My Great K-pop Adventure, Part Two: The Concert

This post has been a long time coming... It kinda fell by the wayside as I got caught up with being super busy the past few months (as has, well, this entire blog...). It's been hanging out in my queue of half-finished posts for four-ish months... Better late than never, eh?

So, for those of you just joining the party, back in September, a friend and I signed up for a K-pop flash mob in Incheon in exchange for tickets to a big concert. See Part One for the full story -- it was definitely an interesting afternoon of (somewhat poorly rehearsed and executed) flash mobbing. But hey, we had a damn good time.

Our final flash mob performance was at Munhak Stadium, which is where the concert was being held. After finishing, we collected our tickets for the Incheon Korean Music Wave 2013. The line-up of twenty of K-pop's best awaited us inside the stadium: 2AM, A-JAX, B.A.P, BTOB, EXO, F.T. Island, miss A, ZE:A, Girl's Day, BTS, B2ST, Boyfriend, Girls' Generation, Super Junior, SECRET, SISTAR, MBLAQ, KARA, T-ara, and TEEN TOP. I may not know much about K-pop, but I do know of quite a few of those groups -- my students talk about K-pop constantly, so I was quite aware that getting to see all of these groups was kind of a big deal.  

After waiting in line for what seemed like forever, group by group the foreigners with the free ground tickets were led inside the stadium. Much to our relief, we immediately spotted rows of chairs. Considering the amount of dancing/walking we'd already done that day and the fact that twenty groups were set to perform? Our tired legs needed to sit.

Our relief was quickly replaced by shock when we were led to a row literally right next to the stage. For my K-pop loving friends, this was a Really Big Deal. As for me, I was mostly just happy for the excellent view. (And chairs. I was really, really happy about the chairs.)

Just to show off how crazy good our seats were, I took some screencaps from the YouTube videos of the concert, showing not only the layout of the stage (it was kinda in two parts), but also showing you our badass seats:

This arrow is literally on top of my head.

Since we were sitting in the back row that was parallel to one of the stages, we came very close to the actual groups themselves. Some groups started their sets on the stage right behind us, which led to borderline pandemonium from the seated fans as they tried to get photos of the singers about to go up on the stage. This was my first taste of the madness -- ushers were patrolling to make sure everyone remained seated, but still, shit got real when groups like 2AM or EXO were right by us. While I may have easily been misreading his expression simply because I don't know this guy or his life, one of the members of EXO, when faced with a wall of fans about to burst out of their seats and over the barricade, looked like a cornered animal. Though he had bodyguards trying to shelter him from the camera flashes, I caught a glimpse of an expression that definitely didn't seem to be feeling the situation currently happening.

The concert, which lasted several hours, was efficiently organized. Each group came out and performed two songs, which were typically their most popular, then quickly ushered off the stage so the next group could start. The whole thing was hosted by Tiffany and Yuri from Girls' Generation and occasionally they showed videos that promoted Incheon Tourism and next year's Asian Games, which Incheon will be hosting.

While I'd call myself a live music veteran -- going to shows is a hobby of mine back home in the States, -- I typically go for smaller bands in little venues. Gimme that indie-rock band that no one's really heard of in the dingy dive bar. I can actually count the number of big stadium concerts I've attended on one hand, so the production that went into this K-pop concert was both awe-inspiring and overwhelming. I'm talking giant screens, crazy lights, alarmingly close pyrotechnics, and so, so many fireworks. It was seriously impressive.

I can't remember the order of the groups now, but I can say I was surprised at the number of songs I recognized. It's amazing what you learn simply because it's playing in the background at every restaurant and store you go to, and some of those songs are so damn catchy. Like all pop music, it's just infectious and you can't help but dance. 

Another motivator for attending this show was I'd always wanted to witness the hysteria of a concert like this in person. As a former teenage girl who had her share of boy band obsessions, I've always been sad that I was never able to see any of them live. The "Beatle-mania"-esque frenzy of the crowd is something common at K-pop shows, even to the degree where some fans have been banned from attending their chosen idol group's performances.

B2ST fans get extra credit for this feat of organization and dedication. I don't even understand how one goes about organizing something like that, but I am impressed. Some of the letters, namely the "T," were having some trouble with coordinating their letter, which entertained us. But, we also still had to respect their effort as we were still in disbelief that they were actually pulling it off at all. You go, B2ST fans. 

However, from my non-K-pop fan standpoint, I have to say the highlight for me was EXO. I know they're the "it" band at the moment, but they were legitimately good. Between their vocals, the staging, and their dancing, I felt like their set was one of the best. When I reported back to my students that EXO killed it during the concert, I think I won some major points. They're super obsessed with them right now. 

At the end of the concert, all the groups came out to wave goodbye and throw some souvenir printed towels out to their fans. Throughout the concert, the crowd had been, for the most part, extremely orderly. However, all rules of decorum were quickly abandoned when these groups were pacing the stage behind my head, preparing to toss these towels into the audience. 

