A technical problem at a major festival can become an idol group’s worst nightmare.
For IVE at Lollapalooza Paris in 2025, it happened almost immediately.
The group had barely begun its performance when an audio transmission problem disrupted the opening of the show.
IVE eventually had to perform the intro, “REBEL HEART” and “I AM” again.
That could have become the story of the night.
Instead, something unexpected happened.
When the official performance was uploaded, many international fans were talking about something else:
An Yujin.
The Problem Happened Right at the Beginning
IVE’s official upload did not hide what happened.
The description acknowledged an audio transmission issue at the beginning of the performance, and the published setlist shows just how unusual the opening became.
IVE performed:
Intro + “REBEL HEART”
Interlude + “I AM”
And then, after the issue:
Intro + “REBEL HEART” again
“I AM” again
Only after that did the show move forward into songs including “Baddie,” “TKO” and “LOVE DIVE.”
For a festival performance, this was hardly an ideal beginning.
But what happened between the problem and the restart became more interesting than the technical failure itself.
“Can You Guys Hear Us?”
There is a revealing moment in the performance.
Yujin addresses the crowd:
“Can you guys hear us?”
The group then explains that there has been an issue before preparing to restart the opening.
Instead of turning the interruption into an awkward silence, they make light of it.
The audience is essentially asked to pretend they are seeing the opening for the first time.
It is a small moment.
But on a large festival stage, small moments can expose how experienced a performer really is.
There is no music video edit.
No second take.
No way to remove the problem while it is happening.
You either control the moment, or the moment controls you.
Fans Immediately Noticed Yujin
Look through the English-language comments under IVE’s official upload and Yujin’s name appears again and again.
Fans praised the way she handled the situation and continued performing.
One viewer noticed that her hand appeared to be shaking while she still remained composed.
Others focused on her live vocals, stage presence and ability to keep the performance moving.
Another simply described her handling of the situation as amazing.
This is significant because the conversation is very different from the type of international reactions IVE received during the “LOVE DIVE,” “Kitsch” and “I AM” eras.
Those reactions frequently centered on the songs, visuals, members and spectacular music videos.
At Lollapalooza, viewers were watching what happened when the spectacle stopped working.
And Yujin became part of the story.
One Fan in the Crowd Explained Why the Mistake Mattered
Perhaps the most interesting reaction came from someone who said they had actually been at the festival.
The fan thanked IVE for leaving the sound problem in the official upload rather than editing it away.
Why?
Because from the audience’s perspective, the problem had transformed into a memorable interaction between IVE and the crowd.
What could have ruined the beginning of the show instead became part of the experience.
The fan described it as their first IVE concert and a memory they expected to keep for a lifetime.
That changes the meaning of the incident.
Technical perfection would obviously have been preferable.
But once something went wrong, IVE had another choice to make:
How would they respond?
This Wasn’t Only About Yujin
Yujin naturally attracted attention because she took a visible role in handling the interruption.
But reducing the performance to one member would miss something important.
Comments also praised IVE’s live vocals and the group’s ability to continue despite the difficult opening.
Fans noticed how long they performed and how stable the members remained.
The live band also became part of the positive response.
That matters because a festival audience is different from a normal K-pop music-show audience.
Not everyone is necessarily there specifically to see one group.
There are fewer protections when something goes wrong.
And there is nowhere for a polished music video to hide a weak moment.
IVE had to perform through it.
It Shows How the International Conversation Around IVE Has Changed
This is where Lollapalooza becomes particularly interesting when compared with IVE’s earlier international reaction videos.
Go back to the “I AM” era and international reactors were fascinated by the airplane scene, Wonyoung’s visuals, the editing, the huge chorus and the vocals.
Those reactions were real and important.
But this festival created another type of reaction.
People weren’t asking:
“How did they film that?”
They were watching:
“What will they do now?”
That is a major difference.
One tests the power of a K-pop production.
The other tests the performers themselves.
Yujin’s Role Makes More Sense in That Context
Yujin has always occupied an important position inside IVE as the group’s leader.
But leadership is difficult to demonstrate through a title alone.
Moments like this make it visible.
There was no need for a dramatic speech.
The important thing was keeping communication with the audience alive, maintaining the mood and helping the performance move forward.
That may explain why so many viewers focused on her afterward.
They weren’t simply watching Yujin perform choreography.
They were watching her deal with a problem in real time.
The Sound Problem May Have Revealed More Than a Perfect Show Would Have
There is an irony here.
If the performance had gone perfectly, international fans might simply have talked about another strong IVE festival stage.
Instead, something went wrong.
And because something went wrong, viewers got to see something that is difficult to manufacture:
how the group behaves when the plan collapses.
IVE restarted.
They continued singing.
The crowd stayed with them.
And Yujin helped turn an uncomfortable interruption into part of the show.
For a group whose international image was once dominated by immaculate visuals and highly polished music videos, that may be more valuable than it first appears.
Because global audiences are no longer seeing only the perfectly edited version of IVE.
They are increasingly seeing IVE live.
And when the sound failed at Lollapalooza, Yujin gave them another reason to keep watching.