In Line and Back Again

After over a two-year break from concerts, K-pop acts are finally back on the road again. With many artists stopping in Georgia and Florida, this year, I made it my goal to try and go to as many K-pop concerts as possible. I know not everyone has this luxury, so I wanted to share my experiences with everyone, highlighting the ups and downs of each concert. Please note that while I love every artist I got to see, my reviews are a result of multiple factors, not just the artists’ performance alone.

ATEEZ

It goes without saying that ATEEZ’s performance was beautiful and enthralling. ATEEZ’s facial expressions, powerful dances and vocals are on a completely different level live. “WONDERLAND (Symphony No.9 “From The Wonderland”)” had my jaw on the floor, frozen in place out of shock of how talented they truly are. Their stage presence held me captive from the beginning to the end; even in the songs where members just walked around, they demanded your attention with freestyle dances and big smiles. I think their graphics and lights complemented the songs well. The graphics did not draw attention away from the performers, but added to the atmosphere of each song; for example, the traditional Korean inspired graphics for “The Real.” Lighting wise, happy songs had bright warm lighting while dark intense songs had strobe lights and cooler colors; the lights matched each songs’ vibe. I do wish they would have connected the lightsticks through bluetooth so everything looked more cohesive. The hi-touch experience was limited due to COVID; members waved from behind a plastic divider, but fans were able to record hi-touch which was a plus. The tour merch could have been more exciting (and less expensive); if the merch had included tour dates it would have been better. The biggest negative of the night was finding out multiple fans knowingly went to the concert with COVID and some even attended hi-touch.

BLITZERS

This was honestly one of the best shows I have been to ever. Despite not being even a year old, it felt like Blitzers performed with the experience of fourth-year idols. Blitzers gave it their all, singing and rapping their hearts out. For how labor intensive their choreography is, they still delivered beautiful and stable vocals. Even their light, fun performances left me happy and excited for more. There were only a couple hundred fans, but the smaller number made the show more intimate. The boys were able to focus on fanservice, and even played a mass game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with the crowd (I placed 6th and lost). For the group picture, one of the poses was with their hand signal. Blitzers took the time to sit down on the stage to teach people the hand positions, they even went fan to fan confirming the hand signal was correct which was sweet of them. One thing I found rude was that some fans would not stop screaming during their ments. It got so loud that Chris, the only one fluent in English, had to start translating because the official translator couldn’t hear the boys. After the concert, one of the hi-touch participants was rumored to have COVID. Before starting hi-touch, the staff rapid tested the person which I admired. For hi-touch we actually got to shake hands with them and record!

ONEUS

My friends and I got there super early and it was blazing hot. Fans were very nice and handed out free cold waters. The staff weren’t very organized, but the venue did require a mask and a negative rapid test or a vaccine card for entrance which was nice. Oneus are great performers and their vocals live are stunning. I was just standing there, no thoughts head full of amazing performers, during their first stage. I wish I could’ve seen more of the concert, but somehow the pit was packed enough and people shoved so much I ended up standing behind tall people. Being in the pit wasn’t great for this concert, we barely had room to move a single arm and really took away from the experience. I left the concert feeling like I just watched an online concert, for a majority of the concert I felt removed despite physically being present. For hi-touch, staff did not clarify which side we would be using to high five the boys with so those of us who only had one glove had to panic switch which hand it was on. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to record hi-touch. Oneus’ merch did include tour dates and were reasonably priced.

ERIC NAM

Having been to an Eric Nam concert before, I had high expectations walking into this concert. While this concert did not beat my first time seeing Eric, it came very close. Overall, the atmosphere of the concert was immaculate. Eric brought Audrey Mika as an opener and she really helped set the light hearted, fun tone for the night. It goes without saying that Eric’s crowd engagement was on point that night; he took the time to do song requests and sing happy birthday to over 14 people. Having recently become an independent artist, you could feel a change in Eric’s energy. He seems happier, freer now, which was reflected in the joy he brought the audience. To top it off, the setlist was well curated. It was fast paced but gave everyone a break when needed with slow songs. Eric also brought a live band which enhanced the songs and added to the excited atmosphere. Fans were super chill and for the most part did not push or try and cut in line. Some people did get unnecessarily in our personal space when they had room to not be right on top of us, but luckily after a little bit everyone settled down and spread out. Unfortunately, despite the crowd being on the shorter side, for most of the concert there was just a wall of arms and phones so I had to watch some parts of the show through someone’s phone.