DAY6's Gravity Tour: The Time of Our Life

Tropical Storm Irma made landfall in Houston this past week. Miraculously, Dallas was saved from the storm by the power of DAY6’s Korean pop-rock (and, to a lesser extent, meteorological physics). DAY6 is a Korean boy band in the broadest sense. They don’t dance and they play their own instruments, but they were formed by JYP Entertainment group and they seem to be filling a K-pop space that is lacking an All Time Low-or-We the Kings-brand pop-rock group. And, damn, do they do a good job filling it.

DAY6 played at the Theatre at Grand Prairie on Friday, September 20th, as part of their Gravity tour to a packed crowd. If you’re not My Day (the moniker for DAY6 fans), here’s a quick breakdown of the band: Jae (lead guitar/vocals), Young K (bass/vocals), DOWOON (drums), SUNGJIN (rhythm guitar/vocals), and WONPIL (keyboard/vocals).

The band played for 2-and-a-half hours with one 15-minute intermission. The show began with upbeat songs interspersed with Jae commenting on the crowd’s high energy and beautiful aura. The band gradually moved to their variation of heavier songs punctuated by the crowd’s full committal to jump on every up beat. Their sound ran the gamut of radio rock: piano-forward ballads, quasi-heavy riff-offs, and dance anthems; each fortified by ear-worm choruses and striking vocal talent. A highlight of the show was a mash-up of the band’s songs with other current pop songs, including “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran. Each member had a chance to solo in front of the crowd in between songs. Each solo was impressive, but Jae’s was
the standout.

The intermission was played as a faux end to the concert with the band paying tribute to their My Day fandom, but no one was fooled when a video of the boys playing games while traveling in their tour bus played. After the intermission, DAY6 returned to the stage in the same Gravity Tour t-shirts all the fans were wearing. The tone of the show shifted with their return, as well. The songs they played were slower and sentimental.

About three songs before the end of the concert, the band took a brief break and a new video started playing. Instead of leaving, the band members took a seat at the edge of the stage to watch. This video had been created by My Day to be shown to the band. After the video finished, each member gave a heart-felt thank-you monologue, sometimes assisted by a translator. It was an odd blend of touching and awkward. It might have only been me who felt off-put by the earnestness in their gratitude. Most of my concert experiences include a solitary “Thank you, [Insert city name here], we love you.” Each member gushed over the video; all while keeping a conflicting air of boyish innocence and sex appeal.

Without a doubt, the concert had some of the best crowd participation I have ever seen. I even noticed some dads shamelessly head-bobbing and toe-tapping along. It was quality entertainment from any viewpoint. Overall, the experience was kinetic and charming. The band finishes up the American leg of their tour in Los Angeles on the 28th and 29th.