SHINee's First-Ever Online Concert Attracts Viewers From 120 Countries

South Korean boy band SHINee held their first-ever online concert titled "SHINee: SHINee World" via Naver’s Beyond Live platform Sunday.

The band had announced its plans to hold an online concert last month. "SHINee World" was the band’s first concert in nearly three years as the members had to complete their mandatory military services.

SHINee made its long-awaited comeback with the release of its seventh full-length album and music video titled "Don't Call Me" on Feb. 22.

According to SM Entertainment, the band’s agency, the live concert, which was streamed worldwide, attracted around 130,000 fans from 120 countries across the world. Fans from countries such as the U.S., Japan, Italy, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand and more attended the concert, The Korea Herald reported.

The live concert included various powerful performances including some from the band’s latest releases like "Don’t Call Me," and "Kiss Kiss."

The members also performed their previous hit songs including "Dream Girl," "I Really Want You," "Sherlock," "Love Like Oxygen," "Married to the Music," "View," and more.

As the concert came to an end, the members talked to fans about their thoughts on conducting an online concert amidst the pandemic. They also promised to hold more sessions with fans in the future.

"I like that while we’re live chatting with you all, there are comments in various languages coming up in the chat," band member Key said, according to Soompi. "This is the first time we’re doing an XR performance. I thought all these effects would be added later, but they’re happening in real-time. With my own eyes, I can only see the stadium and the LED screens, but on the monitor, we’re in space."

Meanwhile, Minho said, "It’s not an in-person concert, but we poured all our energy into it as if it was a real concert."

"I’m happy that we can perform and meet with fans even during this time. I’m glad we could create a great stage through technology, and I’ll be satisfied if the fans were satisfied," Key added.

Onew also said, "It feels good to meet with fans again for the first time in a while. I’m happy that we can receive such cheers. I’ll try and create more opportunities to communicate with fans."

"Each minute and second that we spend together is precious, and I’m looking forward to the new memories we’ll make," Taemin added.

Fans trended hashtags like #SHINee and #SHINee_BeyondLive in various countries as they discussed the performances and showed their support to the artists.