[Fanaccount] MBC Korean Music Wave in Google - THE CONCERT!

WARNING: This fanaccount is super long. If you're not into Kpop or you just don't feel like reading it, feel free to skip this post. The whole story here is my personal experience. Please don't take copy it without my consent.

IMAGES: Big thanks to Felicia Johanna for allowing me to use her pictures. I owe you big one.

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THE CONCERT

...and the show finally started! The stage unveiled five beautiful ladies in white as they walked forward to the stage. They are KARA! As for the first song, they presented Step. I was never a die-hard fan of KARA and to be honest, I was not familiar enough with the song, but it was a good song choice for the opening, as it wasn't too energy-consuming and the dance seemed to be content compared to other KARA's songs, like Lupin or Mister.

There was a bit of a problem during the performance. Some guys in front of me started to stand up. Not wanting to miss a moment of seeing KARA live, I stood up as well, but some people behind me then screamed “SIT DOWN!!! WE CAN'T SEE!!!”. I looked back at them, afraid, and sat down, but the people in front of me pretended not to hear. So a small war during the first performance of the concert was inevitable. A lady who was still standing up even courageously (more annoyingly though) looked back at some sitting dudes, saying. “Then you guys should stand up!”. Then the sitting guys in the back started throwing some standing people some kettle corn.

Elda, Jenifer, and Jason quickly found a spot not far from where we sat, where basically everyone stood up, just in time when I almost caught some bits of the popcorn flying above me. The new spot was basically much better. I have much more space and even without the binocular, I could clearly see the stage! To help better my view, I panned my binocular to scan the faces of the members. Nicole was the one who really intrigued me the most. She's my most favorite member of KARA (and the most recognizable too). Jason cheered heavily on Hara, his bias. I must admit though, everyone looked almost flawlessly beautiful. I think they tried their best not to lip-sync (this is something that fans hate the most about artists performing live). There was one member whose voice was high enough she caught my attention. I guess, it's...Gyuri? I don't know much about KARA members, sorry.

After the performance, the members introduced themselves. Nicole then said in such a perfect English that she was surprised to see how the fans reception to the concert, thanking us for loving Kpop. Gyuri added some lines to the speech. Next up, they introduced the real MCs of the show, and they are...

Girls' Generation's Taeyeon and Tiffany!

Taeyeon wore a flowing gold/orange gown and Tiffany donned a daring, bright red dress. I'm amazed by how refreshed they looked even though I knew they just got back from SMTown LA which was held exactly 24 hours prior. Imagine the exhaustion after the show and the whole trip to North California that they had to take.

Tiffany's English never failed to amaze me. She and Taeyeon spoke a couple of lines, especially emphasizing how the concert was sold out and the reception of Bay Area fans. Next up, they introduced the next performers. I became fidgety, guess which artists would come up next. Much to my excitement, the name of MBLAQ was mentioned and I went crazy! MBLAQ is one of my most favorite Kpop boybands and their singles are so familiar to me.

The center stage doors slid open. Five dashing gentlemen walked out of it, wearing dynamic-styled black and white outfit. At first, I panned my binocular to identify Lee Joon, my bias. How my eyes couldn't believe that I saw him at that very moment. In a split second, I wished I was there with my cousins, who were also die-hard A+ (a nickname for MBLAQ fans). Anyway, the boys performed a powerful, opening dance, with a surprise in the end, Seung Ho's acrobatic move! More like an upside down jump/salto in the air. Then they performed This is War, a considerably slow, somehow less aggressive song which I believe really emphasized more on G.O's vocal, since it was stronger than ever. Speaking of G.O, I was never a fan of him, but his vocal got me captivated. He did that without lip-sync, convincing me that this guy is really something. Also, I guess the cameraman was a bias of Mir and Lee Joon, since their faces were mostly displayed on the giant screen.

Later, MBLAQ presented Y. OMG, finally my most favorite song of MBLAQ (and possibly the one and only that I kinda memorized the lyrics. I instantly went hype and go crazy on “GIVE IT TO MY Y...!!” and “OH OH OH!” parts. I really wanted to do the Y hand thing, but I was too focused holding my binocular. At least a bit of singing from myself would help me blend with the whole fangirling/spazzing atmosphere. Lee Joon quickly took my attention in his performance, possibly because he was the main star of the song's MV. Not to mention I couldn't get my attention out of him. He was just adorable and so hyper that night with that dorky, typical smile of his. The surprise in the end (MBLAQ loves surprises at the end of their performances, apparently) revealed Lee Joon teasing us audience by taking off his suit, as if he couldn't make the fans go even crazier O_O.

