[Blog] KCON 2017 NY

KCON was something that had been on my radar in the past, but never had the opportunity to attend. This year was my first KCON, and additionally third Kpop concert following concerts in New York 2011 and Hong Kong 2012. I decided against writing about the non-concert aspects of the event, because honestly there was so much that happened throughout KCON I feel like I could write a book. Anyway the concert was truly the main draw of the show. Here are a little bit of my thoughts on each of the performing artists, in the order that they performed during the concert.

KNK
Out of the entire lineup, I was in the dark about KNK (and SF9). The most I knew about them was that they were under the same label as BESTie, and that I thought they were one of the new boy groups gaining traction. At the red carpet event however, it seemed they were the lowest in terms of recognition. Their music is vocal-based and they have the talent to back it up. "Sun, Moon, Star" and "Knock" are the types of uplifting ballads that Korea can really get behind. Think of it as like a male version of SPICA or Mamamoo, in terms of their songs. Unfortunately, their time on the stage was criminally short compared to the rest of the acts. But maybe that's fair given the disparity between them and a group like Highlight?

SF9
This group is the next big thing, y'all. If I had no prior knowledge about Highlight, I'd have thought that SF9 was the top group of the day 1 lineup. It hasn't been a year since they debuted with FNC but they have shown both popularity and promise. From their stages, they put forth youthful confidence and swagger that are excellent qualities to have. Their main song "Easy Love" is a solid dance number and they seem to be capable in both the singing and rapping departments. But the main draw is definitely their dancing ability, which they showcased during a special stage. While they have a ways to go before matching their EXO and BTS sunbaes, their potential is there and I'll keep tabs on them in the coming months.

GFriend
Ahh GFriend! As a guy, it was tough seeing the lineup be so focused on boy groups but hey that's what sells. Needless to say, I was most excited to see GFriend who have made their way to the top off their own charms and intense dances. While there were no double speed performances involved, it was incredible witnessing their choreography in the flesh - even more so since my dance crew has covered many a GFriend song. The absence of Yerin was seen but not necessarily felt. GFriend did an admirable job covering for her parts in the singing and choreography. Still, I wish I could've seen her live too. Lastly, Yuju is flawless. During the end I really tried getting her / them to notice me by doing a giant heart (I had a pretty good seat, too) but alas. Maybe next time!

Quick intermission here. During one of the few breaks between performances, they had a "Kpop history" segment where they played a few songs and asked us in the audience to sing along. They played Wonder Girls' "Nobody" and BTS' "Fire." While the former was nostalgic and bittersweet (especially for me), the latter really showed the power of BTS. I think they played it up to Suga's verse in "Fire" but the entire stadium just kept going. It's my third concert and I've never seen a united audience as we were during that part. Shit was insane.

Zion.T
This man is so fucking suave. From his outfit to his mannerisms to his beautiful voice, he's charming from head to toe. Every action that he took on stage was so deliberate. He might be a ballad and R&B artist but his stage presence is still unreal - you could really see his poise as a veteran. Korean fangirls behind me might've been screaming when their SF9 or Highlight boys were out but for Zion.T they were simply taken aback in wonder. I really can't say more, just watch the man work and be amazed.

Highlight
Back when they were B2ST, I watched them live in concert during Music Bank Hong Kong 2012. Going through Hyunseung's departure and a label change and rebranding, these guys have really grown since those days. Admittedly they had fallen off my radar slightly (as have most boy groups, let's be real) but their history / legacy from the Golden Age certainly never faded. From old songs to new ones, Highlight lit up the stage with every song, with every motion. They were certainly the hype crew and showstopper of the day 1 lineup. Safe to say these guys are not on the downward trend of their careers, the new label and name is a refreshing breath of life. Highlight honestly couldn't have ended the concert night any better.

Not everything was flawless. Like my first concert with S.M. Town Live, there were some audio or microphone issues raising everyone's voices up for moments throughout the night. Chipmunk Eunha is on a whole different level (probably close to Sunny to be honest). Furthermore, the camerawork left much to be desired. I know we always complain about camera and cameramen for performances but this was laughably tragic. Many moments were "captured" with the left half of one member and the right half of another. That's not how you want to do things guys. Nonetheless, the concert was wonderful from start to finish and definitely was the icing on the KCON cake for the weekend. If only I could go to the one in LA!