This was the one and only moment when I thought, "This is actually getting frightening." Do not, under any circumstances, get in the way of a teenage girl and the object of her desire. My friends and I, in preparing to leave, had started to vacate our seats for a split second, only to immediately lose them to girls who were literally just walking across chairs/people to get closer to the stage. As I knelt on a reclaimed chair, pressed into the barricade, I did the opposite of all the fans: I avoided eye contact with the idols throwing out towels, as I recognized my face's proximity to the barricade could turn disastrous should a towel be thrown in my general direction. Luckily, I did not receive any towels and therefore kept all of my teeth. 

Awkward relief at having escaped the crowd without sustaining any injuries. 

For videos of the performances, click here. Keep an eye out for me in the crowd! Since we were so close to the stage, cameras were whooshing over our heads throughout the concert. 

Overall, it was quite the experience. I was perfectly happy to sit and just observe the madness. I'm happy I can cross a K-pop concert off my Korea Bucket List and honestly, even happier that I didn't actually pay any money in order to go to the concert. Though despite my reservations and general apathy towards K-pop, I have to admit that I did have fun. 

My Great K-pop Adventure, Part One: The Flashmob

[This entry is hideously overdue... So my apologies for a delay of nearly two months for the full story of my K-pop experience...]

Somewhere, on my lengthy Korea Bucket List, is "see a K-pop concert." 

Now, I should start by saying K-pop isn't my style really at all, but, being as I'm in Korea, and I hear about K-pop constantly in the classroom, I've managed to develop a passing interest. By this I mean I don't listen to K-pop and have actually only bought one K-pop song on iTunes... Overall, I'm not a fan of K-pop simply because I'm rarely a fan of anything "pop" in general, the notable exception being NSYNC, of course. However, I do have to admit that some of those songs are damn catchy. If I was the type of person who worked out at a gym, I can see a K-pop playlist as being really fun to do workout things to. Truly. But otherwise? I'll stick to my mellow, folky-indie-rock, thanks. 

I'm sure you can see the dilemma here. I don't like the music, but I want to see a concert in person. Why, you ask? Because the atmosphere at a K-pop concert, from what I'd been told, is nothing short of Beatlemania. (Stay tuned for part two of this adventure, where I describe how it is, indeed, sheer insanity.) I just really felt like this was something I wanted to witness myself. Lately it's seemed that K-pop, if it has its way, would happily take over the world. And I wanted to see this hot mess with my own eyes. 

So, on September 1st, bleary-eyed and semi-apprehensive, my friend Talisa and I woke up early so we could catch a cab to the Chinatown area of Incheon. We knew very little of what the day would entail, but the promises of "flash mob" and "free tickets to a K-pop concert" were enough for us to jump right in, hoping the day would exceed our (admittedly low and/or vague) expectations. 

At some point back in July, I'd happened upon a Facebook invite for the event via a local expat/teacher group. Some organizations, somehow affiliated with Incheon Tourism Organization, were looking to promote their upcoming annual K-pop concert. The concert, Korean Music Wave 2013, boasted a massive lineup of 20 different idol groups, many of whom I hear about on a daily basis from my students. The actual tickets to the concert were a cheap ₩5,000, and apparently they sold out lightning fast. In order to promote Incheon's tourism (and Korea in general) to foreigners, they also set aside a ton of foreigner-only tickets for various giveaways. Some options involved buying something from an Incheon business and showing your receipt, while others were more extravagant, such as spending a night in a particular Incheon hotel. The option that caught my eye, however, was a K-pop flash mob. 

Free ticket in exchange for dancing? WHERE DO I SIGN UP. 

Yes, "flash mop." 

As we got out of our cab at Incheon Station, we easily found the stationed flash mob coordinators who gave us directions to the rec center where we would be learning our choreography. Once there, we got checked in, which included the first of three stamps that we would get throughout the day. Maps and schedules were also handed out, and we were ushered into a black box theater to begin rehearsal. 

Stamped and mapped. 

Before rehearsing, we also got a rundown of the day. After practicing the dance, we would walk to the nearby Jayu Park for our first performance. Second, we were to head to Sinpo Market for a performance near one of its entrances. Then, our third and final performance, was to be outside of Munhak Stadium, where the concert was being held. As the day went, we would also get vouchers for free coffee and ₩5,000 in "money" to be spent at Sinpo Market. Upon completion of the final flash mob, we would get a souvenir shirt and a concert ticket! Simple enough, right?

Our teachers, explaining our marathon, K-pop filled day.

The choreography was from the videos for two popular K-pop songs: "Fantastic Baby" by Big Bang and "Gentleman" by PSY. A fairly simple routine, but definitely one that required more rehearsal time than we were given, which was about an hour. Maybe I have outrageously high standards due to twenty or so years of dance training and classes, but they really didn't teach us well... But that's a long-winded rant that none of you care about. 