Before MBLAQ moved on to the next performance, Seung Ho, the leader, mentioned that it was their first time in San Francisco and hoped the fans would enjoy the show (of course we would!^^). G.O uttered that the group felt nervous due to the fact that the show was streamed live on Youtube. Last but not least, my cousin's bias, 2ne1's Dara's dongsaeng, Thunder, showed some English skills by introducing the next song, Oh Yeah (that's their debut song, isn't it?). He hoped that we would all sing to the song. When he said that it was going to the last song they would present, I briefly went “Awww...” hoping they'd bring up some more songs, like Mona Lisa. However, I kind of expected Lee Joon (again, him, cos he's my bias after all), would say something in English because he had a role in the Hollywood-produced movie Ninja Assassin with Bi Rain!

Anyway, everyone in the venue went “OH YEAH OH YEAH OH YEAH YEAH YEAH!!” during the chorus part. I tried my best singing along to the song at the top of my lungs. Somehow though, I felt they should have put Oh Yeah in the middle, not as their closing song, because the performance was less heated up than Y. It's not that the boys had got tired already or what. That's my personal opinion though.

I was overall blown away and amused by MBLAQ's performance. Actually they would be the first artists whose appearance seem so clear to me as I saw it through my binocular. When MBLAQ performed, some people around me still provided some space so it's easy for me to capture MBLAQ's performance on stage. At some point in the beginning of their performance, I managed to identify the members, pointing out: “Oh there's Lee Joon, with the bang! That should be G.O...and so on.”

The video that would introduce the next group appeared on the screen, showing...SISTAR!!! I never consider myself as a STAR1, but still, I highly anticipated their performance and hoped they would perform my most favorite song of theirs, So Cool. The four goddesses appeared on the stage, wearing stunning black and sparkly-gold outfit with a leg line cut on their skirts. Jason, who stood behind me, instantly screamed and cheered the moment SISTAR came out to the stage. Since he was apparently a die-hard STAR1 and had never seen SISTAR live before, I lent him my binocular. First, the girl group performed a brief opening dance, before they continued to perform the next song.

I could hardly recognize what the first song they performed, but later I figured out that the song is called Alone, the latest SISTAR single, as Jason told me. I was certainly amused by their performance on this song. The song was a nice, slow one yet quite flaunting in a way that it nearly drove all guys there go crazy, because at one point, the four girls had that leg-lifting movement in the dance. So much leg-exposing! It was worth it though, since all SISTAR members had these toned-long legs every girl desires. I wanted to have their legs -_-.

As if the flaunting was not over yet, the next song was even slower but it had a more playful atmosphere, Ma Boy. Well, I heard of this song before, although I didn't listen frequently to it. Their live performance was so much more interesting, but maybe that's because I'd never seen them perform the song live. At the chorus, they did body wave that again, swept all men in the venue into insanity, especially boys. Of course, boys would definitely love this part and I could even see some people around my seating tried to imitate the movement. I also went “MA BOY...MA BOY...!!!” Jason was heavily cheering and screaming at that part I must say it was one very sexy move, not too much but it was enough to heat up the performance. Overall, I was more blown away by Hyorin's powerful vocal :)

Before moving on to the next song, SISTAR had a little greeting session. Hyorin thanked the audience for seeing their latest single Alone live as the song was really new (I'm not so sure if they already performed the song live before, possibly in Music Bank? I'm not really up-to-date with SISTAR). Dasom also delivered a nice greeting in English. Darn her English is pretty darn good. She basically thanked the audience for the warm welcome and support, also she got to introduce the next song...So Cool! Finally!!!!

Since this is possibly my most favorite song of SISTAR, I couldn't help but sing along. I also did a little of their dance, although not obvious, because now I'm back to hold the binocular. So basically this is the only performance of SISTAR that could hype me up. I even went “ROCK IT LIKE THIS...SISTAR!” and “YEAH I FEEL SO COOL COOL!!! “ along with them at the chorus. During the performance, he kept on pointing out and saying that Bora was his favorite. I guess he couldn't take his sight out of Bora. This song is somehow less provocative at some points. No suggestive body wave or leg lifting. It's more cheerful and playful in a way.

Three performances were done for SISTAR. Time to move on to another performer. SISTAR's performance was definitely a blast and I never knew I could be so impressive by them. At the end of the performance, I somehow became a fan of Hyorin. She's certainly the one in the group that stands out tonight. Bora, Soyou, and Dasom also looked so into the night.

