If you want to learn a bit more about K-pop in general and its presence and popularity in the U.S., read THIS article.
A U.S. K-pop concert:
As our "K-pop expert", I attended a recent concert in Chicago in order to give you an idea of what K-pop concerts are like.
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The concert was a group called 24K (‘two-four-K’), a South Korean boy group with six members: Cory, Jeonguk, Kisu, Changsun, Jinhong, and Hongseob. Their music is generally hype and hip-hop infused, as is their choreography. Cory -- their English-speaking member who actually grew up in Portland -- repeatedly told the audience that he wanted everyone to give all their energy; he wanted us to be ‘drained’ by the end! It was easy to get excited because the crowd was cheering and singing along with all their might, the music was energetic, and the group was going all out dancing.
The members who are not fluent in English did their best to communicate with the audience during breaks between songs, and Cory would translate anything that they couldn't express in English. There was even a Q&A session halfway through the concert (also typical of U.S. K-Pop concerts) with pre-written questions submitted by fans before the show. They all had the crowd cracking up countless times with their jokes and ‘slapstick’ comedy which Cory encouraged the other members to use when they didn't know how to express something in English. Every member also made sure to tell the audience how grateful they were and how much they enjoyed their time with us. In the end, not only was the concert ‘lit,’ but we spent a great time practically hanging out with the boys, which made all the fans adore them even more.
24K has not seen gained a following quite as large in number as some other K-pop groups, being a bit of a niche within a niche. The fact that they have less mainstream popularity actually allowed for an intimate concert and fan meeting experience (arranged by Studio PAV) much like how they are done in their home country of South Korea.
How is a K-pop concert different?
Other than the intimate interaction throughout the actual concert, 24K’s concert was also a ‘fan meeting’. This format is very common for K-pop groups, because exceptionally dedicated fans are the most important part of a K-pop group’s success. Unlike what we are used to in America, K-pop fans get to know each member of their favorite groups as individuals through their online reality content and events like fan meetings. (Photo courtesy Studio PAV)
Due to the fact that a K-pop group will only come to the U.S. so many times, hugely popular groups or groups with very large international followings (such as the groups BigBang, EXO, and BTS) will do relatively large scale concerts without much time for that intimate experience in order to allow as many fans as possible to get a chance to see them while they’re there. With a smaller fan base (yet still large enough to draw a crowd in five U.S. cities), 24K was able to spend time doing fan events, similar to fan meetings as done in S. Korea with groups’ most dedicated fans.
24K did a fan-sign, where the attendee was given 24K’s latest album ‘Addiction’ and got to spend a minute talking to each group member as they signed it. They also had a ‘Hi-touch’ (high-five each member in a row), and a ‘Photo-op’ (small groups of fans stand with the group for an HD photo together), as well as a very interactive concert experience with Q&A and back-and-forth banter between songs. Before the concert, all fans who purchased ‘VVIP’ and ‘VIP’ tickets got to participate in some or all of these events. I attended as a VVIP ticket holder, which means my seats were within the first few rows and I got to participate in all the fan events.
This type of tiered ticket system with benefits is common to almost all U.S. K-pop concerts, but there are less events and less time to do each of them the more popular the group is. For example, on Feb. 10, I attended another K-pop concert for a group with more mainstream popularity called ASTRO. At this concert, there were only Hi-touch and Photo-op benefits, where the Hi-touch was moved along much quicker and the Photo-op was with a larger group of other fans.
Familiarity between fans and group members is a hugely important aspect to K-pop’s wild success, and this experience shows what a great job they do with making that connection. In the U.S., we typically don’t know much about our musicians’ personalities and personal lives, and getting to meet them is more likely to be a rare, maybe one in a million chance. For K-pop, you often just need the dedication to keep up with announcements, and the money to buy albums in order to be in the running for a fan meeting. Plus, you can watch near-daily live content of them going about their lives or participating in events. When you know these group members practically personally, getting to interact with them in person, and even give them gifts, solidifies the emotional bond a fan feels with them. This results in an almost fierce dedication to the group, like they’re a fan’s close friends, and a desire to support them to the best of your ability.
For more K-pop, check clickondetroit.com/1d4, follow 1d4 on Facebook.
Or follow my personal twitter @mermadge, or see more photos and videos on my instagram @mermadge. Feel free to ask questions and chat about all things K-pop!
Thanks to Studio PAV for photo usage! Check out their page for upcoming US K-Pop concerts!
Read about EXO, BTS, Zion.T, or Dumbfoundead!