Published : Nov. 29, 2013 - 19:13
Franz Ferdinand perform during their first concert in Seoul at the UNIQLO AX Hall on Thursday night. (9ENT)
“You’re lucky, lucky, you’re so lucky” chanted the thousands who had gathered to see rockers Franz Ferdinand as they performed “Do You Want To” during their first concert in Seoul.
The four Scots lit up the UNIQLO AX stage on Thursday night with heart-thumping beats and enough chaotic flashing strobe lights to send almost anyone into an epileptic seizure.
It was a rare yet pleasant surprise to have a performance actually start right on time; and as the four members strutted out onto the stage, the stadium packed wall-to-wall with fans filled with the roars of young girls shouting as if the 30- and 40-something rockers were popular teen heartthrobs.
Although there was a bit of a hiccup at the beginning of the show ― lead singer Alex Kapranos slipped and fell on the stage while moving about, with band mate Nick McCarthy on guitar keeping the vocals going as Kapranos recovered and quickly returned to the mic.
Franz Ferdinand took the audience members back with old favorites such as “No You Girls,” “The Dark of the Matinee” and “Ulysses.” And with the band’s signature funky dark punk sound led by Kapranos on vocals, Franz Ferdinand sounded even better live on stage.
The Glasgow-based rockers unveiled their fourth studio album, titled “Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action,” in August. The new album debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Indie Chart and No. 6 on the U.K. Albums Chart.
As soon as McCarthy began to play the guitar riff from “Evil Eye,” from the band’s latest album, a large number of fans in the standing section of the concert venue started throwing fake eyeballs ― which are featured in the track’s official music video ― onto the stage in homage to the song, surprising the band members.
“Oh my God, you guys in Seoul are awesome,” shouted Kapranos as he picked up a pair of eyeballs on the stage and stuffed them into the back pocket of his jeans.
Fake eyeballs were not the only items that were thrown on stage. During “Stand on the Horizon,” which features the repeated lyrics of “come to me,” a sudden myriad of folded paper airplanes began to soar toward the stage. Fans from all across the stadium had prepared written notes for the band members, which they then folded into planes and threw onto the stage.
Soon after, Franz Ferdinand launched into its 2004 smash hit single “Take Me Out,” the song that brought the band into the mainstream, and got even the crowd members in the seated sections jumping up and down. The single was only the band’s second release and landed them their first certified gold record.
The night ended on an energetic high note as all four musicians gathered around the drum set, each grabbing a pair of drumsticks and joining in on an explosive percussion rhythm that had the audience in awe.
To top off the already electrifying night of music, guitarist McCarthy decided to do a little crowd surfing only to find his Korean audience surprised to see him lunge off the stage and into the crowd, leaving the artist hitting the ground flat, face first. Although it took a moment for McCarthy to pick himself back up, he was not injured and greeted the fans with a heartfelt smile as he exited the stage.
By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)