Korea’s rock legend, Yim Jae Beum, marked the next phase of his long-standing musical career with an outstanding concert at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on January 20th. Fans of all ages crowded into the venue even before the doors were scheduled to open at 7pm. As show time crept closer, the floor seats nearest to the stage rapidly filled up, with concert-goers waving to one another from across the venue—the Korean community coming together was truly a sight.

The concert began with a short video focusing on Yim Jae Beum’s life as a musician, highlighting his successes, along with the challenges he overcame. Finally, the legend himself appeared on the dark-lit stage, and immediately launched into song. The audience screamed and clapped for him and then settled down to listen to Yim’s powerful yet raspy voice—his most well-known attribute. The second song he performed was “Stigma” from the popular Korean drama series, Chuno.

Although the venue was quite large, it was still an intimate setting as Yim Jae Beum conversed with the audience in between numbers. Fan chants of “Saranghae Yim Jae Beum” echoed throughout to which the singer replied jokingly, “Don’t say that, it’ll get you into trouble.”

It was no mystery that this was his comeback performance, bringing us back to his roots of rock music and heavy metal. Yim covered various American songs by Uriah Heep, Sting, Tom Jones, and finally, “Desperado” by The Eagles. Halfway through, the concert morphed into a heavy metal show with songs featuring another Korean rock group, Diablo. Together, they performed the hit “Rock in Korea,” along with a few other songs.

The concert was definitely a success, leaving Yim Jae Beum’s musical talent fresh in the hearts and minds of his long-time fans. Props to Entitled Entertainment for executing another exciting event.


[Photos: Jane Lee]