Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz to hold their first concerts in Seoul


Seoul becomes the center of pop music this spring with a number of world-famous musicians and celebrities coming to the city to hold their own concerts.
U.S. pop diva Lady Gaga kicks off her “The Born This Way Ball” world tour at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, one of the biggest sports and concert venues in Korea, on April 27.

The concert will be “the first-ever pop electro opera” and is the first full-fledged concert in Seoul by Gaga.

Lady Gaga chose Seoul because she likes her enthusiastic and passionate Korean fans and thinks that they will best interact with her shocking performance, the local promoter told The Korea Herald by telephone.

The pop superstar said the concert is about “the tale of the Beginning, the genesis of the Kingdom of Fame: How we were birthed and how we will die celebrating.” The 25-year-old star will perform her latest album “Born This Way” and also music from “The Fame” and “The Fame Monster” albums.

Interest in the inner-stage area or “The Monster Pit” where the audience can get a clear view of the world star, is growing, but how it will operate still remains in question.

Hyundai Card, the official promoter of Lady Gaga’s Seoul concert, said in a press release that her world tour agency will “directly select” people for the “The Monster Pit” among those who bought tickets for the standing A and B sections.

The card issuer will list selection criteria by the agency on its blog www.superseries.kr and its official SNS channels.

However, Lady Gaga had said on Twitter last month that the inner-stage area, or “The Monster Pit,” will be offered to “fans who have arrived first, waited all night and dressed to ‘Ball.’”

Tickets range from 55,000 won to 125,000 won. For ticket reservations, visit privia.hyundaicard.com or ticket.interpark.com.

Singer-songwriter and rock star Lenny Kravitz is to greet his Korean fans for the first time in April. The concert titled “Black and White World Tour” will take place at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa, southern Seoul, on April 13. The artist, famous for his sophisticated stage performance and exceptional vocal is currently on a world tour which kicked off in 2011. He has already performed in 11 cities in the U.S., six times in Australia and also five times in Japan. Tickets range from 88,000 won to 165,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3141-3488 or call 1544-1555 for ticket reservation.

Jane Birkin, one of France’s most beloved artists, also comes to Seoul for the first time in eight years.

At her concert titled “Jane Birkin Sings Serge Gainsbourg” the 66-year-old singer and actress will pay homage to her former partner and mentor. Birkin and Gainsbourg were in passionate relation for 13 years and have a daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg has become a top French actress and singer.

Birkin who is also famous for having a Hermes bag named after her will sing for Korean fans her hit music pieces including “Je T’aime … Moi Non Plus.“ The concert will take place on March 22 at Ax Korea in Gwangjang-dong, northeastern Seoul. Tickets are all 110,000 won, tax included. For more information, call (02) 6339-1232 or 1544-1555.

British rock band Radiohead will perform at Jisan Valley Rock Festival, which runs at Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province on July 27-29. It will be the band’s first concert in Korea.

The band gained popularity around the world with hit songs including Creep and has sold more than 30 million records. The ticket price for the three-day Jisan Rock Festival is 250,000 won. For more information, call 1577-3363 or visit www.interpark.com which provides English service for ticket reservation.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)