Mark Tuan at House of Blues in Chicago
By Adrianna Dreckmann
You may have heard of Mark Tuan a lot recently, but if you’re into Korean Pop music even in the slightest you will probably recognize him from the K-Pop boy group, GOT7. As of 2022, the members of GOT7 are currently embarking on solo activities of their own such as releasing new solo music and participating in other aspects of entertainment both in Korea and stateside. Mark, one of the few fluent english speaking members of GOT7, released his first solo album, The Other Side, just this past September. The Other Side is already gaining hundreds of thousands of views on Youtube and millions of streams on Spotify. Now this fall, Chicago marks halfway through "The Other Side tour" in the US with Mark playing various clubs and venues from coast to coast.
This Monday, I had the privilege of seeing Mark perform to a sold-out crowd in downtown Chicago at the House of Blues. Before Mark (or his opener Wes Feng) took the stage the crowd was packed with not only GOT7 but various other K-Pop group lightsticks clutched to each concert goers chest. If they weren’t holding a lightstick, they were holding a sign asking for something from Mark or something to give him. An hour into the show he took a brief pause to read signs, accept gifts, and even a song request (performing GOT7’s OMW thanks to a sign from someone in the third row).
Watching Mark Tuan on stage felt like watching someone you knew. He was kind to every fan he interacted with, funny, and performing like the artist he has been built into since 2014. However, he also appeared vulnerable and honest and insinuated during some of the fan service aspects of the evening that in the many years since he debuted there have been mistakes made, sadness ensuing, and the pressures of being in a popular korean boy group.
While Mark Tuan shines as a member of a seven piece K-Pop act he’s proven with this first solo album and this tour that he can thrive in the spotlight alone as well.
Mark Tuan’s The Other Side is available now on all digital streaming platforms and physical copies of his album are available from his website and in target and amazon in the United States.
