Formed by Build Up, the vocal boy group B.D.U lit up la Cigale in Paris on September 8th, successfully kicking off the European leg of their first world tour Wishpool : Flash and Light.
Vous trouverez la version française de cet article ici.
The European leg of the tour is promoted by StudioPAV, a New Jersey-based K-pop production company. While European fans are only discovering StudioPAV in 2024, the production company has been active in the North American market for a few years. Two factors set StudioPAV apart from other companies : their one-stop shop policy (allowing fans to build their concert experience however they like) and the exclusivity of the benefits available : fan chats, fan signs, individual polaroids with members of the group, hi-touch…
B.D.U’s tour is truly a world tour : the quartet will be travelling through Europe, North and South America after having performed in Seoul. The Parisian concert was the first of the European leg.
As a die-hard fan of the group, I had bought a VVIP+ benefit package alongside a Tier 1 concert admission ticket.
The VVIP+ benefit package, sold for 118,95€, includes a Fan Chat session (a one minute-long per member signing session), a group photo (8 people per picture), a Hi Touch session and first entry into the venue. StudioPAV also implements a “no-rule policy” : when buying a ticket or a benefit package, buyers get a number that will be used to line up for fan engagements and entry into the venue on the day of. This is, in our opinion, their strongest suit : allowing fans to enjoy the warm atmosphere of a standing pit while preventing them from queuing up for hours before the concert.
All fan engagements take place before the concert. At 4PM, fans were guided inside the venue. The Fan Chat session was the first event of the evening : participants were given a tour poster to get signed if they didn’t have an album from the group. B.U (B.D.U fans) then were asked to line up according to their ticket number. The members arrived and the Fan Chat even kicked off.
The session in itself is only one-minute long per member : not only these 60 seconds go by incredibly fast, but they are extremely intense. For most fans, containing their excitement and jitters can be pretty hard and talking to their idol is the pinnacle of the fan experience.
After the Fan Chat session, fans were invited to go back to their spots in the queue and sit down. VVIP packages holders lined up for the Fan Sign session, a relatively fast signing session. Fans then lined up once again for Hi Touch and group photos.
All fan engagements are held before the actual concert, which allows the encounter with the idols to last for several hours beyond the duration of the concert itself. As European fans, we don’t often get the chance to meet our idols up close and personal. StudioPAV offers exclusive benefits at affordable prices.
Having already been lining up according to their ticket numbers, B.U are led, one by one, to take place before the stage. The pre-numbering not only prevents fans from queuing outside the venue for hours, but also allows concert staff to manage fans in a much calmer environment that is much calmer than an usual K-Pop concert.
At 7PM on the dot, the lights go out and Bitsaeon, Jay, Seunghun and Minseo take the stage. The first notes of Flower ring through the Cigale, the group’s first original song from the semi-finale of the survival show. By winning the semi-finale, the quartet had gotten the opportunity to perform Flower on M!Countdown. Flower is a fan-favourite : not only is it their first original song as B.D.U (then called HunMinJayBit), it also shows their more mature and sensual side.
After having sung Flower, the members introduce themselves in French. As Paris is the first stop of the Europe tour, members express how delighted they are to be performing in the French capital. Seunghun and Bitsaeon have both previously performed in the City of Love with their respective groups. The two are already familiar with the French concert etiquette and start tapping their feet and chanting on stage. Jay and Minseo discover these traditions with joy and surprise.
The group then performs the much-expected phenomenal cover of Woodz’s Drowning. This cover had shed light on the group’s obvious and instant vocal chemistry. As the first notes of the song ring through the venue, the audience sings their heart out. The members offer an immaculate and emotional performance. It is impossible not to be deeply moved by the lyrics of the song and the emotions transmitted by the voices of the members.
B.D.U goes on to perform duet stages, covering special songs from the survival show. Minseo and Seunghun chose River (originally by Bishop Briggs), a performance that shows their vocal power and vocal mastery acquired during their training. Jay and Bitsaeon then perform Charlie Puth’s Dangerously. The cover had already gone viral when broadcast during the survival show, accumulating 4 million views on Youtube. Well known to the public for his fantastic vocal performances and unique vocal colour, Jay Chang captivated the public with his exceptional musical delivery. Coupled with Bitsaeon’s softer timber but equally powerful voice, and topped off by the harmony between the two long-time friends, the performance is of spectacular quality and blows the audience away.
