A Historical Event in 2002 Inspires PSY To Launch His Legendary “Summer Swag” Concerts
Anyone who is a fan of PSY knows that he holds one of the most exciting and dynamic concerts of all time every summer. In a recent interview, PSY spilled how a historical moment in 2002 inspired these legendary concerts.
On May 9, PSY attended an online press conference for his live concert film PSY Summer Swag 2022 which was released on Disney+. The Disney+ original film captures the best moments of PSY’s 2022 summer concert, showing a stadium packed with 350,000 audience members jumping and dancing.
In his interview, PSY shared where he got the idea to start the “Summer Swag” concerts.
While watching the 2002 World Cup, I thought, ‘How moving is it to see such a large crowd dressed in one color and singing and cheering in one voice?’ I launched my concert with the idea of creating such a performance.
— PSY
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was one of the most exciting moments in South Korean history. It was held in Japan and Korea, and although the Korean public cheered for their national team, there were no expectations as the national team had never made it far into the match before. However, the nation went into an uproar when Korea became the first-ever Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nation to reach the semifinal of a FIFA World Cup as one of the top four teams.
With the slogan “Be the Reds” and a red devil as the mascot, tens of thousands of people in Korea cheered for the Korean national team and painted the streets red. They had World Cup watch parties in the streets, where they screamed and cheered together, united as one nation. It was a historical moment in Korea that is still remembered today.
This event was so monumental that one of the most common things Korean people say to anyone born after 2002 is, “You weren’t even born during the world cup!” For example, IVE‘s Jang Wonyoung has also received this comment from singer and entertainer Kim Jong Min for being born two years after the World Cup.
Jang Wonyoung: I was born in 2004.
Kim Jong Min: You didn’t watch the World Cup, huh?
Jang Wonyoung: Yeah, I didn’t watch it…
Kim Jong Min: It was super fun!
The unity of the nation and the passion that resonated through Korea moved many people, including PSY, who used the heartwarming moment as an idea for his concerts. He succeeded, as his shows are filled with audiences cheering in unity and have become a tradition for summer for the past ten years.
As the years go by, the scale of the concerts has grown surprisingly large, so it means a lot to me knowing that it has become an iconic summer performance in Korea. Last year was the 10th anniversary of the water show concerts, and the live concert film captures the joys and sorrows of 350,000 audiences in nine cities. I’m proud of how the concerts have grown.
— PSY
Meanwhile, PSY put a lot of effort into reviving the authentic atmosphere of his concerts in PSY Summer Swag 2022 with tools like sound mixing and color correction. He also focused on putting English subtitles so global fans could know more of his songs outside of “Gangnam Style.” He shared that he is proud of the outcome, and the live concert is available to watch on Disney+.
Watch the trailer for PSY Summer Swag 2022 here.
