At Lollapalooza, The Rose Gives Fans Their Flowers

The Rose performed two very different, brilliant sets at Lollapalooza Thursday and Friday night. Credit: Dusana Risovic

This fall, The Rose will release their second album “DUAL”, and during two Lollapalooza sets in Chicago this weekend, the theme of duality was intact. Fans were treated to two very different, brilliant sides of the group this week. First, at their Thursday night set on the Bacardi stage, the group performed an incredible introduction for new fans. The show was special, not just because as Jaehyeong, the group’s bassist, noted, this is the first time the group had closed out a night at Lollapalooza. But most importantly, because it was the group’s sixth anniversary. “We never imagined we would be here,” Dojoon, vocals and keyboard, said gratefully. 

Lollapalooza highlighted The Rose’s ease moving between two very different spaces: K-Pop, an industry known for its  perfection, and indie rock, where improvisation and artistic whims are exalted. Their close relationship with their fanbase Black Roses is why many fans I talked to Friday night told me they’ve traveled to see The Rose multiple times since their debut in 2017.

“We didn’t think so many of you would show up,” Woosung, the group’s leader, said. “There’s so many other great artists playing tonight.” New fans joined stans, curious onlookers and the festival's high attendance of K-Pop fans to watch the group’s set. The support from K-Pop fans was the easiest to spot: Glowing in the dark and sprinkled throughout the crowd was lightsticks that signified the equivalent of different sport teams coming together to rally behind one cause, that being supporting the greater good and exposure of K-Pop. On Friday night, Bunnies (NewJeans), Moas (TOMORROW X TOGETHER), and even some NCTizens (NCT) all showed up to support The Rose. 

And The Rose did not disappoint: Their set affirmed why the group has become one of Korea’s best rock groups. The guys opened with the euphoric anthem “Cure”, from their first album “HEAL”, a song that sounded festival-ready the moment I heard it. That song, Woosung explained, exemplified what The Rose stands for, and why so many Black Roses love the group so much.

“We believe that music is healing,” he said. “We make music because it heals us and hope that it can heal you in some way.”

Dusana Risovic

From there, The Rose briefly retooled their way through their discography, including “Candy (So Good)” and “RED”, before shifting into “Dual” lead single “Back To Me” which literally explodes on stage thanks to killer vocals from the guys. Another highlight was “Shift, a B-side from “HEAL” that is so intimate and beautiful that I almost forgot I was in a crowded festival park hearing it. After an hour, the group closed with “Sour”, the lead single from “HEAL” and hands-down one of the best songs in the group’s discography. The set was a speedy but important introduction for new fans, and would turn out to be entirely different from the following night’s brilliant experience. 

Dusana Risovic

Friday night, The Rose were back onstage in Chicago at the Vic Theater to perform a headlining After Show. In the line for the group’s limited edition festival merch that snaked up the theater’s opulent staricase, fans speculated over how extended the setlist would be. No one was expecting a radically different show. “It’ll probably be 30 minutes longer,” my friend told me. 

And for a few songs, it was. The group opened with “Cure” before diving, again, into “Candy (So Good)”. “RED” and “I Don’t Know You” followed, and for a while I believed my friend’s prediction would be true. Then, Woosung made an announcement that made the entire audience take an audible gasp before dissolving into shrieks. 

“This is the first show that we’ve never written a setlist for before. And that is because tonight,” he said and paused for a dramatic moment. “We will be taking your requests.” The screams were so loud that I almost couldn’t hear his next announcement. “For the first time, too,” he explained, “Jaehyeong and Hajoon will sing vocals on songs they’ve never been featured on.” 

This would be, I realized, a once-in-a-career concert. I noticed that everyone around me was feeling the same way because I worried the theater was going to collapse from the hysteria. This would be the kind of show that record companies print 5,000 limited vinyls for (which, of course, sell out) and then are resold for $500. 

“Let’s create a good setlist together,” Dojoon encouraged to a crowd that needed absolutely no encouragement to shout out ideas. The only problem, Woosung laughed, would be if they couldn’t remember the lyrics or arrangement. But that is where the group had a hidden ace: Dojoon, a pianist who somehow can remember every single piece of The Rose’s entire discography, including lyrics, music, and even bars he has never participated in recording, would be there to guide them through each deep cut performed. Part of the joy of watching this concert was seeing Dojoon find the correct keys on his keyboard then showing the music individually to each member, before they would begin a song. Beyond giving Black Roses a very real look at how the group works together, this concert displayed Dojoon’s encyclopedic and academic ear for music. 

The first request was fitting: “BABY” from their 2018 EP “Void”. “This was the first song we ever wrote together,” Woosung said. Next was “She’s in the Rain”, my introduction to the group, with Hajoon, drums, and Jaehyeong on vocals, before Woosung said they would also sing the English version.  

Dojoon selected the next one and chose, perhaps, the most challenging song possible: “Beautiful Girl”, a Woosung solo track released in 2019 in collaboration with BTOB’s Penniel. The group embraced the cheesiness of the track with Woosung emphasizing the lyrics, “Yeah my name is Sam and I like some ham.” Then, incredibly, Dojoon theatrically cleared his throat before he tore into Penniel’s rap. “Woah,” he said after finishing, as if he had been possessed. “What just happened?” We all had the same question.

The group continued to take requests, diving into “Like We Used To”, “I.L.Y”, and even an unreleased track named “Photographer”. When they did slide into newer tracks, like “Childhood”, Hajoon took over the vocals and rivaled even the original composition. This was the kind of rarities and b-sides show that fans dream of, and it felt fitting, triumphant even, after their Lollapalooza set, which was made to please everyone. This show was clearly for Black Roses.

As the group glided back into their Lollapalooza set list, they still found new ways to engage with fans. On “Say Yes”, Dojoon brought out roses, much like the night before, but in a demonstration of how comfortable they are with their biggest fans, he took a deep, cartoonish inhale of them as Woosung sat on the edge of the stage to sing directly to the audience.

Then, metaphor became literal and the members gave fans their flowers, often looking directly into their fans’ eyes as they handed them a rose. It was a sweet gesture of gratitude to Black Roses for sticking by the group for six years and for making both Lollapalooza sets one hell of a weekend.

All images credited to Dusana Risovic.