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On January 11, 2025, a clip featuring Girls Generations' Hyoyeon's reaction to SMTOWN Live's venue circulated on social media, which took place at Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul, South Korea. In the video, the female artist expressed her disappointment with the reported monotonicity and the atmosphere of the joint world tour stage. She mentioned:
"The venue is a bit dry. Can you all feel it too?"
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Subsequently, Hyoyeon's statement resonated with most of the fans on the internet. They mentioned the lack of stage design, appealing screen background, backup dancers, no lighting, recycled outfits, and other missing elements. An X user agreeing with Girls Generations' statement commented:
"She said the venue was a bit dry, but it was completely haphazard and the sm failed to justify the talent of their artists, even the idols were not so interested to perform."
The K-pop community stated that SM Entertainment's 30th-anniversary celebration did not look like a grandeur event. Some mentioned it was the most bland SMTOWN Live. At the same time, others referred to Girls Generation' Hyoyeon as the unfiltered queen.
"she’s so real for this, sm @ 30 did not feel like a grandeur event (dcurb)," a fan mentioned.
"And when boa performed she was like giving 10% energy only. She messes up most of the choreography," a fan reacted.
"ngl the collab stages were interesting at the very least but this is the loneliest and the most boring smtown con ever i feel bad so for my wishies," a fan shared.
One fan agreed that the stage was "bland," while another remarked that Hyoyeon was "unfiltered."
"hahahaha fr. actually, the whole vibe of today’s smtown seems to bland. could be because of the crowd who are passive aggress lol," a fan commented.
"She just be saying anything …our unfiltered queen," a fan tweeted.
Some also accused the creative director of losing sight of ideas related to the recent SMTOWN 2025 event. Many stated that the performances were not synchronized and lacked energy.
"The creative director must have a home problem and losing ideas lol but seriously it looks boring tbh i don't feel excited as i was to be," a user reacted.
"And not just her, I even felt like other performances were out of sync and low on energy. Show was dryyyy," a user shared.
"I’ve honestly been wondering for quite some time if SM is having money problems. Some of the decisions they’ve made seem like the decisions you make when you are broke and out of options. As someone who is used to “the struggle” I can spot a broke bitch when I see one. I see SM," a user commented.
Other fans continued to agree with the singer.
"It's their "30th year" concert yet it feels so cheap. Even their annual free concert was more grand than this," a user mentioned.
"SM really just banking on the fact that their artists are top tier. They’re not even trying anymore like… they have so many talents that could make those stages pop out more. There’s literally a lot of them that do concert design and stage production for their concerts," a fan mentioned.
More about the SMTOWN Live 2025 Tour
SMTOWN Live 2025 tour is a collaborative and joint world tour concert held by SM Entertainment. The first stop occurred on January 11, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea. The ongoing event is held to commemorate SM Entertainment's 30th anniversary. The venue details have been provided below:
- January 12, 2025, Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul, South Korea.
- May 9, 2025, Estadio GNP Seguros, Mexico, Mexico City.
- May 11, 2025, Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, United States.
- June 28, 2025, England, London.
- August 9, 2025, Tokyo, Japan.
- August 10, 2025, Tokyo, Japan.
It is to be noted that the exact location for Europe and Japan countries will be announced later. The setlist for SMTOWN Live Seoul, South Korea, Day 1 included 58 tracks from the different artists and groups of SM Entertainment.
Some songs were TVXQI's Rising Sun, Super Junior's A Man in Love, BoA's Hurricane Venus, aespa's Whiplash, RIIZE's Boom Boom Bass, Chanyeol's Hasta La Vista, NCT Wish's Wish Korean version, Key's Gasoline, Bada's Just in Love, and others.
SMTOWN Live Seoul, South Korea, will be held on the second day on January 12, 2025, at the Gocheok Sky Dome.
