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Ajitofu

Member Since 09 May 2012
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[01/19/2013] Dream K-Pop Fantasy Concert, Philippines

19 January 2013 - 11:42 PM

Initial warning: This fan-account is a huge wall of text -- approximately 2,100 words long. Things mentioned here may have already been said elsewhere, so feel free to skim through those parts. And this isn't the entirety of it as well, there were somethings that happened that's better off not being mentioned, but this is pretty much most of what happened.
 

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Roughly 18 hours in passing, I attended my first concert in the 18 years I've lived. It's not so much a dislike for concerts as it is a lack of passion or incentive to fork that amount of money for an event as short as a movie.

And by that logic, I shouldn't have gone to a concert roughly 50% more expensive than most concerts -- and for a performance that was going to last for just half an hour.

But I trusted my gut-feel and told logic to screw off. I knew there was something much, much bigger than logic or reason at work. I'm glad I did.

My day started at six in the morning, five hours before their reported time of arrival. My cousin and I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to welcome them, so we were willing to wait that long -- mostly because we had to hitch a ride to the airport at that time.

And so the story goes that we waited and did some daring, borderline crazy things that led to nothing. Either way, the clock struck 10:55 and we waited anxiously with the other Sones for their arrival. Everyone was giddy to the point that cheers and chants broke out for almost everyone who appeared to step down the escalator. Minutes later, three unidentifiable women stepped into a van, and the convoy sped off -- most of the cars empty. As it turned out, it was probably just a decoy to divert attention as the girls were reportedly going to land at another terminal, and that their arrival was delayed for three hours and a half.

Unwilling to give up and still brimming with hope, a couple of new Sone friends offered us a ride to the other terminal to try our luck once more.

Two hours later, however, we got news that the lines for the concert were beginning to lengthen, so we gave up on camping at the airport. When we got to the concert grounds, we discovered that there was no more chance of getting front-row slots for our section, and, to make things worse, those who didn't make the cut-off for the first hundred or so audience members were relegated to the end if the line, where all the sections had been mixed together. Basically, things didn't work out and we ended up waiting for things to be cleared up.

Two hours later, roughly an hour after their estimated time of arrival, my friend texted me. She said that she and a couple of others saw the girls transferring vans at the parking lot. Apparently, they had been fetched from the back of the airport by a bus, and brought to the parking lot, where their convoy was waiting. She said they were roughly a hundred meters away from them, and that Sunny and Hyoyeon smiled at her.

Moving past the next three hours in line, the unorganized entrance, and the pushing, shoving, and cutting, we finally entered the venue. As we thought, we were already pretty far off from the front barricade of the gold section, and upon seeing the size distance of the stage, my cousin and I began thinking that we should have gotten platinum tickets.

Nonetheless, the other five artists, mainly Infinite, Tasty, U-Kiss, Tahiti, and Exo performed to the best of their abilities despite technical difficulties. As someone who hasn't listened to their songs before, I would have to say that Exo and Tasty were the more memorable ones. And that Exo, in particular, seemed to be enjoying themselves just as the audience was with all the fan-service and special stages.

After Exo exited the stage, and the "So Nyeo Shi Dae" fan-chants began, my heart raced faster and faster. This was it. For the first, I would be seeing them live. For the first time, they would be experiencing the PH Sone atmosphere. And for the first time, the stage would be complete.

And as the background video flashed on screen, the girls ran out from the shadows to the main stage. They began their performance with Genie, at which point, I could not completely sing along because it was still registering in my mind that the girls were really there, in the flesh, and performing for an audience I and a couple of others thought lacked an reputable image to make an impact and catch the girls and SME's attention.

I was awestruck as I tried to catch their movements from afar, as well as wait for the screen to flash the close-ups. I watched, and watched, taking in the beauty that seemed so far away. And admittedly, looking through their obvious charms, the girls seemed apprehensive. They looked tired and stressed and were doing their best to hide it. They could have been nervous and worried. But, of course, I couldn't take it against them.

They had left Korea around seven in the morning and got to the hotel at around four. It couldn't be helped.

I was worried and nervous, too, because I didn't want any of them to collapse. Since they already expended much of their energy traveling and recording for their come back, I just wanted them to enjoy the best they could, that, somehow, the trip here would be worth it.

As it turned out, I was worried for nothing. The moment Tiffany said, "Philippines, put it back on!" the crowd roared to life -- even more so than it already had, and it seemed like the Girls were catching on to the energy and atmosphere as well.

Slowly, their faces lit up in smiles an ease. It wasn't the comfort they showed in Korea, and understandably so, but at least they showed signs of enjoyment, and there was a chance at fulfillment.

They performed The Boys with the strength and poise and charisma they were known for. And, at last, the fact that Soshi was performing had sunk in and I began fan-chanting and singing along -- just everyone was. The whole concert grounds echoed with the lyrics of The Boys, complemented by the Girls' on-the-spot choreography. The light sticks swayed in rhythm, and the sea of pink flowed mesmerizingly. It felt surreal. What I used to just watch on YouTube was happening around me. The dream was real.

After The Boys, the Girls did their routine introduction. Tiffany followed with a greeting, and pointing out that we PH sones have been waiting for a long time, as evidenced by the pink flags with the message, "We thought YOU'D never COME...," which she read and called sweet. Then, she said they would perform Hoot. They did just that, and followed it up with Dancing Queen.

