Flame Rises Tour

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Flame Rises Tour
Tour by Le Sserafim
Official poster
Location
  • Asia
Associated albumsUnforgiven
Start dateAugust 12, 2023 (2023-08-12)
End dateOctober 3, 2023 (2023-10-03)
No. of shows11
Box office$7,900,000[1]
Le Sserafim concert chronology

The Flame Rises Tour was the first concert tour by South Korean girl group Le Sserafim, held in support of their first studio album, Unforgiven (2023). The tour began on August 12, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea, and concluded on October 3, 2023, in Jakarta, Indonesia, with a total of 11 shows in six cities across Asia. The tour was commercially successful, grossing $7.9 million and becoming one of the top 10 highest-grossing K-pop tours of 2023.[1]

Background

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The Flame Rises Tour was announced by Source Music on June 28, 2023.[2] Shows were confirmed in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Thailand.[3] The Seoul shows were immediately popular, with all tickets selling out within 8 minutes of becoming available.[4]

The tour's title, "Flame Rises", is an anagram of Le Sserafim's name, itself an anagram of "I'm Fearless".[5] Member Sakura explained that the name represented the group "burning the path we walked behind us so there would be no going back, our only choice would be to keep going forward."[6]

The set list began with "The World Is My Oyster", the first track from Le Sserafim's debut EP Fearless (2022), and ended with "Fire in the Belly", the last track from their then-most recent release, Unforgiven (2023). This structure was chosen to represent the group's growth from their debut to the present.[7] As many of the songs featured particularly intense choreography, the members' outfits were designed with zippers to enable them to change clothing quickly in between songs.[7]

To promote the Hong Kong show, a pop-up store was opened between September 21 and October 8, selling exclusive merchandise themed around the tour.[8]

The tour ended prematurely on October 7, 2023, when Source Music announced that the two shows that had been planned in Bangkok, Thailand, had been cancelled due to members Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, and Kazuha contracting influenza.[9]

Concert synopsis

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The show featured a set list of 17 songs, and took place over four distinct acts: "Embers," "Ignite," "Flame" and "Rises".[10][11] Each act was separated by pre-recorded videos and featured speeches and commentary from the members in between songs.[12]

The first act, "Embers", opened with "The World Is My Oyster", as an LED screen rose to reveal the members standing on a raised stage. They then fell backwards from the stage, disappearing from view as the lighting faded to black, after which the group reappeared to perform their debut single, "Fearless". This was followed by a rendition of "The Great Mermaid", in which the members were joined by 20 backup dancers and surrounded by ocean-themed imagery.[11] The group then performed "Blue Flame" and "Impurities" to finish the act. The next act, "Ignite", began with a rock-themed performance of "No Celestial" using standing microphones, followed by the softer tracks "Sour Grapes" and "Good Parts". The act continued with the members singing a new song, "We got so much"[a], and concluded with "Flash Forward".[10]

The third act, "Flame", returned high-energy tracks to the forefront. The group performed "Antifragile", brought the backup dancers back to the stage for "The Hydra", continued with "Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard's Wife", and concluded with "Unforgiven". The encore act, "Rises", began with a focus on fan interactions as the members performed the song "Fearnot (Between You, Me, and the Lamppost)", dedicated to their fanbase. They then delivered speeches sharing their thoughts on the show and their progress as a group, before continuing on to sing "No Return (Into the Unknown)" and performing a call and response with the audience on "Fire in the Belly" to conclude the concert.[13][12]

Critical reception

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The Flame Rises Tour was generally well received. Critics including Cho Yong-jun of Korea JoongAng Daily and Dong Sun-hwa of The Korea Times praised the set list and the members' interactions with the audience.[5][11] Brandon Raeburn of Bandwagon Asia commended the group's confidence on stage, writing that their choreography "spoke volumes of their self-assuredness".[14] Carmen Chin of NME awarded the Osaka show four out of five stars, writing that the members showed "incredible levels of charisma and showmanship that can only be compared to that of seasoned acts".[13]

Others were less positive. Choi Ji-won of The Korea Herald offered a mixed review, calling the tour "a valiant first attempt" and praising the set list, but criticizing the members' performances and the production.[10] Jeong Seung-min of MHN praised the group's stage performance and appreciation for their fans, but considered the set list to be lacking and opined that too much of the show consisted of commentary and videos.[12]

Set list

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This set list is taken from the Seoul show on August 13, 2023, and is not intended to be representative of all shows.[10][14]

