incredible vocals. She mentioned her voice was feeling a little hoarse but it was impossible to detect as she belted her way through “Shopper” and “Love wins all.” She made sure to point out the roses on her clothes again before her last set, ‘Heroic.’ During her last official set, she treated the fans to “Shh..,” “Twenty-three,” and a unique rock version of the previously performed “Holssi.”
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To close out her three-hour long set, IU performed a whopping five songs for her encore. All five songs were chosen by audience requests. She even went so far as to attempt a few lines from “Into the I-LAND,” a song she had only performed once for an event. IU wanted to give a variety of styles during the encore, so she began with a happy song request -- “dlwlrma” -- before moving onto the more tranquil “Someday” and “LILAC.” There was an overwhelming demand for her ballad “Love poem.” Although she had concern for her vocal condition, her greatest concern was the happiness of her fans. After the vocally strong performance of “Love poem,” she closed out the show with “Palette.”
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