Kang Daniel’s ‘First Parade’ Tour | A Live Show Review
It was a bit instinctual, to be honest.
All of a sudden, I was typing those words out in an excited rush. “TAKE MY MONEY!”, I wrote in big bold letters and then hit the blue reply button, underneath. It was a cold November evening and aimlessly scrolling through Twitter must have not felt like enough of a waste of time because I had been at it for too long by then. That’s when I saw the announcement that made me absolutely sure of two things. Kang Daniel would soon be heading out on tour in England, and I was definitely going to be there.
Well, it was about the same time of day last week, as my sister and I made our way to New Century Manchester that I came to terms with the fact it was actually happening. I had gladly exchanged my money for a ticket to watch Kang Daniel perform live on stage a few weeks prior, and was ready to sing my heart out. My hopes were high as my expectations as we made our way out.
Spoiler alert – it was well worth it.
We arrived at the venue just a few minutes before the doors were pushed wide open. Once in front of the venue, the staff directed us to the lifts and then to the wheelchair-accessible area of the hall. We were greeted by fluorescent lights, a couple of dark silhouettes and a very recognisable beat drop into the chorus of ‘Nirvana’ playing in the background.
There was no opening act, so we spent the next hour chatting among strangers as the room slowly filled up with even more strangers running towards the front stage. Strange how strangers can quickly become well-acquainted when they discover they do share even just one thing in common…
Then the room went dark. The lights above the stage twinkled. The cheers from the crowd were ear-splitting as the whole room acknowledged the moment was there and then – only there and then.
Kang Daniel kicked off his First Parade World Tour with the powerful track ‘Who u Are’, then moved on to the Latin-influenced track ‘Don’t Tell’ which was followed by one of my personal favourites ‘Waves’. He described the trio as his ‘sexy’ songs, and I’m sure no one would argue otherwise. A stellar beginning if you asked me!
It was instantly obvious how much he aimed to make the set quite interactive. He stopped to address the crowd after every few songs, letting us in on how he prepared the show and what he’d been up to in Manchester. He chatted to us a bit about football and Manchester United, trying English breakfast for the first time, and the nerves he was trying to shake going into his first-ever Europe tour. Great thing Manchester was the first stop!
Filling up the stage was only Kang Daniel and about six dancers, and together, they brought an infectious energy that spread across the entire hall. When he wasn’t busy impressing with his smooth moves or interacting with the audience, pre-shot videos played on screen allowing for swift outfit changes.
Of course, before the show, there were songs I absolutely wanted to hear to make the experience feel even more complete. It was my first time seeing a Kang Daniel show before, but I think it would be safe to assume it wouldn’t feel right without songs like ‘2U’, ‘Paranoia’ or ‘Touching’. Needless to say, I had nothing to worry about!
In addition, some performances made me fall in love with his discography even more like ‘Nirvana’ which has been on a loop ever since and, ‘Jealous’, a track I somehow hadn’t heard before.
As expected, Kang Daniel is a master of performance who can command a stage live as I’ve witnessed him do countless times through a pixelated screen. He wore his dedication and passion for his craft on his sleeve. In other words, it was very obvious even from the back of the room, he was standing right where he belonged.
“Encore… Encore… Encore…”
As the crowd raised the demand for the show to go on, the only thing I could think about was how quickly the time flew by. We got our wish of course, but right after, came the time for him to take a last bow, which he did together with his dancers.
When you purchase a concert ticket, the only thing you can hope for really is a good time, fun memories, and a whole show of talent on display. Well, my hopes and expectations were definitely matched and I couldn’t have asked for anything else!
Your restless romantic roamer
