Get up close and personal with the vocal trio 4Men (the group originally consisted of four members) during the group’s end-of-the-year holiday concert series.

Members Kim Young-jae, Shin Yong-Jae and Kim Won-joo not only showcase their strong, soothing R&B voices through more than 20 of their singles, but also their comedic and entertaining interactions with the audience.

“If you want to hug us or anything, don’t be shy ― just come right up to the stage,” Young-jae said with a laugh during 4Men’s opening concert held on Friday. 

The trio even invited selected members of the audience to join them on stage, giving them choices between sleigh bells, an egg shaker and even a squeaky rubber chicken to play along with them while they sang, making the audience burst into laughter every time the rubber chicken was used.

Before entering the concert hall, guests also have the opportunity to participate in the group’s “My Best & Worst of 2012” survey, where the audience is asked to write down their best and worst moment or experience this year. The winner of the survey on opening night was a woman who had written down “I got married” as her best and worst moments of the year. She was invited onto the stage and given a lottery scratcher as a token of her good fortune and an autographed block eraser to symbolize the erasure of her bad experiences.

The concerts are held in a relatively small venue, but the boys take full advantage of the space, serenading the audience up close and on many occasions walking into the stands and singing among the crowd.

The concert also includes Christmas caroling by guest performers “One-Piece,” an up-and-coming four-member vocal girl group.

The upcoming 4Men holiday concerts will be held at Mary Hall at Sogang University on Christmas Day at 6 p.m.; Dec. 28 at 8 p.m.; Dec. 29 and 30 at 6 p.m.; and on New Year’s Eve starting at 10 p.m. Tickets are 88,000 won.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)