A line of fans wrapped around Arizona Financial Theatre on Saturday for Wave to Earth’s highly anticipated return to Phoenix on The Pieces Tour. The Korean indie trio filled the downtown space, bringing a sense of intimacy and coziness to a room much larger than the last one they played in Arizona- an upgrade that was more than well deserved.
Forgoing an opener, the trio of singer Daniel Kim, bassist John Cha and drummer Dong Q (along with their auxiliary live band) emerged onto a stage that had been transformed into the band’s living room- knicknacks and all. The band was bathed in warm light and deep shadows to start things off with “talking ’bout you” and “everything comes and goes” while the audience swayed in unison. Wave to Earth’s indie sensibilities are punctuated with jazz interludes, including stunning saxophone interjections by Jeon Min that had the crowd clamoring for more.
The band recently released the album they are celebrating on this tour, adding in new favorites like “skylark” and “cherry flavoured love inside your heart” to the setlist. Kim’s soaring vocals were punctuated by Cha’s multi-instrumentalist skills while Dong Q gave his drums a little extra kick to put the rock in the band’s indie rock leanings. The fans did their part as well, singing along- but not too loudly to drown out Kim’s ethereal voice- and giving their all to “annie.” before the confetti cannons showered the room in tiny Wave to Earth pieces.
All three guys spoke very little between songs, vocalizing gratitude and giggling at the fervent and sometimes very humorous affirmations tossed from the crowd throughout their set. The main performance ended with “heaven and hell” and “closing.” before the lights in their living room dimmed. The fans’ cheers brought them back up again and Wave to Earth treated their devoted crowd to a three song encore that included fan favorites like “homesick” (a highly demanded request) and the soothing sounds of “love.”. The room fully and unspokenly understood that this might be the band’s last extended tour for awhile so they soaked in every moment with the guys onstage, turning their latest Phoenix visit into a reminder that there are plenty of “sunny days” to come.
