South Korean girl group Purple Kiss brought their 2024 BXX Tour to a close with a highly anticipated performance at Legacy Taipei on August 9th. This marked their second world tour, following the success of The FESTA Tour the previous year.
Purple Kiss is a six-member group composed of main vocalists Goeun, Chaein, and Swan; main dancers Dosie and Ireh; and main rapper Yuki. Known for their active involvement in the creative process, each member has contributed to songwriting and composition, with Yuki currently having the most song credits. They have also choreographed for several tracks in their discography, including their pre-debut song “My Heart Skip a Beat” and many of their intro songs.
The 2024 BXX Tour was named after their 6th mini album, BXX, which was released on March 19th. Like with previous albums, the members were actively involved in BXX's creation, this time with Goeun contributing to the writing and composition of "Toy Boy" and "Voyager," Chaein to "Heart Attack," and the group collectively choreographing "Toy Boy."
The tour, which kicked off on June 2nd in Oceanside, California, spanned across North America and Japan, with seven stops in the US, nine in Canada, and two in Japan. Notably, the Osaka stop on July 17th coincided with the release of their Japanese album, On the Violet, featuring four Japanese versions of their songs.
The BXX Tour has been a memorable success, introducing Purple Kiss to new audiences across North America. The tour expanded their reach, with all US stops being new locations for the group and a Canadian debut that included becoming the first K-pop act to perform in cities like Regina and Halifax. Ticket sales were strong, with most shows either selling out or broadcasting low ticket warnings.
Moreover, this Taipei stop, which had been announced later, had been a welcome surprise as it was their first time performing in Taiwan as well. The members shared their excitement about connecting with Taiwan Plory [fandom name], as they had consistently shown their support over the years by traveling to meet Purple Kiss at their various events. They also had a Taipei fansign scheduled for the day after the concert to further connect with their fans.
The venue had letterboxes for each member, allowing fans to express their love and support, and an “Ask Purki” Q&A board for fans to post questions and requests for members to pick from during the concert. Unfortunately, merch was not sold at this stop, but each attendee received a photocard of a member and a tour poster.
As a fan, I had been looking forward to the show as soon as it was announced. The standing-room-only setup at the venue did make me hesitate initially, as I generally prefer concerts with seated sections, but my friends had such a great time at the Vancouver show and had only great things to say about it. Ultimately, the excitement of seeing Purple Kiss live won, and I decided to go for it. And I’m so glad I did, as the concert exceeded my expectations.
There were a few notable additions to the setlist, including the cover of Jay Chou’s Mandarin song, “Love Confession,” as well as pre-debut release “Can We Talk Again” after the unit performances and b-side “Mistake” during the encore. The latter two are among my favorite Purple Kiss tracks, and getting to hear them live felt like an extra treat. And while it’s not rare for idols to learn a popular song in a new language to connect with local fans, it is always impressive to me when they do so, as it speaks to a level of care and effort on their part. Furthermore, as a millennial whose Mandopop knowledge is not quite up to date, I was thrilled to immediately recognize the song. The members confessed to being a bit nervous during song selection as they were not sure what fans would enjoy, but felt reassured when fans expressed their excitement the moment the first few notes of the song played.
The unit performances were equally impressive. While Goeun and Dosie captivated the audience with their cover of VIVIZ’s “Untie,” Chaein and Swan showcased their powerful vocals in their rendition of Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s “Unholy.” Ireh and Yuki concluded the segment, bringing a playful vibe to HyunA and Dawn’s “Ping Pong.”
I’ve always enjoyed covers, especially when artists bring their own interpretation or flair to the original, which Purple Kiss has really leaned into with their consistently released vocal and dance covers on their YouTube channel. These performances have more than demonstrated their versatility and artistic growth, and I look forward to their next ones. Some of my favorite performances from the main vocalists have been their takes on Red Velvet’s “Psycho” and Sia’s “The Greatest.” Other members have showcased their vocals as well, with Dosie delivering a soothing cover of S#arp’s “My Lips…Warm Like Coffee,” Ireh energetically taking on Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er Boi,” and Yuki charming fans with her cover of Chanmina’s “FORGIVE ME.”
Food was a recurring theme during the ments [talking sections], especially during the Q&A, with members expressing their delight in trying out local delicacies like mangoes, bubble tea, and soup dumplings, and how they wished they had the time to experience a night market.
Fans were given purple finger lights to wave during “Voyager,” transforming the venue into a sea of purple fireflies during the song. Since it is my current most played Purple Kiss track, experiencing it live with such a visual spectacle was definitely a memorable moment, but a bittersweet one as well, as it reminded me that Purple Kiss still does not have their well-deserved official lightstick.
With the concert nearing its end, it came time for the customary group photo with the audience. But just as they readied for the shot, a surprise video played on the big screen, showing Purple Kiss’s journey over the years. The video, put together by the local fan support team, moved the members to tears. They playfully chastised the crowd for making them cry right before photo time, and Swan went offstage briefly to touch up her makeup. Seeing their emotional reaction to the video was heartwarming, and it must have meant so much to the video’s creator who was able to witness it as a member of the audience. Upon her return, the photo was taken, with everyone’s pinkies up—a pinky promise for Purple Kiss to return.
Watching Purple Kiss live gave me a new appreciation for many of their songs. Tracks like “My Heart Skip a Beat,” “Autopilot,” and “Twinkle” were already great songs, but hearing them live felt like a new experience. Whether it was the powerful live vocals, Purple Kiss’s infectious energy, or the crowd singing along, the live performances carried an extra intensity that made the songs even more enjoyable. They effortlessly kept the crowd energized, building anticipation with chants like “Taipei, are you ready?” during their performances and even making the audience jump along to their last encore song, “Twinkle.”
Overall, the Taipei concert was an incredible experience. I truly hope they return soon. Next time, I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to get tickets. Pinky promise.
Next up, Purple Kiss are expected to headline the Toronto Korean Festival on August 24 and 25. After that, they are scheduled to perform at the K-pop Istanbul Festival with fellow South Korean girl group Dreamcatcher on September 7th.
