LE SSERAFIM held a tour for the first time in one year and three months. From their very bold first steps last May with their debut track “FEARLESS” all the way to “ANTIFRAGILE” and “UNFORGIVEN,” LE SSERAFIM have steadily told their story through song and performance. Just like the title of their tour FLAME RISES, which is an anagram of their team name LE SSERAFIM, this concert was a fearless presentation of what sort of group they are. It was all the more special and unforgettable because it was their first. This tour report covers the production process and behind the scenes, down to special messages from the members conveying their hopes that this tour would remain in the hearts of FEARNOTs for a long, long time.

1. Tour schedule 

​LE SSERAFIM held their first tour entitled FLAME RISES beginning with Seoul for two nights on August 12 and 13. Soon after they visited three cities in Japan and three more cities in other Asian regions. The group held an additional concert in Hong Kong, due to the fans’ amazing response, which amounted to a total of 13 concerts held in seven cities. The members continuously recorded and uploaded each other’s moments under the title “FIMKAK FIMKAK,” not to mention the behind the scenes of their symbolic opening back drop performance. Just like SAKURA said in Seoul where it all began, “We’re leaving for our tour now. Please don’t be sad because we're far away and remember that our hearts will always stay here with you.” LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOTs have stayed connected throughout the tour just like they promised. KAZUHA confessed that, “I feel like I’ve grown closer to our FEARNOTs while on tour.” The members grew closer to the fans the more concerts they performed and the more fans they met. The tour was a process of writing the story by LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOTs.

2. SETLIST 

“Since it was their first ever solo concert, I thought that mirroring the basic flow of the album would be the best way to tell their story,” explains Park Seonyeon of HYBE 360 Concert Design Studio 2 on how the setlist was put together. Like Park said, the narrative of FLAME RISES reflects that of LE SSERAFIM. This is the very reason that the concert opens with the first track entitled “The World is My Oyster” on their debut album FEARLESS and ends with the last track “Fire in the belly” on the latest album UNFORGIVEN. “The opening section includes many songs that are on the earlier albums.” explains Park. The first section entitled EMBERS begins with “The World is My Oyster,” which is followed by “The Great Mermaid” and “Blue Flame” that are on the same debut album, FEARLESS. The second section IGNITE features songs from many different albums to which Park explains, “It is made up of songs that are familiar to the fans. These songs convey messages that really come from the members’ hearts, and what they want to say to their fans.” Indeed, the members continuously connected with FEARNOTs by gesturing to each other to finally complete the “Good Parts (when the quality is bad but I am)” performance. KAZUHA said that, “FEARNOTs have the most special place in our hearts, and we hope that they are happy, always.” The members proved this by performing “We got so much” for the first time ever, deepening their connection with their fans.

The third section is entitled FLAME. Performance Directing Team Leader Park Soyeon of Source Music explains that “This section requires every ounce of energy to the point where I wondered if the members would be able to pull it off. Just like the title, we set “flame” to the preparation process.” The section in question that begins with “ANTIFRAGILE” and ends with “UNFORGIVEN (feat. Nile Rodgers)” is packed with performance-forward numbers. The last section entitled RISES ends on a bright note by creating a festival-like vibe with the track “Fire in the belly.” Park Seonyeon explains that this song was chosen as the last song because, “we wanted to end the show by asking the crew called FEARNOTs who have supported and cheered on LE SSERAFIM, ‘we don't know if where we're headed is the sea or the mountain, but would you like to join us?’” CHAEWON offers her hand to the group’s friends and crew FEARNOTs, and shouts, “FEARNOTs, join my crew!” 

