Concert Galore

As someone who is an avid music fan, Korea is a heaven for me. Within my two months here, I have been to 3 concerts with one upcoming and one musical. Now, compared to some of the others who have gone to a lot more than I have, I decided I wanted to go to the artists I do enjoy. In March, I went and saw K-Pop group Tomorrow X Together and SIX (the musical). In April, I saw K-Pop group Twice and K-Rock Band Xdinary Heroes, and I will be seeing K-Pop group Ateez in a couple of days. 

    Tomorrow X Together (I will be referring to them as TXT) is a 5 member boy group who debuted in March 2019 from the company BigHit, who is also responsible for BTS. I have been following the group since September of 2019, and their March 25th Seoul concert became the first time I saw this group. KSPO dome had been transformed into a fantastical land from a fairy tale, complete with scents being released into the audience for a 4D experience to elaborate stage sets that shifted every handful of songs. As this had been the first show of this tour, the group is a little nervous about performing some of their songs live for the first time, but overall they were pulling off their performance in a way that I don’t think other groups could. 

    Twice is a 9 member girl group who debuted in October 2015 from JYP Entertainment. I would say that Twice were one of the two groups that brought JYPE back onto the big charts after a small slump. Known as the Nation’s Girl Group, the sheer amount of hit songs this group has had is insane; all of their releases hit the top of the charts on the day of release. Seeing these songs live was absolutely amazing. These ladies are phenomenal performers, and the stage setup was simple yet elaborate and showcased their performance to the highest. Each member performed a solo song, some were written by the members themselves or were cover songs. Overall, a fantastic night.

Xdinary Heroes is a 6 member rock band also from JYP Entertainment who debuted in December 2021, and this concert was actually a pre-album release showcase. Unfortunately, in this performance only 5 of the members performed as the lead guitarist (Junhan) was not feeling well and was unable to perform. The members made his absence clear by reading a letter he wrote, not playing his guitar riffs, and whatever lines he would have normally sang remained unsung and therefore unheard to the audience. They started off by performing all of the title songs they have released until this point and some fan favorite b-sides. Then, they went into performing all 7 songs from their newest album (which at the time was unreleased). Being in the very first audience to have ever heard those songs (other than staff) was absolutely thrilling. Everyone was listening with their breaths held in and with utter excitement. This performance reminded me of the power of live music from a band because nothing feels better than hearing the kick drum and bass sit in your soul.

    I can’t wait to see Ateez and any other group I manage to get tickets to. But as someone who is a Music Industry Major and lives/breathes music, this trip has already proven to give me a re-found love for live music and live shows. If you come to South Korea, make sure to attend concerts if you can! Even if you aren't a fan of any particular K-Pop group or know the language, don't let it stop you from getting a fantastic experience of a day.