What to expect from your first K-Pop concert
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After storming the world of streaming, K-Pop is now very much a part of the live circuit. Last year ticket sales for K-Pop girl group BLACKPINK had a 170 per cent increase according to insights from ticketing marketplace viagogo. The group headlined BST Hyde Park Festival last summer, almost tripling their own sales compared to last year.
Dr Richard Williams, a cultural historian and senior lecturer at SOAS teaches the ‘Decolonising Pop: K-Pop and Beyond’ course and he explained that:
“BLACKPINK ticks all the key boxes for a K-Pop idol group success story. Their fandom (called Blink) has been hungry for more releases, and recently BLACKPINK has met that demand with a series of big hits. They’ve been collaborating with talents like Dua Lipa, performing at Coachella, while also working with huge brands, from Adidas to Dior”.
In 2023, Blackpink made history as the first K-POP girl group to headline Coachella and they clearly created an appetite – as this year, the line-up features LE SSERAFIM and ATEEZ will appear as the first boy-group to appear near the top of the bill at the stateside festival.
Back in the UK, Stray Kids are set to play a massive UK headline gig at Hyde Park while NCT 127, STAYC, IVE, ENHYPEN and more are heading out on world tours.
While K-Pop gigs are similar to most other concerts [loads of people coming together to celebrate music and community], there are a number of specific things that fans and artists engage in. To get you up to speed, we’ve put together a crash course in K-Pop concert etiquette.
Fan Chants
At recent Taylor Swift concerts, it’s felt like the entire audience has screamed the line “Fuck the patriarchy” from ‘All Too Well’ despite it not being the song’s big hooky chorus. The same thing has happened at Boygenius shows with “Kill the Bourgeois” during ‘Satanist’, “Selling Petrol” for The 1975’s ‘It’s Not Living If It’s Not With You’ and “Leave America” at Harry Styles gigs during ‘As It Was’. They’re basically fan chants, and K-Pop is famous for them. From shouting out band members names in order to specific song lyrics or titles, fan chants are a huge part of the K-Pop experience.
To make things easier, most groups share official fan chant guides on YouTube or TikTok, so it’s worth doing your homework ahead of the show.
Copy paste styling
If you ask your average K-POP fan what people wear to a gig, they’ll explain two types of distinct dressers. The casual crew in white tees, denim and comfy flat shoes. Then the others who are headed to the runway and are duly committed to recreating the exact style of their favourite act. K-POP fans love to adopt style inspiration from the groups themselves and there are lots of references to choose from. Examples include BLACKPINK knee-high boots, NEWJEANS jeans and TWICE hair ribbons.
There are hundreds of outfit inspiration boards on Pinterest, or GRWM videos on Instagram that should help if you’re stuck for ideas.
Lightsticks
To go alongside the fan chants, K-Pop groups utilise lightsticks. These light up objects can be purchased at the venue and are a super-sized version of taking out your phone torch for an emotional song. Some are programmed to respond to whatever song is being played at the time, while others give fans the ability to choose from a variety of colours and displays. The more you like a song, the more you wave that lightstick in the air.
Pre-show
As well as securing a good spot in the venue and picking up whatever merch you’ve got your eye on, K-Pop fans spend the hours before the gig kicks off getting ready. Typically, K-Pop groups don’t have support acts but they often play their biggest hits and accompanying music videos on the big screens, making this perfect for filming TikToks and making friends with a similar energy level.
Wanting to really highlight the bond between artist and audience, a lot of K-Pop artists will also employ people to celebrate the best/most enthusiastic dancers by showcasing their talents on the video screens.
Hi Touch sessions
After the gig has finished, a lot of K-Pop artists hold what is known as hi touch sessions. A variation on a meet & greet, these sessions can involve anything from hi-fiving your favourite idol to a signing session. Sometimes these will be free but often they’re included with VIP upgrades.
If you’re attending a hi touch session, you’ll usually have to line up and then walk past the idol, giving you the chance to say hello, offer a hi-five or just smile at them. It’s designed to be quick, so scrap any sprawling speeches and enjoy the moment. Gifts are typically forbidden, as is filming.
Fans can buy and sell tickets at global marketplace, viagogo here.
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