Eight years after first performing at Prudential Center, Baekhyun returns as solo artist

by MARTIN TSAI
baekhyun review

MARTIN TSAI

Baekhyun performs at The Prudential Center in Newark, June 23.

Stepping into the Prudential Center in Newark on June 23 for the 2025 Baekhyun World Tour [Reverie], one thing that immediately jumped out was the near total absence of chaperones in the audience — extremely rare for a K-pop concert.

Baekhyun is a lead vocalist of Exo, a third-generation group and contemporary of BTS and Twice. Though they peaked before the United States K-pop boom, they were once the genre’s biggest act, chosen to perform at the 2018 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Their debut single “What is Love,” co-produced by Teddy Riley, is covered by cast members in Anderson .Paak’s upcoming directorial debut “K-Pops!” As culture setters, their influence is undeniable.

This was Baekhyun’s third time taking the stage at The Rock; he performed with Exo in 2016 and 2017. Though it had been quite some time, fans apparently never left — as evidenced by the sea of white light emitted from all the Pharynxes (Exo’s official light sticks). Those were definitely not available at the merch stands that evening, suggesting that fans who bought them at shows some eight or nine years ago returned in droves. Though this time the scene was dotted here and there with light sticks belonging to other fandoms — which was frankly disrespectful and an unthinkable transgression to anyone who lived through the second-gen fan wars.

Fans returning would also explain the absence of chaperones. We Exo-Ls, affectionately known as Eris, had all gotten a bit older since the last time we congregated — which was the 2019 Madison Square Garden show of SuperM, the all-star troupe that also counted Baekhyun as a member. I honestly thought this time we were just going to sit on our posteriors all night. But no. I underestimated us. We were on our feet and screaming at the top of our lungs like back in the day. I was proud of us.

MARTIN TSAI

Baekhyun and dancers at The Prudential Center.

As for Baekhyun, he completed South Korea’s compulsory military service and established his own agency for solo and subunit activities in the interim. That might be cause for disband concerns to some, especially since he and bandmates Chen and Xiumin sued Exo’s management, SM Entertainment, a year ago. But if the show at The Rock was any indication, Baekhyun remains committed to Exo’s “We are one” mantra. He addressed the audience as Eris all night and even led the crowd wave with a Pharynx in hand through a cover of BoA’s “Garden in the Air.” He also had eight backup dancers — which probably helped fuel some OT9 delusions. Happily, despite his having flown the nest, half the setlist was pulled from his solo work under SM, including some real bangers like “UN Village.”

Exo is a perfectly engineered group in which members impeccably complement one another. When they perform solo, their individual strengths and weaknesses are in stark relief. At times Baekhyun didn’t seem fully acclimated to touring on his own just yet. He appeared more at ease sticking with practiced routines and being surrounded by backup dancers than commanding an empty stage alone, as he had to do during the second segment of the show. This was consistent with the cool personality he projected. Perhaps the backup dancers could be incorporated in this part somehow. Though as the segment progressed, he gradually let loose and encouraged the crowd to sing along.

MARTIN TSAI

Baekhyun at The Prudential Center.

As one of K-pop’s top vocalists, he actually got to flex his vocal acrobatics more with Exo. On solo stages, he could only achieve layering by singing over his own pre-recorded vocals. He often tended to the topline, eschewing the runs and show-stopping high notes that have honed his vocal prowess. That is not to say his vocal chops this night were anything less than stellar. Before the encore, the jumbotron showed a video that helped the audience learn phonetically the Korean lyrics of the song “Amusement Park.” Only then did I gain a real appreciation of how incredibly difficult some of his songs were to sing. Despite that, he sang them beautifully and effortlessly. We got to hear those heavenly falsettos over and over throughout the evening.

Exo is in fact known for its unparalleled vocal line consisting of Baekhyun, Chen, and D.O. Having to carry two hours on his own clearly took a toll in the end, when he coughed a couple of times and apologized while closing the encore with “Amusement Park.”

As fans know, K-pop acts almost never stray from their prepared setlist throughout a tour. Baekhyun teased the prospect of giving us a little something extra, soliciting from the audience members what we would like to hear, before ultimately conceding that we would have to wait until the next time. Meanwhile, we Eris will just have to look forward to huddling again for Kai, his fellow Exo and SuperM member, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in September.

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