DPR Artic, DPR Cream, and DPR Ian have come together for the Dream Reborn World Tour. If you aren’t familiar with DPR and the DPR crew, here is an introduction.
DPR stands for Dream Perfect Regime and was created by Christian Yu, also known as DPR Ian, after the K-pop group he was in, C-Clown, disbanded. DPR is made of directors, producers, filmmakers, and musicians who focus on creating a unique audiovisual experience for their audience.
The DPR team mainly directed and produced music videos for South Korean artists until 2017, when DPR Live released his first album. In 2018, DPR Live announced the “Coming To You Live World Tour” and brought DPR Ian, DPR Cream, and DPR Rem along with him.
DPR embarked on their second world tour, The Regime Tour, from 2022-2023, which featured DPR Ian, DPR Cream, and DPR Live. On December 22, 2023, DPR Artic was announced as the newest DPR solo artist. He released his first album under DPR Artic in February of 2024, which included a collaboration with DPR Ian called “Do or Die.”
The Dream Reborn World Tour was announced on May 6, 2024. This tour features DPR Artic, DPR Cream, and DPR Ian. It began on July 13, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea, and will end on December 28, 2024, in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Now that you know a little bit more about DPR, let’s get to the concert review. If you haven’t been to a DPR show before, you may not know what to expect, but don’t worry– it’s a lot of fun on the other side.
DPR Artic opened the show. He performed many of the songs from his debut album during his DJ set. The lasers and video screen in the background created an energetic vibe even if you were not familiar with his music. His final song was “Do or Die,” the collaboration with DPR Ian, and the crowd was so excited! Artic’s set was the perfect introduction.
DPR Cream went on next. His stage setup was a little more robust than Artic’s and included what seemed to be a copy of his production setup. There were some moments during his set where he showed off his production skills, which was amazing to see. The lighting and visual effects matched his music well and helped keep the momentum going.
Now it was time for the final performance from DPR Ian. He opened with a captivating rendition of “Welcome To The Otherside.” He stood at the top of the stage, with a screen behind him and multicolored lights shining from different angles. Visuals of lightning strikes and mountains with a full moon set the scene until just before the song’s climax. Then the lighting changed to green with a bit of purple, and Ian was shown a dark figure in front of the bright green screen showing the message– welcome to the otherside.
“Welcome To The Otherside” is a song from DPR Ian’s latest release, Dear Insanity… He played all but one song from Dear Insanity… and each song was given its own unique performance. The most impactful part of the show was Mito’s entrance.
Mito is one of the characters that embodies his experience living with bipolar disorder. Ian’s first two albums, Moodswings In This Order and Moodswings In To Order, introduce and tell the story of Mito.
The scene started in pitch black, and as the lights went up, the audience saw Ian, as Mito, emerging in front of a screen with a crescent moon, which quickly moved to form a full moon as a powerful theme played in the background. This act introduced the part of the show where Ian played songs from his first two albums. It was such a commanding visual. Some of the most notable songs on the setlist were “Don’t Go Insane,” Mood,” “Dope Lovers,” and “Calico.” Including a live band and dancers really elevated the show! It was also cool to see Ian play bass with the band. There were a few short breaks where either the band or dancers would take over, and it was awesome to see them celebrated.
Ian closed with “Ballroom Extravaganza,” which is such a captivating song. It’s one of the best ending songs for a concert. It is such a beautiful song and being in that environment live is incredible, especially with a live band. Just when you thought the show was over, DPR Artic and Cream joined Ian to perform the “Do or Die” remix. It was nice to see all three of them together having fun and singing along to the song.
Check out the rest of the tour dates here.
