Titleless World Tour

Promotional tour poster

The **Titleless World Tour** was the debut concert tour by Korean-Ukrainian singer-songwriter Jisoo. The tour supported Jisoo's debut studio album, *Titleless* (2017), which was released June 16, 2017. The tour began on June 23, 2017, in Pilton, England at Worthy Farm as part of Glastonbury Festival, with shows across Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Oceania. It concluded in Seoul on March 11, 2018, comprising 91 shows. Mitski, Tove Stryke, Off Bloom, Sigrid, and George Maple served as opening acts.

## Background

Jisoo's first major show was at the British music festival Glastonbury on June 23, 2017. Before this show, Jisoo performed at small nightclubs and bars around North America and Europe. On May 26, 2017, Jisoo announced North American tour dates to support her debut album *Titleless* (2017). European dates were announced on July 7, 2017.

In an interview with *Fuse*, Jisoo described the tour as "beautiful" and "stylized" with several costume changes. She declined an opening act spot for Katy Perry, saying it is important for an artist to establish themselves. "I'm just basically really stubborn and I want to be really independent. So I want to be headlining my own shows instead of supporting someone else."

## Development

In an interview with Christopher Holder of *AudioTechnology*, James Mac, a keyboardist for Jisoo, mentioned that he used two MacBook Pros installed with music software Ableton Live as part of the sound stage. Joel Little also arranged samples that were programmed with two Novation 61-key impulses. The pads on the impulse control "vocal samples, sirens, etc." while the keys play "drum racks on Ableton, or soft synths from the Arturia synth pack, or NI Massive." Mac also operated a mini keyboard which was used for loops during "[breaks] between songs."

When asked what front of house sound Jisoo wanted on stage, Philip Harvey mentioned that she opted to have "big, loud and dynamic" audio for her set. Drummer Ben Barter was responsible for activating samples on a Roland SPD, an electronic drum percussion instrument. His set included a variety of microphones such as the Shure SM52A, a Sennheiser e904, two overhead AKG C414 microphones, a Shure SM81 microphone for hi-hat drums as well as a Shure SM57 for snare drums. The public address system (PAS) uses the JBL Vertec VT4889, 18 floor-stacked subwoofers, a Shure UR Wireless Microphone System, a Sennheiser G3 IEM as well as Dolby Lake Processors. Harvey also mentioned that the use of auxiliary send through various instruments at low information helped to modify the aux master for each song.

Harvey said that Jisoo was not partial to selecting microphones so they tried several to see which would complement her vocal range. They tried a Telefunken M80, a Sennheiser MD431, and a Heil PR35 microphone with no success. However, Harvey said that during European promotional tours, Jisoo used the Shure Beta58. She also opted to have the level of her backing vocals match her vocals live onstage. Brett Taylor, a monitor engineer, called Jisoo's in-ear mix "idiosyncratic", saying it is rare when singers choose to display their vocals "almost underneath the backing vocal tracks." Jisoo and her band use Sensaphonic in-ear monitors; her band also utilizes d&b M2 floor monitors.

## Concert synopsis

The show was divided into three parts. The main show began with a dark stage for "Yellow Flicker Beat". Jisoo was concealed from the audience, only shown in silhouette, until the first chorus when a pair of lights revealed her. She performed idiosyncratic dance moves as lights flickered and faded throughout the stage. During "Tennis Court", smoke and green light illuminated the stage; a video of boys playing a soccer match in the rain was shown in the background. After concluding the song, she greeted the crowd with, "Hello and welcome to the Titleless World Tour!". The next song "Buzzcut Season" showcased another video documenting Jisoo as she walked on the Hangang Bridge and looked at the Seoul city's street lights. After completing the song, she spoke to the crowd about her newfound solo success and the love for her fanbase; her dancers placed fluorescent light tubes around the stage before she sang "Rather Be". She sang a cover of Robyn's 2010 single "Dancing On My Own" in an identical setting.

