Wave to Earth’s Show at the Masonic Was a Love Letter from Seoul to SF

Dressed in a black leather jacket and dark-rimmed glasses, Daniel Kim, lead singer of K-indie rock group Wave to Earth, strummed a few chords under the Masonic’s deep, purple lights as if lost in a melodic train of thought. After a minute or so of anticipatory playing, he turned to the audience, light reflecting off his yellow electric guitar.

“Can we sing together?” he asked. The San Francisco crowd roared in response and began to shout along the first few bars of Wave to Earth’s 2023 hit song “bad.”

The band, which is based in Seoul and sings in English, has been steadily gaining more American fans since the release of their first studio album, 0.1 flaws and all., in 2023. They played a sold-out show in Oakland the night before their Saturday San Francisco concert.

Although they toured in North America just last year, Wave to Earth’s current world tour is a chance for them to expand their reach and elevate their status from emerging artist to established. Kim, who is also the group’s lead guitar player, is one of three permanent members, along with bassist John Cha and drummer Dong Q. Their second studio album play with earth! 0.03 dropped earlier this month, and along for the ride on the tour are fellow musicians Jo Jung-geun (keyboard) and Jeon-min (saxophone).

At their show, the band drifted from playfully soft, dreamy tracks like “seasons” and brighter, more upbeat songs with jazz-infused drumming styles, like that of “pueblo.” With the saxophone thrown in too, the show felt more like a casual jam session than a carefully orchestrated concert. If this were a modern-day episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wave to Earth’s vibe would absolutely mesh with bands playing The Bronze.

The young audience, a wide mix of Asian Americans and white folks, had a vibe that was incredibly wholesome. Four guys in front of me all threw their arms around each other and swayed along to “love.” during the encore. (I also envied them for remembering to bring their digital cameras — one inch lenses are allowed inside the Masonic! — for cooler photos.) But what made an even bigger impression was how well the fans matched Wave to Earth’s energy.

“The only reason that we can be on stage is because of you,” Kim said toward the end of the show. “But sadly, we only have two songs left —” The crowd cut him off, screaming wildly in opposition. Kim tried again. “Just two more songs —” The audience drowned him out even faster, and he gave up, smiling in defeat.

I couldn’t blame the audience one bit for their reactions. There was something special about being able to see the way the band members collaborated together on stage to bring fans’ favorite tracks to life, and their extended instrumental interludes elevated their sound. At times it toed the line between rock and jazz, especially with the smooth, rich tones of Jeon-min on saxophone. Kim, too, was especially entertaining to watch as he made his way across the stage to jam directly with Cha and Dong Q.

Before they left the stage for good, all of the members sat down on stage to take a group photo with the audience. It was a perfect way to wrap the show for the group, whose depth, range and passion won’t be soon forgotten in the Bay Area.