The Rose Heals Boston at the Roadrunner
Graphic by Cate Banks
By Lily Suckow Ziemer
The Rose came to the Roadrunner on October 17 for the third stop of their “Heal Together Tour.” They are a Korean pop-rock band consisting of four members: Lead vocalist and guitarist Kim Woosung (he/him), bassist Lee Jaehyeong (he/him), drummer Lee Hajoon (he/him), and Park Dojoon (he/him) on the keyboard. Although often grouped together with the phenomenon of K-pop, they seem to float in an undefined area between K-pop and indie. They certainly benefit from the global craze, but their sound and style wouldn't be blown off as a shallow boy band by non-Koreans had they been a Western band.
The concert began with a gentle solo by Woosung. He sang the opening of their song “Definition of ugly is” without instrumental backing. The moment was quickly ruined however when the crowd stopped their cheering only for certain people to yell things like “oppa” (a Korean term of endearment meaning older brother which has been sexualized by some K-pop fans) and “you’re so hot.” While everyone laughed, I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed to be a part of a crowd that was so clearly not respectful of this serious performance. Everyone wanted to have their special moment where The Rose’s bandmates noticed them, not thinking of the real effect their actions had. There’s a blurred line between K-pop and a Korean pop-rock band when it comes to listeners. It’s not like The Rose and their record label does a great job of counteracting this misunderstanding, as the group sells lightsticks and photocards, both of which are common merchandise of a K-pop group. But they didn’t start out that way, and they certainly don’t fit that image in my mind. Is it just because they are Korean?
Regardless, the band kept their composure and transitioned into the chorus as though nothing had happened. I couldn’t help but feel touched as Woosung sang the lyrics “I know I don’t belong here / why am I so insecure?” from “Definition of Ugly.” They followed this up with some of their more melancholy songs, such as “Insomnia” and “She’s In The Rain.” They even performed one of my favorites, “Modern Life” off of Woosung’s solo album Moth (2022). His unique style of singing in which he uses vibrato really shown through in each song. The band took a quick break to drink some water, and band member Dojoon was quick to greet the lively crowd.
Woosung, born and raised in California, did a lot of the talking throughout the night, mentioning that he thought their “music fits really well with Boston’s weather” after sympathizing with the fans who stood in line for hours despite the rain. They then jumped into some of their more upbeat songs like “Young and Wild” and “RED,” as Woosung, Jaehyeong and Dojoon – now playing an acoustic guitar – moved about the stage. The crowd reflected this energy change as well, dancing and singing along to the lyrics.
Woosung and Dojoon put down their guitars while Hajoon moved up to the keyboard for “Childhood,” but as Jaehyeong transitioned to an acoustic guitar, he found that his battery pack was dead. Woosung quickly stopped singing as venue staff and Dojoon tried to help out. The awkward moment quickly had the crowd laughing, as band members began cracking jokes and advising the crowd to switch out the batteries before preforming a concert of their own. “Now, we’re gonna act like that never happened,” joked Woosung, and the show continued onwards.
The Rose played a few more sad songs, and then Woosung and Dojoon put down their instruments again to dance around the stage for a couple songs. They then performed their famous song “Sorry” which debuted as a single in 2017 under J&STAR. The concert ended with “Sour” and “Black Rose,” a song dedicated to their fans. Although the concert had a rocky start due to the impertinent attitude amongst many of their fans, The Rose gave a first-rate performance.