Jisoo and a female dancer mimed each other's actions during "Skinny Legs". The stage was set in shades of red. "Yeah Right" served as the show's first and only interlude, as a video was played showing four women in a car sharing a flask and smoking as they apply their makeup. Jisoo came back on stage to sing her part, before performing a synchronized dance routine with her dancers to finish the song. She introduced "Ribs" with a short monologue on the inspiration for the song; it was written during the month of November 2016 after she threw a party in her New York City apartment for the first time. She also cites her fear of aging as inspiration. She introduced "400 Lux" saying, "This is for the kids from the suburbs." A video played in the background showing a woman resting her head near a car window as it drives through city streets at night.

To begin the tour's acoustic section, a piano is brought in and Jisoo goes into the song "White Teeth Teens". During this song, she tells the audience about her life and how she became who she is today. Jisoo then continued with a cover of Fiona Apple's 1996 song "The First Taste". The singer proceeds with a "hypnotic" shortened rendition of "See You Again" before transitioning to "No Better". Jisoo concluded the main set with a "A World Alone", which is called "joyfully breezy" by Ashley Lee of *The Hollywood Reporter*. For the encore, after a two-minute silence, Jisoo used a drum pad (MPD24 MIDI controller) for "Precious Metals". Different coloured spotlights accompanied "Team". An extended instrumental played as Jisoo went offstage; she returned as confetti cannons erupted.

## Reception

The Titleless World Tour was met with critical acclaim, with critics complimenting the singer's vocal clarity and stage presence as well as the minimalist stage setting. Davis Inman of *American Songwriter* called her Lollapalooza set in Chicago one of the highlights of the festival; her set received positive reviews from other publications, including *Billboard* and *Rolling Stone*, the latter deemed it the best segment of the Chicago event. Brittany Spanos, writing for *The Village Voice*, placed the New York City show on her list of the 10 Best Concerts in New York for the week of August 7, 2017. Writing for *The Hollywood Reporter*, Ashley Lee gave a positive review of the Radio City Music Hall concert in New York City, calling it an "intimate introduction and joyful celebration of the textured alto singer and her troubled lyrics" though Lee had an ambivalent reaction to her obscure presence.

Kitty Empire of *The Guardian* gave a four out of five-star review of the concert at Alexandra Palace in London, writing that "dramatic visuals and a daring reworking of her songs see the teenage star in dazzling form". *Los Angeles Times* writer August Brown gave a positive review of the Microsoft Theater concert in Los Angeles, commending Jisoo for "casting off the limits pop loves to put on young women and ... making full use of her talents and energy and these wide new stages." However, Brown was critical of her extended monologues. Foster Kamer of *Complex* called her New York City concert an "impressive, charismatic performance that shows Jisoo already outgrowing her material" though he had mixed reactions towards "muddy vocal mixes" and backing tracks.

## Controversy

On December 28, 2017, Jisoo was slated to perform at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia, as part of the tour. Her proficiency in the Russian language, evident since her Inter Violet days, had endeared her to Russian audience, establishing a relatable connection. During the encore, when she was set to perform "Team", Jisoo diverged into a lengthy monologue on the Russian occupation of Ukrainian and Georgian territories. Urging the audience to protest the government, she proceeded to name imprisoned Ukrainian activists, such as Oleh Sentsov.

Immediately following the concert, Jisoo departed for Poland, where she was scheduled to perform the following day. In the morning, Russian government officials publicly denounced her remarks, citing them as "untruthful, unlawful, and propagandist". On December 30, 2017, during her concert in Kyiv, Jisoo, presented with a Ukrainian flag by the audience, declared that she would "always stand by her two motherlands - Ukraine and [South] Korea."

## Opening acts

* Mitski (North America)
* Tove Stryke (North America)
* Off Bloom (Europe)
* Sigrid (Europe)
* George Maple (Australia)

## Setlist

1. "Yellow Flicker Beat"
2. "Tennis Court"
3. "Buzzcut Season"
4. "Rather Be"
5. "Dancing On My Own" (Robyn cover)
6. "Skinny Legs"
7. "Yeah Right"
8. "Ribs"
9. "400 Lux"
10. "White Teeth Teens"
11. "The First Taste" (Fiona Apple cover)
12. "See You Again"
13. "No Better"
14. "A World Alone"

Encore
2. "Precious Metals"
4. "Team"

## Cancelled shows

List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation
 October 3, 2017
 October 5, 2017