The stage interviews came next and each member introduced themselves. The MC then proceeded to tell everyone how pretty the girls were and how much they looked like dolls, to the point that she even hugged and pinched (?) Sunny at one point. Sones began chanting "Aegyo! Aegyo!" But the host changed the topic. She highlighted their popularity numerous times, to the point that it didn't seem flattering anymore (although this was later clarified as the prompter for the MC broke and she was left to improvise on stage). And when they were asked how they felt about visiting, Tiffany hinted that it wasn't her first time in the Philippines and greeted her brother, whom she said worked here. The usual questions were asked about IGAB topping charts and some others. While I had hoped that the questions were better formulated, and the Girls were given more leeway to go through the talk portion by themselves, and be able to show their dorky selves, the circumstances didn't allow it, so I'll just have to be content and wait for their return.

The interview portion ended with the MC telling the audience to welcome IGAB, but Tiffany said that they would perform Gee first. During this time, Sooyoung was giving instructions to the members, and a lost Yoona was flashed on screen -- boy did she look incredibly cute and innocent.

They went around the stage before settling at the center and finishing the song there. It seemed like it was during Gee that the fan-chants and the sing-alongs were the loudest. After which, they returned back stage to change their mics so that, as Tiffany stated, they could best show us their dance moves.

When they came back, right before their last song, the Sones by the front were chanting, "Let's go, Soshi, let's go!" To which the girls responded to by jumping, clapping and smiling -- showing us their quirky, fun side.

I'm not sure if the IGAB performance wasn't sung live so they could preserve their energy, or if it was because of the mics since, all throughout the performance, Taeyeon, Seohyun, and Jessica were struggling with their mics. Taeyeon, in particular, seemed irked by not being to perform the best she could. There were also some problems with the camera angles in this performance -- there was one funny instance when Taeyeon's "Ah Nae Wangjanim" part was about to come on, and the camera was still focused on Sooyoung. She cutely pointed to her left, and the camera zoomed out just in time for Taeyeon's approach as she gestured grabbing the camera. But it's not something that could be blamed on anyone since the Girls weren't able to rehearse due to their arriving late, so the camera men had to figure out who was singing what on the spot.

Presumably because of the rush to catch their flight back to Korea, the girls quickly bade their goodbyes and left the stage.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that those 6 songs passed by swiftly, probably because we enjoyed too much and the moment was too great, too perfect to let go.

As I mentioned in another blog entry, they certainly weren't in their best condition, with Jessica reportedly having fever then, and the other members showing signs of fatigue and weariness despite their effort of putting up a happy face. The concert wasn't perfect, the performance wasn't perfect, yet there was moment in between all of that that was. Under the bright lights, amidst a sea of pink, on a huge stage in foreign country, with their trademark songs playing the background, the girls made it perfect -- just by being there. Ever since, I've thought of Sunny/Fany as my biases, but after seeing them live, I realized that OT9 is the way to go. Yuri's charisma and abs, Yoona's cute face and alluring smile, Hyoyeon's infectious laugh and perfectly-suited blonde hair, Sunny's cute expressions and her stand-out bubblegum-blue hair, Taeyeon's emotions and her devious grin, Tiffany's eye-smiles and loud personality, Jessica's voice and her friendliness (She won me over after this. :P), Sooyoung's cheery personality and pretty face, Seohyun's masterful control and innocence -- they're all true and much more amazing live. It was just perfect.

My cousin, a friend, and I stayed outside the concert grounds while waiting for our ride. A few moments later, we saw a large coaster being surrounded by fans make its way towards the street we were on. As it rounded the curb, we all thought it was Soshi, so we waved and smiled and greeted like there was no tomorrow. As it slowed in front of us because of some fans getting in the way, I stared at the window long enough to see a face. I thought it was Yoona, and my face lit up in disbelief -- until I realized it was a guy. He and the another smiled at me and for a second my mind blanked because, well, it was pretty awkward, considering I'm a guy. It turned out those two guys were Sehun and Luhan of Exo. Just LOL. I could have been gey in teh eyes of another.

Since Exo passed by, we figured Soshi would pass by too, so we waited. And when the time finally came and a convoy with 3 black vans and police escorts approached, we screamed and waved and hoped it was them. The windows were tinted, however, so we weren't really sure. (After seeing a fancam of Soshi getting off at the airport from those vans, it really was them.) I can only hope that they were looking our way when they drove by.

I was wrong about concerts. I wasn't just paying for the 30 or so minutes they were on stage. I was paying for the experience, and the inexplicable high -- and the riveting loss -- that came after. Much longer. For how long exactly? I don't know. But I can definitely tell they've made a mark far deeper than anything else.

I was scared that their visit here cost them more stress and trouble than it was worth. That maybe their schedule and current conditions were too difficult to overcome. But after seeing their smiles and hearing news that Sunny teared up, I'd like to think that PH Sones have succeeded in making their love felt. And, in turn, I felt Soshi's.

We've waited for years, and we're willing to wait for as long as it takes. In as much as I'd like to take to heart their promise to return, it's SM's call in the end. But I won't lose hope. Now that I've experienced what it's like to be in a concert, and one with Soshi, at that, I won't be hesitating to get the closest spot next time.

Thanks for the adventure, Soshi. I hope you're all resting by now -- in what narrow chance there is of that. Until next time!

 

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P.S. I've still got Soshi withdrawal and post-concert depression. Anyone know how to deal with? HAHAHA. Here's to a happy Soshi family~ And sorry for the lack of pictures, I was too far off to get any decent ones. :P I also decided to omit the spazzing because I think everyone already knows just how beautiful the girls are in person. I didn't think there was a level above perfect, but irl, I guess there is.