Tour dates

[edit]
List of tour dates
Date (2023) City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
August 12 Seoul South Korea Jamsil Arena[4] 10,500[4] $7,900,000[1]
August 13
August 23 Nagoya Japan Nippon Gaishi Hall 60,000[16]
August 24
August 30 Tokyo Yoyogi National Gymnasium
August 31
September 6 Osaka Osaka-jō Hall
September 7
September 30 Hong Kong AsiaWorld–Expo Hall 10[17] —
October 1
October 3 Jakarta Indonesia Jakarta International Expo[18] —
List of cancelled shows
Date (2023) City Country Venue Reason
October 7 Bangkok Thailand Thunder Dome Cancelled due to members' health.[9]
October 8

Recorded shows

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Three shows of the tour were filmed for home release. The shows on August 12 and 13, 2023 in Seoul were filmed and released via digital distribution on June 28, 2024. Physical collector's editions were also made available, featuring a photobook with images from the tour.[19] The show on October 30, 2023 in Tokyo was filmed and released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 25, 2024.[20]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "We got so much" was a new song performed for the first time as part of the tour.[10] It was later formally released on the EP Easy (2024).[15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Frankenberg, Eric (December 11, 2023). "Top 10 Highest Grossing K-Pop Tours of 2023". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  2. ^ 르세라핌, 첫 단독 투어 개최...8월 서울서 시작 [공식] [Le Sserafim, first solo tour... Starting in Seoul in August [Official]] (in Korean). June 28, 2023. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  3. ^ Ziwei, Puah (28 June 2023). "LE SSERAFIM announce 2023 'Flame Rises' tour". NME. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Lee, Min-ji (August 14, 2023). "더 멀리, 더 높이 갈 것" 르세라핌, 첫 단독 투어 막 올렸다 ["We will go farther and higher" Le Sserafim just finished their first solo tour]. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Cho, Yong-jun (14 August 2023). "Le Sserafim kicks off first world tour in Seoul with two performances". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  6. ^ "LE SSERAFIM Reflect on The Success of 'UNFORGIVEN' & First Tour: Interview". Billboard Japan. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b Lee, Jiyeon. "LE SSERAFIM FLAME RISES Tour Report". Weverse Magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  8. ^ Soriano, Jianne (15 September 2023). "LE SSERAFIM is opening a pop-store in Hong Kong this September". Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  9. ^ a b Choi, Jae-seo (October 7, 2023). 르세라핌, 방콕 공연 취소..."멤버 3명 독감 판정" [Le Sserafim cancels Bangkok performance..."3 members are diagnosed with the flu"] (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2025 – via Naver.
  10. ^ a b c d e Choi, Ji-won (14 August 2023). "[Herald Review] Le Sserafim overcomes fear with first concert 'Flame Rises'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  11. ^ a b c Dong, Sun-hwa (14 August 2023). "REVIEW 'Flame Rises': Le Sserafim sets crowd on fire during Seoul concert". The Korea Times. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Jeong, Seung-min (13 August 2023). "퍼포먼스는 압권이지만...'무대 반+멘트 반' 아쉬움 남은 르세라핌 첫 단독 투어(종합)" [The performance was impressive, but...Le Sserafim's first solo tour left something to be desired: "Half the stage, half the commentary."]. MHN (in Korean). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  13. ^ a b Chin, Carmen (8 September 2023). "LE SSERAFIM live in Osaka: a charming, emotional celebration of community". NME. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  14. ^ a b Raeburn, Brandon (15 August 2023). "LE SSERAFIM show what it means to be fearless at "FLAME RISES" concert in Seoul - gig report". Bandwagon Asia. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  15. ^ Daly, Rhian (February 19, 2024). "LE SSERAFIM – 'Easy' review: fearless girl group shine new light on their strength". NME. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  16. ^ 르세라핌 日 첫 단독 공연에 6만 관객 운집 "함께라 가능" [Le Sserafim first solo tour in Japan attracts 60,000 audiences, "It's possible because we're together"]. Newsen (in Korean). September 8, 2023. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2025 – via Naver.
  17. ^ 「香港FEARNOT注意～」Le Sserafim首個巡迴演唱會香港場將於9月30日舉行！. Yahoo News (in Chinese). July 17, 2023. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  18. ^ "Promotor Umumkan Harga Tiket Konser Le Sserafim di Jakarta" [Promoter Announces Le Sserafim Concert Ticket Prices in Jakarta]. Cosmopolitan Indonesia (in Indonesian). July 17, 2023. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  19. ^ "[NOTICE] 2023 LE SSERAFIM TOUR 'FLAME RISES' IN SEOUL Release announcement (+URL)". Weverse. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  20. ^ "LE SSERAFIM,〈2023 LE SSERAFIM TOUR〉東京公演の模様を初の映像作品化" [LE SSERAFIM releases first-ever video of Tokyo performance from their 2023 LE SSERAFIM TOUR]. CDJournal (in Japanese). 16 July 2024. Retrieved 21 September 2025.