In late summer 2022, The Rose announced a world tour shortly after news of their upcoming full-length album, HEAL, was planned to be released in October. This highly anticipated comeback followed front-man Woosung’s MOTH EP debut and 2022 MOTH EP Showcase Tour, where he happily announced that The Rose would soon be reunited.
Shortly after this update, his bandmates, keyboardist Dojoon, drummer Hajoon, and bassist Jaehyeong returned from their mandatory military service and they immediately began working on an album together. The response to this news was enormous and fans were more than ready to celebrate. Their Heal Together world tour immediately sold out most cities during ticket pre-sales, causing The Rose to upgrade to larger venues for many of the stops.
On October 27, lines snaked down the block in front of the Warner Theatre in Washington D.C. as their fans, known as Black Roses, eagerly waited for doors to open. To celebrate the occasion, many brought their tour designed The Rose lightsticks and illuminated the venue in a sea of colorful lights.
Upon entering, large, black, freestanding roses adorned the beautiful stage setting that created an artistic, intimate atmosphere throughout the night. Various background visuals were displayed to match the distinct mix of new tracks from HEAL and older fan favorites from previous albums, which showcased many popular songs from across their discography. Fans were also surprised and delighted to hear one of Woosung’s MOTH EP tracks, “Modern Life,” nestled into the emotional setlist.
When addressing the audience, the band could not contain how excited they were to hold their first performance in Washington D.C. “You know, there were a lot of comments online – why don’t you come to Washington D.C.?” said Dojoon. “Well, we came, so let’s have some fun tonight!” he concluded as cheers erupted throughout the whole venue.
When the opening of “Red” started, both the stage and light sticks were illuminated a matching red while fans loudly and enthusiastically sang along to the entire song. During “ILY” the audience joined in once again. Their voices reverberated throughout the room and sent chills through the crowd as they sang in beautiful harmony with The Rose.
“The new album is called HEAL and it’s about healing. I want to tell you guys how we came up with this album and what the writing process was about, and what we did to heal ourselves,” Woosung explained before asking what everyone’s favorite song was. People began shouting out their favorite tracks as the band acknowledged some of their answers.
“Music that we create is what’s special – there’s you guys and there’s us. I think this music, if it can be a tool to help guide you out of any emotions… happier, sadder, all kinds of emotions…. If it can do that, then we are very happy,” he concluded before moving into the second half of the performance. Fan favorite “Sorry” earned an eruption of cheers as Woosung began the opening lyrics followed by the entire venue changing out the lyrics alongside the band. The tune was followed by the beloved “Beauty and the Beast.”
When the opening notes of “Cure” started Woosung proclaimed, “Let’s recover together!” This moment felt like the climax of the show as both The Rose and Black Roses sang in full force to the dynamic track. The music intensified with each round of the chorus as the words “cure” and “heal together” flashed across the screen, and fans waved their light sticks back and forth.
Nearing the end of the show, The Rose bid farewell to D.C. by performing “Black Rose” in dedication to their supportive and passionate fanbase. Audience members passed up bouquets, gifts, banners, and flags as the members greeted everyone from one end of the stage to the other. “Hope you had fun and a little bit of a heal time, we rose you so much!” Woosung remarked. They closed out the evening by throwing red roses to audience members with a promise to return next year, before moving into place for a group photo with fan-signed flags.
The Rose put together an emotionally healing and nostalgic comeback performance for their beloved Black Roses with a promise to return next year. Their fans are definitely ready for more. As Woosung humorously commented at another recent tour stop, be sure to catch a show and “don’t be sleeping” on this band!