The hot and refreshing youth of Woods [Cook Review]

Who said rock was an outdated music? Singer Woods made the audience in their 20s go wild with the roar of his electric guitar. It wasn’t just the drumsticks that danced to the running rhythm. Woods bobbed his head and the audience waved their cheering sticks. It was a concert held at the indoor gymnasium of Jamsil Sports Complex in Seoul on the 19th. In this performance, which was allowed only three days before her enlistment, Woods poured out her youthful vigor and freshness to the audience.

If you remember Woods as an idol trainee on Mnet’s ‘ProduceX101′, you will be surprised by the breadth of his music. Woods, whose specialty was rap during his days as an idol group, turned to the punk pop trend starting with the 2022 album ‘Colorful Trauma’. The album ‘OO-LI’, which has the same name as the title of the day’s performance, brought the metal sound that was popular in the 1990s. His rapping skills are so good that he competed with rapper Flowsik, who was mentioned as a candidate to win Mnet’s ‘Show Me the Money’ season 5, and he is also a ‘dancer’ who majored in practical dance in high school. He is also a producer who writes and sings his own songs.

So, I could only nod my head when the agency introduced me as an ‘all-round artist.’ Woods prepared a set list for the performance, ready to unleash all his talents. The first song, ‘Deep Deep Sleep’, had a dreamy atmosphere, making it feel like being sucked into Woods’ universe. The ‘Bright Light Flicker’, which was newly created for this day’s performance, was so addictive that it quickly got the audience humming along. Woods’ youth was bold. He sang without blinking on a stage higher than the second floor auditorium. There was no time to be surprised by the height, and energetic rock music such as ‘Accident’, ‘Highjack’, and ‘Who Knows’ excited the audience.

Woods’ youth was also sensual. As he sang ‘LULLABY’ while scratching his guitar strings, the audience was tense and held their breath in concentration. Woods’ youth was also refreshing. When he sang the bossa nova-style ‘Waikiki’ and the sad lyrics of ‘Bless You’, the audience’s hearts tickled. Above all, Woods’ youth was hot. He selected ‘Drowning’ as the last song before the encore and the sight of him singing with his blood pumped up was like a scene from a youth movie. It was raining on the electronic display board. His hair was wet with sweat. He looked so free that it made me feel relieved.

“I’m already leaving the last song.” As the performance drew to a close, Woods’ eyes became moist. The audience’s shouts for an encore began with “One more time”and continued with “Cho Seung-yeon (Woods’ real name),””Don’t go,”and “I love you Cho Seung-yeon.”There is another reason why this performance is special for Cho Seung-yeon and her fans. Born in 1996, Woozi Oh enlisted on the 22nd and will serve in the Army Military Band. All 8,000 seats were sold out as soon as reservations began. In the concert hall, so-called ‘secret inspectors’ were spread out throughout the venue to catch ticket scalpers. In the audience, not only fans but also Yugyeom, a member of the group GOT7 who is close to Woods, cheered for his friend.

The performance on this day marked the end of Woods’ world tour that had lasted for the past seven months. Woods held her concert in 9 cities around the world, including Seoul, under the title ‘Woo-Ri’ in May last year. Starting in October of the same year, her encore tour was held in Korea, Japan, the United States, and Thailand. Woods, who has completed a long journey and is about to begin a new chapter, confessed, “I think I will miss this place very much.” “I don’t think I can tell if I look you in the eye,” he said, his head lowered to the floor and his eyes closed. “There is only one thing I wish for. That you spend each day healthy and happy. It’s sad that I can’t be of help there, but…. “I promise that I will come back as a person with a broader heart.”

Reporter Eunho Lee wild37@kukinews.com