Though we were under-rehearsed (and generally confused), our first two performances were (luckily) in pretty uncrowded areas, giving us some much needed "dress" rehearsals. 

Dancers starting to fill in at Jayu Park. 

I have very few pictures of us actually dancing since I was in the middle of dancing myself! I managed to snap the above photo right before jumping in, since we were supposed to trickle in instead of joining the flash mob all at once. (Which was a concept most seemed to... have trouble understanding. Mostly because I don't think that was explained well. Le sigh.) 

First round of freebies to use at Sinpo Market. 

I wonder what that very conspicuous group of foreigners is doing lurking in the street? The area of street pictured is where we had our second performance.

All stamped and ready for the final performance!

After grabbing food and coffee with our vouchers in Sinpo Market, we hopped on some shuttle buses to be driven across town to Munhak Stadium. The final performance was scheduled for 3:30pm, almost five hours before the concert was set to begin, but we knew that this last flash mob would have a much, much larger audience. 

Walking up to the stadium, you could feel the energy and excitement from the throngs of K-pop fans. Vendors were selling various items that declared your love for the idol group of your choice, long lines had already formed outside the gates, and we saw quite a few groups of girls run screaming past us for no apparent reason. We milled around our designated dancing space, trying (and failing) to blend into the crowd until the music started at 3:30.

So, without further ado, here's a shaky, blurry video of some clips from our dance: 

I was actually surprised that by the end, we'd drawn quite a crowd! After our performance, our dance teachers did some K-pop dance covers of their own. They were, of course, way, way better than us, as they'd actually rehearsed their routines carefully and for longer than an hour. When the guys were dancing, the teenage girls around us looked like they were ready to faint -- the screams were deafening. One of the dudes took his shirt off and all hell nearly broke loose. Needless to say, I began bracing myself for what would happen once I was actually inside the stadium... 

Part of our audience. 

Panoramic shot of the circle that had formed, with the girls dancing in the middle.

After the dancing ended, we were all done! We lined up to get our souvenir shirts and tickets, and shortly after, all we had to do is wait for them to let us inside the stadium. Everyone was getting really excited for the show itself at this point, though after all that dancing and trekking around Incheon, we were also all hoping our ground tickets would magically involve chairs...

The experience, while exhausting, was really great. I've been in a few flash mobs before, back in Austin, and they'd always been loads of fun. Getting to run around town and dance was enough for me, really, so the free concert ticket was a bonus. Definitely one of the more memorable days I've had in Korea so far. 

Stay tuned for Part Two, which will cover the concert itself, including some moments when I was actually afraid for my life... I'll just leave you with this as a preview/hint: Teenage girls are intense when they're mere feet away from the objects of their lust... 

Monthly Photo Recap: September 2013

I'm not really sure where the month of September went... In fact, I'm completely bewildered by the fact that we're already a week into October? September was full of the beginnings of fall, a Chuseok vacation to the beautiful island of Ulleungdo, and the start of my mom's visit to Korea! I was kept pretty busy, as can be seen by all the blog entries and emails that are piling up...

Surprisingly, I didn't take many pictures last month. Well, on Ulleungdo I took a cool 200, but I don't want to post too many of those here... they deserve their own blog! So, this month's photo recap will be a little shorter than the past two. October's, however, is already off to a bangin' start.

Enjoy!

So, I went to a K-pop concert... It was interesting. I came out of it caring no more or no less about K-pop than I did going in, which is fine. It just isn't my "thing," but I still had a really good time. Blog entries about the whole experience are going up soon -- we got in for free for participating in a K-pop flash mob! Pretty cool. Stay tuned for the full story. 

EXO, at the concert, Incheon Korean Music Wave 2013. 

We had -incredible- seats, by the way. :)

Scorsese is such a weirdo. Cats are aliens.

But why?

I got to check out a HUGE exhibit of original Studio Ghibli sketches -- it was pretty amazing. 

And across from the Ghibli exhibit was a wonderful Mucha show -- seriously awe-inspiring. As a massive Mucha fan, it was nearly a religious experience for me. 

Starting off my Chuseok vacation the right way: watching the sunrise on a beach on Korea's east coast.

Ulleungdo! Billions of photo-heavy blog entries coming soon about this magical place. 

I would happily trek along Ulleungdo's coast every. single. day. 

Me and my mom! In Korea! 

Mom brought Reese's to help build our depleted stockpile back up. Sorry, not sharing. 

It isn't quite cold enough for "real" sweaters yet, but they're already on the racks in the subway shopping centers! And for W10,000 each?! (That's less than $10 USD, y'all.) Can't wait to wear these this winter. I think I have a sweater buying problem. (Also, I need to clean my mirror... -_- )

I envy all the napping he gets to do.

Ended the month with the last day of the Gauguin exhibit in Seoul, which was really great. Way too crowded, but that's what we get for going on the last day... Still worth it.