American-born Korean pop star Eric Nam has made quite the name for himself these past couple of years. On top of being a television personality, podcaster, and YouTuber, Eric has dropped 4 albums all held to critical acclaim. Following the release of his newest project, Before We Begin, the artist embarked on a promotional North American tour that reached Toronto’s Danforth Music Hall on February 24, 2020.
Prior to going into depth on Eric’s set, it is important to note the contribution of their opener; FRENSHIP. FRENSHIP are an American pop duo who were fairly well-received by the crowd and did a great job at setting the atmosphere for the night. Their joyous melodies and light-hearted subject matter deemed them a great fit for the opening spot to Eric Nam – whose music is generally high-spirited as well. At the end of their set, FRENSHIP were throwing their guitar picks into the crowd – with several of the audience members scrounging to grab them – proving that they did a good job. Intelligibly so, it felt that Nam strategically choose this duo to represent his own sound. Nam’s sound can be best described as the intersection between American and Korean pop. Therefore, having FRENSHIP’s American songs in conjunction with the predominately K-pop DJ Set to open the show perfectly set the atmosphere for the night.
Not keeping the audience waiting for too long, Nam came out right on time for his scheduled set at 9pm. He ecstatically began with Come Through and Runaway – his arguably two biggest songs off Before We Begin – which immediately had the crowd on their feet harmonizing along. Accompanying Nam were four dancers who all came together with intricate choreography to create a visual experience that made Nam’s vocals that much better. It was very enlightening to see all of this come together on stage with beautiful multi-coloured backlighting.
After a couple of songs, Nam took an intermission and began talking. He specifically said that his shows were a bit of singing and a lot of talking. This was met to appraise from the audience and rightfully so. By doing this, Nam shared funny stories, inspiring messages, and overall created greater interaction with the audience. One of the stand-out moments from his many intermissions was when he spoke out on his mom’s comedic disproval of how provocative the choreography of shows sometimes got. By (1) performing a couple of songs, (2) taking time to talk, and then (3) repeating, Nam created an effective pattern. He gave the crowd short breaks that allowed them to recharge and then dance along to their full extent when the songs were being performed. Other sonic highlights from his set included his charismatic performances of hits Honestly and Can’t Help Myself.
Ultimately, Eric Nam’s show was an hour and a half of various songs from his discography all intelligibly mixed together to create a very entertaining experience. The show left fans content and tired from moving their bodies the entire night.
Connect with Eric Nam at his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Check out Embrace Presents for more similar concerts.