Next performers are...wait for it...f(x)!! I'm an okay fan of f(x). I like their songs, I follow their progress. What makes them different from any other girl group is that they go for a more teenage concept. Victoria, Amber, Luna, Sulli, and Krystal appeared on the stage, performing Pinocchio/Danger for their first song. f(x) is another SM group that flew all the way to Norcal after the SMTown concert the night before in LA. I'm surprised to see they were still so full of energy and pumped up to perform at this Google concert.

The five girls looked so gorgeous, and she's actually the first and only girl group to perform at this concert to wear different attires given that most girl groups usually wear uniformed outfits. Sulli's pigtails really stood out the most and she looks taller than she does on TV. Victoria had never looked so bright in her slightly more mature dressing style, after all she's the oldest and the leader of the group. Luna looks much prettier in person too. Krystal looks pretty much the same than what I imagine her. At some points, I found her to be less sparkly in the performances because she's kinda usually the ace of the group. I'm guessing she must be a little tired.

Everyone instantly went frantic when Amber delivered her rap lines. Haha. Amber is always everyone's favorite. I cheered for her too because she's way cooler when she raps!

The next song was Hot Summer. It's pretty ironic seeing that the night was falling and it was getting chillier and windier =.= but seems like everyone didn't really care about it cos f(x) always knows how to heat up the atmosphere! There was a bit of a chit chat session after Hot Summer. The members introduced themselves in English. Luna talked for a while, exposing her leadership-self, by saying and hoping that everyone not just in the venue but at home, would enjoy their performances.

However, Amber and Krystal became the highlights since they speak fluent English and given that they were both from the Bay Area. Actually, Amber gave more fanservice and said “It's good to be back home!” and pointed out that her sister is from around here and she was actually watching right now. Even she complimented California weather and said “Let's go to the beach after this!”. Krystal also said that her family from San Francisco also came to watch the concert. When Amber asked Krystal if everyone was going to get crazy, Krystal casually answered with a “duh”. Oh, her inner American!

Off to the next song! Krystal introduced NU ABO as their next song. Good choice for the last song, because it was considered as one of the most notable f(x) songs, and my most favorite one too. This performance threw much more energy than the previous ones. I happen to know some of the lyrics and went “Mystery, mystery, molla molla ajik naneun molla...” The appearance came to an end and the f(x) girls retreated to the backstage.

Taeyeon and Tiffany were back to the stage to introduce the next performance. Beforehand, a video of Sunye was played on the screens, where she shared a bit about her father's story and that her father recently passed away. It was one moving and sad video. Not long after that, Sunye appeared a solo performance, singing Father by Insooni, in remembrance of her father. Sunye herself looked gorgeous as ever with white outfit and stunning dark red hair. She ascended the stairs to the upper level of the stage. Meanwhile, the screen displayed the lyrics so that audience could understand the true meanings of the song. Sunye's strong vocal just supported the whole moving atmosphere. Audience spontaneously swayed their hands in rhythm to the song.

Moving to the next performer. I saw someone coming up to the stage carrying a pink electric guitar, and instantly went “Yuri?”. Apparently it's not Yuri, it's no other than Seohyun!! She was so pretty wearing a black outfit and slightly ruffled dark pink skirt but I'm pretty sure all eyes were also on the electric guitar. That simply added more cuteness to her. The song she brought was a cover of Cherry Filter's Flying Duck, a pop-rock song. I haven't honestly heard of the original song but with Seohyun's soft yet daring voice really fit into the song's atmosphere. Talking about cuteness and fierceness at the same time.

 

Well, Seohyun playing a guitar? This is new as well. Maybe Yonghwa of CNBlue taught her how to play it (ahem...after all they were virtual couples on We Got Married right?). Her strumming looked natural, but when she stopped strumming for a second, the sound of the guitar was still there. Oops, guitar-sync? Seohyun, you're pretty and talented, your solo performance is all but sweet, you're one of my favorites in Girls' Generation, but you better practice more on playing guitar ^^”

Next up, KARA appeared again!!! They emerged from the upper level of the stage (where Sunye appeared earlier) and descended down to the main stage, followed by a couple of back dancers. Apparently they had their changed their outfit from the white one at the beginning of the show with the brand new black top and black shorts, also with white boots.

Again, the members looked unexceptionally beautiful. I really adore Hara's flowing hair and her cheerful expression. Nicole looked bright with her hair tied up and Jiyoung (my, she's tall) with her short light auburn hair. The second song they presented that night was...no other than my most favorite...Lupin! I handed Jason my binocular and let him see the performance upclose through it. I could still see the stage quite clear up until this point. Again, I personally find Nicole to be the highlight of the show, maybe simply because she appears to be the most energetic one. I think she's the one that gave more fanservice compared to others. Everyone went simply hyped and they all sang along to Lupin. The song broke the atmosphere and I really adored their dance in this one.

