HIGHLIGHT Revives BEAST Memories in ‘LIGHTS GO ON, AGAIN’ Concert

On May 11th, HIGHLIGHT held their solo concert, “LIGHTS GO ON, AGAIN,”at KSPO Dome in Seoul, after successfully reclaiming their name from Cube Entertainment. They delighted their devoted fans with performances of their hit songs.

This concert, which took place from May 10th to 12th, marked HIGHLIGHT’s first full-group performance in two years. Despite additional seats with restricted views being opened, all tickets were sold out, demonstrating HIGHLIGHT’s enduring popularity in the domestic market.

The concert was made even more meaningful for the members as they were finally able to confidently shout out the name “BEAST,”which they had been unable to do for a long time. This was made possible by their recent agreement with their former agency Cube Entertainment regarding the use of the BEAST trademark.

In 2009, BEAST made their debut under Cube Entertainment and quickly rose to fame with chart-topping hits such as “Shock,””Beautiful,””On Rainy Days,””Fiction,””Beautiful Night,””Shadow,””Good Luck,”and “12:30.”

In 2016, BEAST left Cube after seven years and created Around Us Entertainment as their exclusive contract ended. This marked a new chapter for the group. However, as they ventured on their own, disputes arose concerning the ownership of the BEAST trademark.

Despite Around Us Entertainment’s statement that they were in discussions about the team name, with an emphasis on maintaining a friendly business relationship with Cube, Cube Entertainment quickly announced their plans to restructure BEAST as a new group with only three members, causing uproar.

In response to the controversy, former member Jang Hyunseung expressed surprise, stating that it was the first time he had heard about it. This only added to the conflict as Around Us Entertainment maintained a strong stance on the matter.

Criticism from both fans and the public continued to escalate. As the five members faced the collapse of their history under the name BEAST, negative reactions surged, intensifying the crisis.

Ultimately, the plan for a reunion of the three members of BEAST did not continue. Additionally, in 2017, HIGHLIGHT began a new chapter with the release of their first mini-album, “CAN YOU FEEL IT?”

In the midst of the concert, a segment was presented to reflect on their journey as BEAST. A pre-recorded video showcased captions like “We faced moments filled with worries and tears. We feared our memories would fade away,”and “Back then, the atmosphere was cold and unforgiving, beyond words.”These powerful words captured the challenges and struggles that the members had faced.

The video ended with captions that read, “Let’s mention only one name,” and the name of BEAST was shown, followed by the introduction of their debut title track “Bad Girl.”

As the members poured their passion into the stage and the audience sang along to “Bad Girl,”tears burst from the crowd, reminiscing on their shared memories.

Following their performance of “Bad Girl,”HIGHLIGHT proceeded to deliver back-to-back renditions of “Shock”and “Special.”The group then greeted the audience with enthusiastic declarations of, “Hello, we are BEAST.”Yoon Doojoon further encouraged the crowd by exclaiming, “You can now shout it out without any hesitation,”effectively conveying their strong emotions.

After that, they proceeded to showcase BEAST’s popular tracks like “Shadow,””Good Luck,””Breath,””On Rainy Days,””Ribbon,””The Fact,””Fiction,””You Like Me The Best,”and “V.I.U.”

Additionally, the audience’s spontaneous requests for BEAST songs were welcomed by the performers, who impressed with their exceptional live abilities and entranced the crowd with top-notch performances.

During the concert, Son Dongwoon provided insight on the significance behind the title “LIGHTS GO ON, AGAIN.”He expressed, “As we were organizing the setlist for this concert, we carefully considered the storytelling aspect. We began by showcasing our current selves with HIGHLIGHT’s songs, then delved into our past by exclusively singing BEAST songs in that section, and concluded with a division between ‘Heart’ and ‘Love,’ painting a picture of our future. The most crucial aspect is that we are united from the past, through the present, and into the future.”

After Seoul, HIGHLIGHT’s 2024 concert “LIGHTS GO ON, AGAIN”will proceed with an Asian tour in June, including stops in Hong Kong and Bangkok, and in July, in Kaohsiung and Tokyo.

The source can be found at naver.