The ‘Wild K.A.R.D. Tour’ in São Paulo was as wild & hot as expected
by Ana Clara Ribeiro
After going to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, K.A.R.D. headed to Brazil for the final leg of the Wild K.A.R.D. Tour, their first tour in America and also out of Korea. The group had successful fansigns in the Brazilian cities of Fortaleza, Salvador, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro before two concerts in the city of São Paulo. We went to the second and last concert on July 2 at Tropical Butantã, and it was everything you would expect from K.A.R.D., especially in Brazil.
The group has a big appeal to the country, to the point that it was necessary to schedule an extra concert, since the first one literally sold out in less than five minutes. For this reason, you would think the concert would be absolute madness. And you’re right. We’ve already said that K.A.R.D. distinguishes itself from other K-pop groups not only for their sound and for being a co-ed group, but also due to their mature and relaxed posture, which makes them very appealing to western audiences. And being in Brazil, a country whose musical styles the group draws a lot from, of course it would be taken to the highest level.
Brazilian fans go hard and they get even more excited when their love is returned. K.A.R.D. took notice of that and delivered an extremely entertaining concert, showing love through their appreciation of Brazilian music and culture, impersonating Brazilian memes, and even singing a full song in Portuguese.
They opened the concert with “Rumour,” their latest single, followed by the English version of “Don’t Recall.” And even though they performed two thirds of their songs within the first few minutes, the rest of the concert was never boring.
by Ana Clara Ribeiro
Also on KultScene: KCON 2017 NY’s ‘M! Countdown’ Day 1 Concert Recap
The MC of the night was singer and YouTuber Iago Aleixo, who hilariously introduced K.A.R.D. to famous Brazilian dances such as “Ragatanga” (a 2002 hit from Brazilian girl group Rouge) and “Passinho do Romano” previously in a video, this last one containing the funny move called “Sarrada,” which B.M. would do spontaneously in the concert and later would be requested by the crowd to be repeated.
by Ana Clara Ribeiro
This wasn’t the only moment in which K.A.R.D. demonstrated their knowledge about Brazil and their special preparation for that concert. There were random moments, like when Aleixo called a fan named Viviane to join the stage for a game, and J.Seph played with her name saying the name of Viviane Araújo, a Brazilian actress. There were also moments of respect, like when the members were asked how they felt about being in São Paulo, and super adorable Jiwoo mentioned the 40th anniversary of the bilateral treatments between the city and Seoul. And of course, there was a musical cover moment, and that was one of the highest points of the night.
Cute as always, the members said that in order to make Brazil feel loved, they had to study and understand their culture. For this reason, they prepared a surprise: a special performance of “Sim Ou Não,” a song by Brazilian superstar Anitta featuring Colombian reggaeton star Maluma. As the song choice would obviously drive everyone crazy, the usual scream and wildness of Brazilian crowds were stronger due to Jiwoo and Somin’s perfect Portuguese pronunciation and the extra sexy choreography performed by the group — which was probably their boldest ever, with its highlight being Somin going down, twerking, and doing a split during an interaction with B.M. that shocked pretty much the entire audience. But that’s what’s special about K.A.R.D.: they do sex appeal so naturally that it never seems that they are trying too hard or being vulgar.
by Ana Clara Ribeiro
Other highlights of the night were the games played by the members with fans, the cover of Eminem feat. Rihanna’s “The Monster” (revealing Jiwoo as an awesome rapper too), and the special units. In a softer moment, Somin and Jiwoo performed Bruno Mars’ “Versace On The Floor,” showcasing their great vocal range, which was followed by J.Seph and B.M. showcasing their rap skills, performing “Right Now.”
by Ana Clara Ribeiro
Also on KultScene: Inside KCON 2017 NY [photos]
The last song was “Oh NaNa,” but they came back to perform “Don’t Recall” in Korean for the encore, leaving the stage under cries for more. B.M. and Somin, very kind (and very hot), presented some lucky fans with their shirts, taking them off and throwing at the crowd, leaving everyone crazy. Overall, the name of the tour was perfect and was even more appropriate when held in Brazil, for it was wild from start to finish.
by Ana Clara Ribeiro
But it wasn’t all about the party. The greatest thing about all of this is that K.A.R.D. and DSP Media showed that they take their foreign fan base very seriously (if the very fact that they’ve toured in America and will tour in Europe after their debut doesn’t say enough). We could tell it by seeing the group’s effort to sing in Portuguese (which is not an easy language at all, and is even harder when compared to Korean), to immerse in Brazilian culture and to interact with fans (specially B.M., who teased the crowd all the time, smiling, waving, and doing funny moves).
This was the last K.A.R.D. concert before their debut, marked for July 19, and overall, it was everything you would expect from an act like K.A.R.D. in a place like Brazil: warm, fun, cheeky, and full of love and energy.
Are you excited for K.A.R.D.’s debut? Let us know in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.