SE SO NEON’s Sold Out Toronto Show Creates an Unforgettable Night
Photo Cr: Saba Choudhary
The Opera House in Toronto was sold out on September 6 for SE SO NEON’s second North American tour. SE SO NEON are an indie rock duo hailing from South Korea, consisting of bassist Hyun-jin and guitarist and vocalist So Yoon.
Doors opened at 7PM where fans could be seen rushing into the venue, the few lucky ones at the front of the line quickly securing a spot at the barricade. As fans waited in anticipation for what the night held, the lights suddenly went down and cheers erupted, prompting Hyun-jin and touring drummer Gyun to walk onto stage. So Yoon followed right after, smiling shyly as cheers grew louder and immediately picking up and tuning her guitar to begin the night with “E,” “Dong,” and “Ung.”
The band took some time to introduce themselves before going on to perform “Summer Plumage,” “Go Back” and the fan favorite that had everyone singing along, “NAN CHUN.” So Yoon put down her guitar and picked up the microphone instead to perform “joke!” where she mesmerized everyone by moving and dancing all over the stage, and suddenly coming up to the very edge, which evoked screams from fans.
Cheers did not falter once as the band performed one of their more upbeat and lively songs “Gurumi”—where So Yoon and Hyun-jin are all smiles as they faced each other and swayed along to the sound of their instruments. They kept up with the infectious energy when performing So Yoon’s song “Athena” from her solo debut album So!YoOn!, which features the band. During the instrumental medley, a disco ball descended spinning from above as the drums picked up in speed.
So Yoon introduced the next song “Stranger” by explaining the lyrics and her thoughts on the song, “I feel I’m always [a] stranger in Korea…but just for now, I don’t feel strange anymore. I feel more free and comfortable.” The band’s instruments and So Yoon’s melodic vocals then fill up the venue, creating a space of belonging and acceptance for everyone, just as So Yoon felt.
Photo Cr: Saba Choudhary
So Yoon announced their night together is coming to an end but not before performing “Kidd.” So Yoon also encouraged fans to follow the chorus “빼꼼 (ppaekkom)” that she mentioned sounds like “back home”, and the crowd happily obliged shouting the lyric. Before walking off stage, they left fans feeling warm with “Jayu.”
Photo Cr: Saba Choudhary
Fans immediately chanted “SE SO NEON” to return and they appeared just minutes after for the final song of the night, “Winter.” Before officially ending the night, the band sat down on stage to take a group picture with everyone in attendance. After, So Yoon and Hyun-jin threw a SE SO NEON towel and guitar picks into the crowd as well as handing off the setlist to lucky fans. No one seemed eager to leave as fans lined up at barricade to take photos and buy merch to remember the night.