Thanks to my friend Giulia from Italy, and a Korean phone number from my Korean sim card, I was able to sign up for a free ticket to the Cheongshim Music Festival, which took place on Aug. 2. I have to say, after last year's luck with going to Inkigayo and seeing so many great bands, and then going to the B1A4 concert, this year's lack of concerts was a little disappointing. Not to say that there weren't concerts - just right before or after my stay in Korea, or the tickets sold out extremely fast or were impossible for foreigners to purchase. Sigh. First-world problems, indeed.
So when Giulia told me about Cheongshim, I was really excited.
When she told me about when we had to meet in the morning, and how long it would take to get there and then wait outside...I was a bit less excited.
But it was a concert! Just when I thought I could not go to one this summer, this opportunity fell in my lap, so I was not going to turn it down. Plus, I knew all the performers: Ailee, Ulala Session, Sistar, Wheesung, Vixx, and my personal favorite - B1A4. I had gone to the B1A4 concert last year with Giulia and our other friend Claudia, so it seemed fitting that we go to this together as well. B1A4 together every summer? Sounds like a plan.
Giulia, her 3 Italian friends, and I met in Sinchon station at 8:30 am. On a Saturday (because we're crazy). After a couple of hours and a couple of transfers on the metro, we ended up in middle-of-nowhere Gyeongi-do station Cheongpyeong. That's where there would be free shuttle buses to take us to Cheongshim Peace World Center. Yup, that's the real name of the venue.
Cheongpyeong Station. Not a lot to see here...
...or here...
...bored selfie...
Or here.
We got there early because we thought there would be a long line-up for the buses when they started running at noon. There wasn't. We got the nastiest sandwiches known to man and a few snacks from the small station convenience store and waited in the shade outside. Then we followed the few fangirls trickling out of the station to the buses waiting for us at noon and rode about 30-40 min to the Cheongshim Peace World Center.
Our buses are waiting!
Photobombed on the bus by Giulia's friend. I love this picture. We're so excited!
We thought we would check in and be assigned seats, but according to the venue volunteers, we just had to wait outside the doors of the area we were in, which was in the balcony on the 2nd level. All this I got using my rudimentary Korean, because I spoke the best Korean (and English, of course) out of the group, which isn't saying much. Relying on my Korean skills is pretty sketchy at best.
We found our entrance and proceeded to stand and sit for the next 3 1/2 hours. Every hour or so, they would rearrange where we were standing/sitting. I think they were confused as well. I just thanked my lucky stars that we got to wait inside, not outside like I was afraid of. If you were super-pale like me, you'd be scared too. The sun...it burns me in an instant.
At least this guy's Engrish shirt kept us company during the long wait.
Oh, Gate 7. I know thee well.
The moment came - we were allowed in the arena! Our wait was over. Or so we thought.
We avoided being trampled by rabid fangirls trying to get the best seat on the balcony (hmmm, girls, it's pretty much all the same up here, I promise), and the poor volunteers tried to do all they could to prevent them from taking over. We just kind of froze like scared foreigners and hoped they wouldn't hurt us. Fangirls don't mess around! Then we got to wait for 2 1/2 more hours before it started...I can't even type this without getting exhausted just thinking about all the waiting.
Giulia is good at waiting.
So is her photobombing B1A4 lightstick.
There was a little helicam going around before, practicing its shots. It was fun to watch. But then again, we were really bored.
The fangirls started setting up their signs - this one says 사랑해 (I love) B1A4
Finally the concert started! I apologize for any blurry pictures. None of these are very clear, as I was in the balcony, so this is the best I could do with my phone camera.
First up is Ailee:
Ailee is in the white, her backup dancers in the black
She was really good, and sang live. She always gives a good show!
Ailee is being interviewed by the hosts, actor Kim Ji Hoon and Kara's Han Seung Yeon
Her face on the screen was the best I could do.
Get it, girl!
Next was Ulala Session. I was surprised to see 4 members, since their lead singer passed away last year from cancer, but I think I remember something about them getting another member recently. They did really well, and I recognized a couple of their songs, even if I don't know them as well as the others.
They were really good dancers!
I liked their lighting for this song as well.
You can tell this is a slower ballad by the smoky stage.
Sistar brought it as well, and they were the first group to perform where you could see people below trying to run up to the stage.
Yep, they led off with their new single, Touch My Body. How did you know?
They were really good singers/dancers, and really beautiful. See all their fans around the stage?
Wheesung was next. It was funny, there were a lot of parents with their children, and the children were waiting for the boy bands coming up later, but all of a sudden when Wheesung showed up on the stage, all the ahjummas/ajusshis became the crazy fans, screaming and singing along and getting all excited.
He's a really good singer live, so I can see why they were excited.
He sang one of my favorites, Insomnia.
The mother in the row in front of me started getting excited when Wheesung took off his jacket to reveal...his t-shirt. Rawr.
Vixx was next, which is one of the bands most people were there to see (sorry everyone else). They perform well live, I think, even though I'm pretty sure they didn't sing live. It's ok.
They have some pretty cool choreography.
And here's my favorite, B1A4. According to Giulia, they probably had to hurry to Cheongshim after recording Music Bank in Seoul at 4pm, so they were probably really tired. You couldn't tell by the performance, which you could tell was sung live. They performed Lonely, Baby Good Night, and Solo Day. I'm gonna let the pictures speak for themselves:
I love seeing them perform. They seem to have a good time singing, and get along with each other well.
On the bus on the way home. Bags under my eyes a mile long. But I wouldn't get home for another 3 hours at almost midnight...such a long day...fun, but long.
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2 comments:
I got exhausted just reading about all your waiting! What beautiful lighting and backgrounds for all the groups! (but what was the one that looked like an old western town?) You not smiling in the last picture sure did accent the dark circles under your eyes! Glad you had fun!
That does look like a lot of fun! Your friend seems really nice! I would love to go to a boy band concert! I love the bus decor again!
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