[Review]

Ever since the day that virtual boy band Plave started making headlines in Korea, the question “Why?” has been asked over and over again, with no one really being able to pinpoint the cause behind the band's popularity. Although fans’ reasons for falling in love with the digital quintet may differ, one thing is for sure: the virtual idols are here to stay.

The most uncanny experience took place at Plave’s fan concert on Oct. 5 and 6 in southern Seoul at the Jamsil Indoor Arena, where thousands of Plave fans, referred to as Plli, gathered at the venue to take part in the encore fan concert of “Hello, Asterum!”


A fan concert is a mixture of a fan meet and greet, which is where artists give talks and play games with fans in attendance with performances of a few of their songs, and a concert, where talk is kept to a minimum and the artists strive to perform. This results in three-or-so hours of games, talks and performances all squashed in together.

Except for the fact that the members were shown on a gigantic digital screen on stage, instead of in person like during other K-pop concerts, everything was the same as a typical K-pop fan concert. The members performed not only their hit songs, the likes of “Way 4 Luv” and “Pump Up The Volume!" but also performed songs by other K-pop acts, mimicked popular TikTok challenges, gave long talk sessions and even interacted with the fans in attendance.

But the emphasis was on “the fact that the members were shown on screen instead of in person,” which resulted in an eerie display of digital presence that wasn't without its own pros and cons.

The pros: Members could put on impossible performances like driving a burning motorcycle to the stage, having emojis pop up next to their faces when they speak and changing their outfits with the snap of a finger.

The cons: Members are only shown on a flat screen and cannot approach the audience up close, which is customary during K-pop concerts. Being presented only as animations greatly limits the range of performance theatrics that are visible, such as raising parts of the stage so the audience further back can see better or even flying across the venue for some artists — as seen in other K-pop concerts.

Minor technical glitches were also visible during the concert, such as members’ fingers overlapping when they held hands or a member’s hand penetrating his own face when he covered his face with his hands. Facial expressions were also a little more awkward than in real life, making it hard to discern whether a member was making a “very happy" face or “subtly happy" face.

Still, one element gave the uncanny experience a much-needed boost.

Contrary to other K-pop concerts, where audience members are constantly taking pictures and video — despite it being officially prohibited — fans in attendance rarely had their phones out to film the scene. In fact, everyone was constantly waving their lightsticks and totally immersed in the show, capturing each digital moment solely with their eyes.

Just as in Plave’s other performances, the members perform elsewhere while connected to a real-time motion capture device, and at the same time, watching what’s taking place inside the actual concert venue, allowing them to interact somewhat with the fans in attendance.

The camera frequently showed the crowd from the stage view to make it seem as if the members were actually in the same arena, adding a touch of interactivity to the experience.

But for the fans, it’s the very idea of Plave’s virtualness that makes them desirable.

“There’s this sense of romance in the fact that we’ll never actually meet in person,” a 32-year-old fan named Woo Soo-yeon told the Korea JoongAng Daily when asked about the charm of the group.

“I liked idols in the past but they seemed the same at some point,” she continued. “But then I came across Plave one day, and they gave me this rush of novelty. I think the members are more candid than other idols because they don’t have to reveal their ‘real’ identity, and that has allowed the human people behind the animation to show their real selves, which they wouldn’t have as ‘real’ idols.”

Many fans are aware of the true identities of the members, but those who aren’t aware want this remain so. In fact, that’s “the essence of the relationship between Plli and Plave,” according to a 30-year-old fan surnamed Kwon.

Kwon came to the concert alone and met Woo, who also came alone, while they were taking pictures of the venue. They immediately became friends after sharing their mutual love for Plave.

“I don’t care who they are in real life. I don’t want to know, and that’s the basic rule for the fans,” Kwon said. “The fans, or at least I am, enjoy everything that they do as virtual idols. There are a lot of elements of their performances that are only possible because they’re virtual idols, and that’s what matters. Plus, the wholehearted conversations they have with us make us realize how much they love us.”

Another custom of K-pop, which was broken at the concert, was fans giving out their self-made goodies to other fans rather than selling them, which is commonly spotted at K-pop concerts.

"I actually got a lot of them from the fans. They're so kind," said 24-year-old Khairunnisa from Malaysia.

She had come to Korea for the first time to watch Plave's concert, along with her friend, 26-year-old Athirah.

"I felt like the second and third-generation K-pop bands were so similar, but Plave was so new," Khairunnisa said. "I think their frankness and honesty is possible because they remain anonymous. I also like the animations and cartoons, but Plave is special in that you can really feel the 'human' beyond what you see."

Plave won MBC’s weekly music show “Show! Music Core” on March 9 with its latest track “Way 4 Luv.” The group has become the first-ever virtual idol to take the No. 1 prize on one of Korea’s regular television music programs.

The band will take part in its first original soundtrack for the Genie TV original drama series, "Dear Hyeri," with its track "Will it be different" on Oct. 13.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]