A K-Pop Dream Concert

Over 45,000 fans (and us) poured into the World Cup stadium in Seoul last night to watch 21 bands at this marathon K-pop event. It started at 6:30pm and was scheduled to go on till 11:00 pm! The bands performing were ..

SHINee, B2ST, INFINITE, 2AM, U-KISS, ZE:A, Girls’ Generation, KARA, 4minute,T-ara, SECRET, SISTAR, EXO, B1A4, Rainbow, Huh Gak, Girl’s Day, SPEED, BTOB, EvoL, and VIXX.

Outside the stadium are stalls selling luminous plastic bow headwear and wands. Water and soft drinks are on sale too (no alcohol allowed though) and KFC chicken burgers are doing a roaring trade.

By 6 pm the fans in the stadium are getting more and more excited. We actually had ground seat tickets nearer the front but the ground tickets don’t have actual seat numbers just zones. We should have been a bit nearer the front but after queueing up for the loo for half an hour etc we found ourselves here… Still good though!

The VIPs attending the event including the CEO of Hyundai Oilbank – the sponsor of the concert – are introduced to the audience and then we are ready to start …

dream concert

First on are real life K-Pop fans dancing to a variety of K-pop songs including Gangnam Style OF COURSE! The atmosphere in the stadium is really upbeat and fun. Even if you’re not a K-pop fan you can’t help smiling 🙂

It’s still daylight as the concert begins. And it’s a warm and clear evening which is very good new since it rained yesterday and it’s going to rain later overnight too – after the concert. Unbelievably lucky!

Crowds get excited as the concert gets going. First band up is girl group Rainbow with classic K-pop dance moves. (and of course I could be wrong) but let’s just say I get the impression that not all the groups this evening are going to be actually singing live…

허각 Hu Gak rose to fame after winning a talent competition and is also knows as the Korean Paul Potts! He performs 1440 & 하늘을 달리다. Singing live he’s got a great voice

걸스데이 Girls Day give a sassy performance 😉

fan groups around the stadium wave different coloured luminous wands depending on which fan group they belong to

The MC’s for the night are SHINee’s Onew, KARA’s Hara, and B2ST’s Doojoon. The show will be broadcast on May 22 on KBS2TV at 11 PM so the presenters are sometimes asked to redo their introductions of the next group. Cut! Take 2! It’s got to be perfect for TV

2AM – Possibly get the prize for the loudest fan screams. But it was hard to tell – all the boy bands have their avid followers 🙂

Fans stay enthusiastic as the sun goes down …

Girl group 스크릿 Secret could win the prize for the sweetest outfits

dream concert

Boy band Infinite are also contestants for most enthusiastic screaming fans

Kara give a cool performance. Fire and fireworks throughout the concert keep the show exciting

Fans around the stadium wave their luminous (fan group specific) wands

I know K-pop songs are famously catchy (there’s an interesting article about K-pop in America here) But I think my prize for the absolute CATCHIEST song of the evening goes to Four Minute 포미닛 and What’s Your Name? 이름이 뭐에요?

We had to leave before the very end (because we’re old and wanted to avoid having to camp at the station for the night! 😉 All these people have to get home somehow, you know!) We left at about 10 pm so even though we didn’t stay right to the end we had enjoyed three and half hours of K-pop – which wasn’t bad!) We weren’t the only ones leaving and police were waiting at the station ready to usher fans down to the subway. Goodbye my first K-pop concert. It was fun 😉