After the performance, Nicole greeted San Francisco in her fluent English. Two members of KARA later continued the greeting, one of which, Hara, asked everyone in Korean: “Did you guys miss us (after the short opening)?” Everyone went “YEAH!!!!!!” I was like “Of course, where were you ladies???”. They expressed excitement and anxiety of performing in Shoreline Amphitheatre, and that it was streamed live in Youtube.

 

I forgot the member's name (I'm guessing it's Gyuri) that introduced the next song Mister. When the song started, my friends and I instantly went “LALALALALA...” following the signature and the most memorable lines of the whole lyrics. Not to mention, the hip dance made all fanboys go gaga. There was just so many hip exposure! Even Jason repeatedly shouted Hara's name in excitement. I see that some people in the seating area “hip danced” along the song. Everyone was having such a good time!

Up next, the video of Beast was played of the giant screen. I was like, OMG Beast is next!!! Six boys emerged from the center stage door. Their extraordinary charisma was in the air and all Beautifuls quickly got on their feet and screamed to the top of their lungs. I just recently became a fan of Beast after listening to some songs of theirs, so I didn't want to miss all the heat and fun! The boys looked much thinner than they looked on TV.

They all wore similar grey/black-ish hue suit with some accessories embedded on their shoulders. Hyunseung (my, he was so thin) definitely captured me with his scruffy, dark blonde hair. He's actually my bias. I mean, who wouldn't fall to his lovely voice? Junhyung's smile was so adorable. He's got the sweetest, sincerest smile out of all members. However, out of all, my attention was automatically diverted to the two members that I believe stood out the most, Dongwoon and Yoseob (maybe because the other members have dyed hair and Dongwoon and Yoseob kept their hair to natural black). Dongwoon made me his instant fan, with his princely look (He's got the princely look in the show! He looks like the most mature in the group, but then I was reminded he's the magnae right? I thought to myself (I'm sure tons of other girl think the same). Even Elda thought that the black-haired guy looked the same (it's Dongwoon that pointed right? She kept on pointing that the black-haired guy was not so bad. Or is it the cute Yoseob?) Yoseob is the cutest. He tried to look fierce but for some reason, he still had this inner cuteness that made me go aww.

Anyway, the first performance they brought was Shock. It was inevitable for me to sing along. “Everyday I shock...(SHOCK)!” I panned my binocular over to each members' faces. They were so full of energy. Some beautifuls around me raised their fansigns and some did the Shock movement. Everytime the Beast go “Shock!” the stage light blitzed and all there was a chorus of “Shock!” in the fans at the same time. Yoseob delivered most of the fanservice, raising up his microphone towards the audience to have them sing along. There were definitely lots of fansigns for Beast from where I am, so it was obvious that Beast got more attention than I have expected. Lots of my friend who were coming as well also anticipated for Beast. However, the thing about seeing Beast performance, trouble started to ensue. Some people tried to squeeze in between the rows to get a closer look to the stage. The lawn area started to get filled up really soon and crowded. I was forced to move in the same row to find a space where I could get a clear look the stage (because when I panned my binocular in my old spot, some heads of people taller than me started to appear).

 

The next song, they brought Fiction!!!! Hahaha, one of the most awaited songs for me. I just listened to the song lately (prior to the concert) and fell for it at an instant. Besides, Fiction is one of the most famous songs of theirs, so it's impossible not to be performed. Oh my, the footwork was so awesome! Elda even complimented on their footwork as well. Such a soothing song could really bring up a great heat!

After Fiction, the boys stopped for a second to greet the audience. Junhyung, Gikwang, Dongwoon, and Yoseob said hi to the ecstatic audience, at the venue and those who were watching at home. They complimented that they had been doing Beautiful tours at three countries, but this concert gave them a much greater heat! Woot woot! Later, Yoseob introduced the next song in a good English (wew, I didn't know he could speak English that well). So Beautiful it is. Compared to the previous songs, the song drew more playful vibe. Everyone instantly went “Beautiful my girl, oh oh girl!!” At one point, the members started to throw things at the audience. I didn't quite notice what that is, presumably one of their unused attributes?

Up next...I felt fidgety on which artist would perform afterwards. When the opening video of a girl group of 9 members were played on the screen, I instantly figured out who they were. Yeah, Girls' Generation is finally here to make you feel the heat! I felt a sudden chill when the intro of The Boys were played as the fallen goddesses (they did look like ones) made an elegant entrance through the center stage door. But then wait, I counted their heads and there were only 7 of them. Where were Yuri and Yoona? Jason seemed to keep himself updated with Girls' Generation news that he told me they were both busy filming their dramas.