The four members reunite on stage to play a game with the audience. They hear a song in French in their in-ear, sing it to the audience and fans have to correctly guess the title and the artist. French B.U guessed all songs correctly : Tout oublier (Angèle), Juste une photo de toi (Matt Pokora), Et Alors ! (Shy’m), and French classics La vie en rose (Edith Piaf) and les Champs-Elysées (Joe Dassin). Paris is the third city of the tour to guess all songs correctly, which calls for a celebration.
After this downtime, the quartet puts on solo performances. Bitsaeon sings a calmer version of Harry Styles’ Watermelon Sugar : a global hit that allows B.U to sing along and proves to be a great song choice. The song also sheds light on Saeon’s soft and clear voice timbre. Minseo prefers a sentimental rendition of Naked by Christopher, highlighting his unique vocal colour and power. Jay then takes to the stage for a thrilling performance of Bruno Mars’ That’s What I Like, brilliantly managing to interpret a song requiring charm, vocal mastery and interaction with the audience. Seunghun closes this segment with Jungkook’s 3D. He sings, raps and dances to perfection, showcasing every facet of his musical abilities.
The four members then return to the stage and discuss their individual stages. The next song to be performed is said to have been the other song B.D.U were hesitating with when choosing to perform Drowning on the survival. The powerful bassline of 5 Seconds of Summer’s Teeth brings an electrifying atmosphere to the Parisian audience. The quartet took advantage of this performance to show off their range of vocal abilities and versatility. Teeth gets the whole audience jumping. After an incredible musical performance, the group invites the audience to immortalise the evening by taking a picture with the Parisian crowd.
The band play their last song before the encore: My One, the title track from their first mini album, Wishpool. My One is a gentle, catchy song: the audience knows the choreography, and two fans are even invited on stage to dance the chorus with the members. The crowd sings along, showing their love for the band’s discography.
B.D.U greets one last time its Parisian audience before leaving the stage. Keen to see more of the members, fans take on to chant “Encore !”. A VCR is then played on the venue’s screen : all four members of the group share their aspirations as B.D.U, the moments they look most forward to on this world tour and how eager they are to meet their international fans face-to-face, having only been able to communicate with them through video calls. The short video allows the boys to get changed and come back donning the tour shirt and apple hair style.
The group then performs ah-Ooh !, the last track of their first mini album. A true party anthem, ah-Ooh ! is the perfect choice to conclude the magical evening spent with B.D.U. B.U sing along with as much passion as the artists, creating a festive and joyful atmosphere. Once the song comes to an end, it is unfortunately time for B.D.U to bid farewell to their Parisian audience, to whom they promise to return soon. Bitsaeon, Minseo, Jay and Seunghun give a final salute, thanking the crowd for its energy, noise, and the unique atmosphere.
The evening does not end there : fans are invited to stand in four lines. StudioPAV offers an incredible unique benefit to fans : the opportunity to take individual polaroids with the member of their choice. B.D.U come back after a good 20 minutes and fans get to take their picture.
All four members have chosen poses beforehand : fans must choose between one of those. The experience in itself is pretty intimate : fans have time to talk with the member while the picture is being taken and, moreover, as this is a Polaroid picture, they get to talk a few seconds more while it is being printed. This event creates an exceptional memory for fans, who not only get time to chat with their bias but also leave with an instant physical keepsake from this magical evening.
As a devoted B.U, I must admit it is somewhat difficult for me to be entirely objective about the evening I spent. However, it must be said that I was truly blown away by the vocal mastery and stage presence of the four members. They have managed to create a beautiful and magical harmony between the four of them, and it only shines brighter when they’re singing together on stage. Although this is Mnet’s first vocal-based group, I was left speechless by the quality of the performances.
The various fan engagements offered by StudioPAV made the evening even more exceptional and gave us the opportunity to attend events that aren’t always accessible to European fans, such as the Fan Chat session and the individual polaroid session (Snap Shots). I left the venue even more of a fan that I was when I arrived and with my heart full of love and admiration for the group.
