[SINGAPORE] The Rose Bids Farewell at Final <Rosetopia> Stop

For Black Roses, the Singapore stop of <Rosetopia> carries an immense emotional weight. It is not just because this marks the rock quartet’s very first concert in Singapore since their 2017 debut, but also because it is the final stop of their farewell tour before they enter an indefinite hiatus. This tour serves as the closing of a major chapter, as the members prepare to go on their separate ways for a while to pursue their own solo endeavours. 

Having previously dominated major international festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella, The Rose finally set The Star Theatre stage ablaze after skipping Singapore on every single one of their tours thus far. As the opening instrumentals building up to Utopia rang out, the theatre erupted into screams from Black Roses, some of whom instinctively stood up and waved their lightsticks in sheer excitement. It was clear just how much local Black Roses have looked forward to this night, and their love for the band was evident in their boundless passion and energy.

After an energetic start with Utopia, The Rose transitioned to a romantic mood with Lifeline and You’re Beautiful before cranking the energy up and bathing the theatre in a sea of red for RED. Their years of experience in festivals shone through in the effortless way they commanded the stage and hyped up the crowd. “You know, even if there’s a chair you don’t have to sit down,” Woosung teased. “Okay Singapore, show me that you can jump!”

Well, say less! Black Roses were instantly up and jumping after that one simple line. It truly felt as though I had been transported straight to one of their music festivals. 

The first half of the evening continued with Yes, Nebula and Walking on Clouds. Woosung’s humour took the centre stage and left fans giggling like schoolgirls as he introduced the members of the band. “Right here, he hits the drums harder than our own emotional trauma. Our drummer, Dylan (also known as Hajoon)!” “Over here wearing red — handsome, Rosetopia’s own playboy: Jeff (also known as Taegyeom)!” “On my left, in his laboratory, he is the inventor, the crazy scientist: Leo (also known as Dojoon)!”

One of the highlights of the night was undoubtedly the band’s incredible fan service. During the lyrics “Under the sheets, you can touch my hair” in Walking On Clouds, Woosung gestured for a fan to come and literally touch his hair. After which, he proceeded to step down the stage to get closer to fans near the back of the ground floor, much to the delight of Black Roses. 

Beyond that, The Rose spent an extended amount of time communicating and chatting to the audience  — whether between songs or during their designated Ments (talk sessions). An unexpected moment occurred when Taegyeom’s bass malfunctioned during Nebula, forcing Woosung to host an impromptu talk session with the crowd. “(Nebula) is a song about times when it is hard to let go but once you do, it works out for the better,” Woosung began, before humorously injecting, “Nah, nah, we’re getting all serious right now. And the bass is still not coming out, so I’m still talking to you about things I’ve never talked about with this song.” 

As the bass instrument required a few more minutes to fix, Woosung reminisced about the band’s early days where they used to busk. Back then, they set up everything without a crew and had to troubleshoot their own technical difficulties. “You know how busy our staff are right now? That was what I used to be doing. But now I’m so calm,” Dojoon quipped in, sparking a wave of laughter across the theatre. 

If you ever think your idols aren’t observant from the stage while performing, think again, because The Rose completely debunked that! Dojoon comically shared that he noticed a few fans at the start of the show who had stood up, eager to jump along to the music but sheepishly sat back down when they realised no one else around them followed suit. He even imitated their sheepish retreats, causing the venue to erupt in chuckles.

“What’s the reason why we can’t all stand up? Culture?” Woosung asked out of curiosity. “What kind of culture — is it a shy culture or like a courtesy culture?” When fans told him it was due to courtesy for the people behind them, Woosung playfully rebutted, “I mean you don’t need to see us, you just gotta hear us! This show is not about us, it’s about you!” 

After the bass malfunction was finally fixed, The Rose restarted Nebula and eased into a plethora of slow sentimental tracks — Shift, Time and Slowly — before cranking the energy back up again with Back To Me, Chemical, Alive, Control and Cosmo. The raw passion of Black Roses’ could really be deeply felt in the way they screamed along to the lyrics of Back To Me. The energy was completely through the roof as the entire crowd stood up to jump and dance together. The vibes were inexplicably immaculate, and it felt like one massive disco party.

And of course, what’s a concert by The Rose without their massive hits sorry and She’s In The Rain? After those iconic songs, the band kept the momentum going with a slew of melachonic anthems that fill our hearts with emotion — Beauty and the Beast, Sour and Wonder. 

Before we knew it, it was already time for the encore. The Rose returned to the stage with Blue Moon, before bringing things full circle by singing Utopia again. It was a beautiful way to tie up both the night and the entire tour, starting and ending the journey with the exact same song. 

After a quick photo session with the crowd, it was time to say goodbye. “Thank you Singapore! We will miss you guys. We were so happy to be here. We rose ya!” Taegyeom bade his final farewell, and the night drew to a close.

What a bittersweet and tearful evening it was, leaving every Black Rose with a wave of mixed emotions. On one hand, it was an incredibly joyous occasion to finally have The Rose performing on our sunny island. Yet, it felt deeply poignant at the same time, knowing it will be a while before we see them perform together as a whole band again.

Regardless, we know that Black Roses will always be right here, waiting with open arms. Till next time, The Rose!

Special thanks to CK Star Entertainment for the media invite!

Written by: Min Yi
Photos by: Faris

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