South korean singer-songwriter BIBI lit up Boston over the weekend, as she brings her 1ST WORLD TOUR [EVE] across the U.S. Fans were ecstatic to finally see the singer live for the first time, making sure to grab some merch before walking in, lightsticks in hand – something that BIBI herself would point out candidly during the show.
As the lights go down, the curtains open to reveal the singer emerging from the shadows, kicking off with “Midnight Cruise”. A neon cityscape soon lights up the stage, the first of many backdrops that would carefully compliment each performance. The softer energy reaches its peak with the deceivingly sugary “Bam Yang Gang”, giving way to a quick shift in tone. A bed emerges and red lights flood the room, as BIBI and her dancers reveal a much sultrier side to their performance, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
BIBI’s charisma shines through all the different personas she takes on, with her witty humor and unfiltered trains of thought at the forefront. She would also take the time to share the stories behind many of her songs, focusing on the duality within her most recent album EVE: ROMANCE, which is performed in its entirety. The theme is elaborated on through short films that play in between songs, showing the characters of Eve and her clone, Eve-1, a much darker storyline that dives into issues of fame, mental health and societal pressures. She would often ask fans who they thought was performing each track, offering some relief from the more disturbing imagery. Interestingly, the artist later revealed she not only starred on the clips, she also wrote and directed them.
The singer’s interactions with the crowd were one of the highlights of the evening: from joking about her very fluent english to complimenting the fans, BIBI’s quirky personality was the main character. She would candidly share a wide range of stories from her youth, openly talking about partying in Hongdae, to then move on to her struggles with self confidence and how she has been able to overcome them. As the EVE:ROMANCE portion of the show came to a close, she re-introduced BIBI as the main performer, and took the crowd interaction to another level: she ran around the room during “City Love”, bringing a fan up on stage at the end to perform the flirty “Best Lover”.
Her debut single “BINU” gave way to a brief exit, and the singer returned for a high energy encore that had everyone dancing around. “Bumpa” and “Eat My Love” brought the show to a close, a jam packed evening filled with BIBI’s refreshing honestly and unapologetic irreverence.
Photos and words by Maria Alejandra Mata.
