As ordinary, SBS’s year-end competition falls on Christmas day. Due to this, the themes have been getting increasingly holiday-focused with every passing 12 months. Everybody and their mom carried out a “Christmas model” of their songs tonight, however you don’t get to name one thing a “Christmas model” simply since you throw sleigh bells on the monitor for 5 seconds through the intro! I’m positively in search of a much bigger reinterpretation than that, that means preparations that took larger dangers rank greater on my checklist – even when these dangers didn’t fairly repay. And to be sincere, not many did. Shoehorning Christmas into songs that don’t have anything to do with the vacation is commonly grating and grows very tiresome for 3 hours straight.

To assuage this worry of repetition, SBS themed tonight “Merry & Freaky Christmas.” I nonetheless can’t imagine that is what they determined to go along with. It’s a wierd phrase, to make certain, and one thing I’d be blissful to by no means hear once more. I’ll even be good with out sleigh bells for awhile. Perhaps after this 12 months SBS shouldn’t lean thus far into Christmas. It’s too limiting and ends in bizarre conceptual mash-ups or cut-and-paste sleigh bell nonsense.

So far as staging is worried, I additionally discovered issues fairly bizarre this 12 months. Most of the levels didn’t reap the benefits of the huge venue, positioning teams in entrance of LED screens that made the performances really feel fairly small. This was irritating and robbed the levels of their sense of spectacle. Conversely, there typically appeared to be a disconnect between the performers and viewers, making issues really feel unusually impersonal. For these exhibits, you actually need to go one among two methods: big or intimate. With some exceptions, I don’t really feel like SBS hit the mark in both course.

Regardless of a killer line-up, tonight’s present paled compared to KBS’s competition final week. It was a downgrade in each method. SBS hardly ever places on my favourite of the three gayos, so I suppose that’s to be anticipated. A minimum of we had the return of some big-name acts to enliven the finales of elements two and three.

Songs like Pink Hoodie are the rationale I’m hardly ever in a position to get into aespa’s albums past the title tracks. They’re simply not for me. Additionally, I want SM would discover a technique to completely reinterpret Supernova for one among these year-end exhibits.

But extra proof that this group’s stage presence far outstrips their materials. I discover Drip fairly boring as a music, however they carried out the hell out of it. Let’s get them some higher songs, YG.

This entire factor felt extremely awkward. I don’t actually know what they have been going for, however it was a bizarre mixture of concepts that didn’t come collectively, and “Fairy Story Of Sneakers” is an unintentionally humorous title, translated or not. Have been they making an attempt to capitalize on the success of Depraved? Heesung’s dance was the particular brilliant spot, in order that’s the one I’m linking within the title.

I don’t suppose I’ll ever like Ditto the way in which others do, however it was good to listen to it stripped again to a extra acoustic model. In the meantime, I don’t get the enchantment of Cookie in any respect. It was a wierd option to carry out a bunch of 2022 songs on the 2024 Gayo Daejun.

I’m truthfully nonetheless reeling from their unbelievable KBS efficiency, however this was an enormous letdown as compared. Kudos for mixing up the instrumental, however this model robbed Plot Twist of all its indelible power. My least favourite remix of the music by far.

10. ZEROBASEONE – Street Film + Good So Unhealthy

Justice for Street Film! They get bonus factors simply performing that music. Disgrace in regards to the underwhelming mixture of Good So Unhealthy, although.

9. Stray Children – Walkin On Water + Mountains

I don’t care a lot for both of those songs, however they placed on an excellent present and utilized the stage properly in contrast to most acts tonight. The haircut appears to be the most important speaking level of this efficiency, although!

8. ENHYPEN – XO + Introduced The Warmth Again

Very stable. I like that they’re selling Introduced The Warmth Again at these festivals. The slight change within the combine labored properly and the dancing was on level as all the time.

7. RIIZE – Love 119

What an excellent transfer to open this efficiency with a little bit of Emergency Room, which varieties the backdrop for Love 119. I want this intro would have lasted longer, because it was good to listen to the blokes’ vocals with out a bunch of manufacturing behind them. The remainder of the efficiency was fairly customary aside from a cool breakdown that didn’t actually match the music. Total, this was a bizarre one.

6. TYD – Love Me Proper

I used to be wanting ahead to this stage as a result of I’m a sucker for these “youngest members get collectively to point out you the way it’s completed” performances. It was enjoyable seeing them collectively, however I wanted extra of Kyungmin’s voice as a result of that boy is a singer and he’d kill this style.

5. G-Dragon – Energy + Crooked

You understand, I’d love to position this greater on my checklist. It will get ranked solely as a result of Crooked is among the finest Ok-pop songs ever and G-Dragon is a complete legend, however I discover the dwell performances of Energy to be extremely awkward and the vocal on Crooked was tough… to say the least. I do know that’s intentional and singing isn’t the ability GD’s most identified for (although at his finest he has one among my favourite tones), however this was actually simply screeching and bought by on the unbelievable power of the music and his pure charisma. Given the circumstances, this could have been a simple primary.

4. BOYNEXTDOOR – It’s Starting To Look A Lot Like Christmas + Good Man

The dance with Santa was in all probability the freakiest factor on this “Merry and Freaky Christmas” evening. It was legitimately humorous and Good Man really works fairly properly with sleigh bells. This stage wasn’t notably bold, however it was very charming.

3. LE SSERAFIM – Loopy

I completely liked the dance intro to this. From the styling (have been these creepy Santa masks?) to the descent from the ceiling to the prolonged formations, this was so entertaining. The power continued into a fair clubbier mixture of Loopy. This was nice.

2. Key – Pleasure Store

Why the hell was this stage combine not the primary manufacturing for Pleasure Store as a substitute of the boring H&M-lite model we bought saddled with? Critically, the music is 100 instances extra fascinating this manner, even when the underlying melodies are nonetheless forgettable. He must lean arduous into this extra dynamic dance sound.

1. 2NE1 – Fireplace + I Don’t Care + Ugly + I Am The Greatest

These previous songs simply hit completely different, and it’s not solely my nostalgia speaking. 2NE1 are charisma with a capital “C” they usually roared again with that very same power. Two hours into the present, I feel they have been the primary act to genuinely have interaction the viewers. The hits sounded nice, the women regarded wonderful and the staging was dynamic. I already knew I’d love this comeback, however they exceeded expectations.