​3. Behind the scenes 

LE SSERAFIM opened their concert with a bold back drop performance. “I wanted to highlight LE SSERAFIM’s fearlessness and their excellent performance, which are the top two most recognizable aspects of the group,” explains Park Seonyeon. The lighting above the dark stage shines down on the members, who dropped down from the stage to the debut album intro track “The World Is My Oyster.” This was a pleasantly fresh shock to the audience. “I felt that if all of the members and not just a few could pull this off, then that would show everyone what sort of team they were, without putting it in so many words,” remarked Team Leader Park Soyeon. This opening was created by adding a performative flair to LE SSERAFIM’s fearlessness. It was the members’ idea to add certain details to this performance. Team Leader Park explains that “of course the performance itself was safe to do, but it would have been uncomfortable and a bit scary. But the members kept coming up with ways to elevate the sequence even more.” It was the members’ idea to tilt the head back the moment they are about to fall off the stage, which they came up with while they were practicing. CHAEWON explained that “When I first heard that we would be doing the back drop performance, I couldn’t wait to do it. I didn’t worry about whether I could do it or not. All I thought about was that it would be a really shocking and memorable performance. It was a bit scary when we first practiced it because we had to do a straight drop backwards, but after the first fall, it was okay.” YUNJIN further explained that “I wondered how it would look, and whether I would be able to do it at our practice studio before I got the whole idea. But whenever I started to worry, I pretended that FEARNOTs were there, and focused more on the music, and I was fine.” The process wasn’t easy, but the members talked about how they were able to repeatedly practice the bold performance.

LE SSERAFIM’s performance that requires high levels of skills including their back drop performance directly affected their attire and visuals. Cho Yoonkyung of Source Music’s Visual Creative team who is in charge of LE SSERAFIM’s style remarked that, “the performance is very intense so a lot of the clothes couldn’t be worn anymore after the members tried them on and did a part of their choreography.” This goes to show just how hard and intense the performances are. This tour also involved many back-to-back high-skill numbers which directly affected the members’ outfits. “This only applies to this tour, but the performances are so intense that the members sweat a lot. So, we outfitted many of their clothing with zippers for faster changes. This is not common among girl groups.” 

LE SSERAFIM showcased a variety of performances including “The Great Mermaid” that they performed from start to finish for the first time ever. They performed the same number with a megacrew in the Korean leg of the tour. On performing with 20 dancers YUNJIN remarked that, “It was our first time performing with so many people since our end-of-the-year performance, so I was really excited and looked forward to it.” She further added that, “It was great to perform with the dancers who worked with us for a long time, and we were able to really perfect the show thanks to them.” The members and dancers’ excellent chemistry was the secret to creating a sleek show that can be likened to works of art. SAKURA said, “we already showed our fans our B-side track performances before our solo concert, so I wanted to bring fresh new ideas in for this show.” Indeed, their performances that have been previously shown have been revamped to keep it fresh for the audience who have already seen it before. For example, the team performed “The Hydra” in last year’s year-end award performance, which is why this time around, it was changed to become the new intro to “Eve, Psyche, and Bluebeard’s Wife.” Team Leader Park explained that “The concept of last year’s “The Hydra” was inspired by the snake, but this time the focus is on Eve. We wanted it to seamlessly transition to the next number, so that we can show a completely different intro.” YUNJIN's guitar performance was added to the intro to “No Celestial” for more drama. “I think YUNJIN carried 80% of the song. We did give her directions for her positions and moves, but loosely. Nailing the rock star vibe while hitting the perfect timing to turn her head, and lifting her leg - that was all YUNJIN,” explains Team Leader Park. The members don’t miss a single detail in perfecting their performances.

“The performances are fun and memorable, but I hope you like the banter and chemistry between the members, too. We pitched in a lot of ideas because we wanted to create a concert that is fun and would be remembered by the audience for a long time,” said EUNCHAE. The “Join my crew” line in “Fire in the belly” was changed depending on the country or region as per the members’ ideas including CHAEWON who says it, as a special fan service for the global fandom. It was said in Japanese in Nagoya and Tokyo. The Kansai-ben which is a dialect spoken in Osaka was added to their repertoire to grow closer to the fans in Osaka. On the second day of the Seoul concert, CHAEWON missed her timing and wasn’t able to say the original line. But it turns out that it became a fun moment that the fans especially enjoyed, which also happened to give CHAEWON a new nickname. Park Seonyeon posits that “Those fun moments become memes among the fans. That particular moment turned a lot of the fans to “Fire in the belly.” This little happening not only became a fun memory, but it also got the song a stronger following. It became a special memory for both LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOT that they will undoubtedly cherish for a long time.

“It was the original plan to color the members’ hair right after the Japanese leg. But the members insisted that they get their hair done as quickly as possible so that the Korean and Japanese fans don’t feel like they've missed out on their different looks.” Recalled Cho Yunkyeong. The members’ bold new hairdos they showcased during the tour was the results of the members’ strong will to show their fans something new every time. Cho further added that “The members never hesitate to share their ideas and opinions on their outfits, suggesting that they try out different fits, or changing their nail art design.” This shows how dedicated the members were in preparing for each of their concerts during the tour. “One of our biggest strengths is that the members aren’t afraid to try something new. They're also passionate - they're attentive right down to the minor details.” 

​4. FEARNOT 

“Every second spent together is special, but everyone remembers their first because you only get one of them. Thank you so much for being here for LE SSERAFIM’s first today.” This is what CHAEWON said on the first day of the Seoul concert. It is even more meaningful because it was their first solo concert that is made full with the presence of FEARNOTs. FLAME RISES is meaningful because it opens with “The World Is My Oyster” which also announced the beginning of LE SSERAFIM and ends with “Fire in the belly” that was made complete when LE SSERAFIM's crew FEARNOTs’ voices were added. “The encores tend to be touching fan songs, but I felt that it would reflect who LE SSERAFIM are the most if they had fun while dancing and performing till the very last number.” The members and staff agree with what Park Seonyeon said, saying that ending with “Fire in the belly” is indeed the most LE SSERAFIM-like. The number that became the finale was reminiscent of the World Cup with a passionate audience and continued loud cheers. FEARNOTs didn’t stop and their chants of “Olé olé olé olé.” even after the final note of the instrumentals grew silent. KAZUHA said that “It felt like FEARNOTs and LE SSERAFIM became one when they sang really loudly with us.” She looked back on the loud group singing without the in-ears in, and added that, “That scene with FEARNOTs’ voices and the confetti was so beautiful I will never forget it.” EUNCHAE also picked the same moment as the most memorable saying that, “I was overcome with emotions, it felt like I was being consoled for all the hardships that we went through. I can’t put what I felt in words. They gave us more love than I could ever imagine, and it is one of my happiest memories.”

“FLAME RISES” Young women who lit up small bits of ember to make strides out into the world have now gotten themselves a crew. The small embers gathered to become a roaring flame. Now, they have chosen to hoist the sails in the storm to brave the waves with their new crew. Hand in hand, they are fearless as they are about to head out towards the horizon. In this sense, this tour was the start of LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOTs’ journey. SAKURA observed that, “I think it was a simple, no-ruffles kind of concert that we can only hold now. If it was a color, it would be white! I hope that it makes you look forward to the color it will change to.” What will LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOTs color their future journey? I eagerly await what their voyage will bring.

​5. +1 

Dear FEARNOTs who have been there at the first tour

KIM CHAEWON: I was really excited from the very first steps of our preparations because it was our first tour ever. I wanted our tour to be enjoyable for the general public who are not FEARNOTs too, and I hope everyone can remember our concert by our performance. But most of all, I was so glad to see FEARNOTs enjoying themselves together! FEARNOTs! Thank you so much for enjoying our concert. I was very happy thanks to you.

SAKURA: This tour is the beginning. It’s our first tour, so we were able to show you many of our songs. We are sure to have more songs in the future which will make even more amazing concerts! I look forward to them! Also, I learned how wonderful it was to have a place all to ourselves - LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOTs. I was so happy because I got to spend time with the people I love.

HUH YUNJIN: I was really touched when we finally got to perform “FEARNOT (Between you, me and the lamppost)” for our FEARNOTs. I was reminded of all the memories and experiences I had over the last five years like I was watching a movie. I hope that this concert has left a lasting impression on FEARNOTs. Above all, I hope that everyone remembers having fun together at our concert and that it made them want to come back and recharge together again.

KAZUHA: It was our first tour, and what I’ve been dreaming of which is why I was pretty nervous while I prepared for it. My shoulders were heavy with the thought that I had to do well, because I got the opportunity to perform in such a huge occasion, only after one year of debut. I got very excited to show our performances to our FEARNOTs the more they were fleshed out. I really hope that this concert becomes a special memory for our FEARNOTs for a long time!  

HONG EUNCHAE: I think I would really love it if you could remember it as being “super fun.” I am so happy that I got to spend a lot of time with many, many fans on our first tour. Now I want us to stay together for longer. Since it was a tour that we made together, I hope that you remember it for a long time. I want you to remember that if LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOTs are together, then we can fearlessly keep marching forward. Thank you, always!