Anyway, the girls looked extremely flawless, so no wonder the boys went hyperventilating over them. My favorite girl would be Sooyoung (but that's because I'd seen some videos of her goofing around that I instantly love her sense of humor). She – well – looks as tall as I would have figured and her beauty looks so natural. Jessica surprisingly looked much more grown with her dark-blonde hair tied up. Tiffany's red hair was so stunning and as usual, she was probably the one that stood out the most because she gave much fanservice due to her fluent English. Everyone else looked appealing in their own ways. I WAS SO MINDBLOWN!!

When The Boys just started (and of course, they sang it in English), I spontaneously went “GG!” to mimic Jessica's line. There were lots of pink balloons among the audience! Wow, I didn't see them coming. They weren't visible before the Girls' Generation came up to the stage. Even though there were only 7 of them performing, they still didn't lose the heat. During the “Girls bring the boys out!!” Sooyoung replaced Yuri to be in the center. Not to mention, I noticed that there were no recorded voices of the girls in the background music to support the girls' actual singing voices! The girls tried their best to not lip-sync, and it's really worth it, because they didn't lose their singing power while dancing at the same time.

 

Then, the girls had a little talk with the audience. Sooyoung said a couple of things in English (my, her English has improved) like “San Francisco, are you ready tonight?”. Jessica shared a little of her background of being born and raised in San Francisco, so “It's good to be back to perform with the girls.” she said. Meanwhile, Tiffany pointed out that the the girls were missing Yuri and Yoona and explained that they were busy filming drama (just like Jason told me earlier), so Tiffany asked the audience to participate to the fullest to mend the absence of Yuri and Yoona. Of course, we're willing to do so!

After the talk, they presented Mr. Taxi in Korean version. At first, I was a little embarrassed because I found myself to sing the Japanese lyrics instead, but then I tried my best to memorize and sing the Korean lyrics instead. I spotted some people doing the wheel dance while singing “Mr Taxi...Taxi...Taxi jigeum jeukshi...jeukshi...” My most favorite part would be the bridge when Hyoyeon, the dancing queen of the group, started to get an attention. Her dancing skills were simply unbeatable! Go Hyoyeon!

Last but not least, the girls brought their most phenomenal song, no other than Gee! 

Beforehand,Tiffany asked everyone to stand up and dance along. Everyone went hype, including me. Thank goodness I knew most of the lyrics so it made me easier to sing along. Even better, I allowed myself to dance as well while going “GEE GEE GEE GEE GEE BABY BABY BABY!!!!” with tons of other Sones, even with Jason too! He looked super happy seeing their favorite girls even though he admitted it was his second time seeing them live. Gee was a song full of energy, and I'm glad the girls were able to deliver the atmosphere of the song live very well.

As expected, the next group after Girls' Generation is Wonder Girls!! They greeted “Hello San Jose!” Sunye, Yubin, Yenny, Hyerim, and Sohee looked so freshed in white mini dress with some accessories embedded on it, a mixture of elegance and casualty at the same time. My most favorite member would always be Yenny, but I don't know why the short-blonde singer didn't really sparkle that night. Hyerim definitely took more people's attention. Her hair was platinum blonde and long, but I personally find that her voice wasn't really that good. Sohee had a cute, soft gaze and Yubin was fierce as usual.

For the first performance, they presented Be My Baby, their new song which was featured in their Teen Nick movie lately. This song might possibly be my most favorite one after Nobody, maybe because it had a more cheerful atmosphere. Luckily, the lyrics had been stuck in my mind ever since the movie came out, so I had a little problem singing along with them. I was screaming and calling out the members' names who took turns singing respectively. 

  

Next up, they brought Tell Me. It's another good song of theirs that I know, but somehow, I didn't find the atmosphere to be quite catchy especially for a concert. Although at the chorus, the audience and I sang along to the top of our lungs “TELL ME TELL ME TE-TE-TELL ME!!!” That's all I know of the chorus. One good thing about Tell Me performance: their choreography captured my attention (the leg lifting that goes along with the finger pointing part. It seems like WG is fond of finger pointing, after Nobody).

Last but not least, of course they were going to perform the song whose title I mentioned just now. Beforehand, Sohee and Hyerim said hi to all the audience and thanked them for having WG tonight. Hyerim's English is so flawless! Later, Yenny took over and said: “The next song we’re gonna perform, is a song that everyone already knows. I went “NOBODY!!!”.

But before the girls performed, Yenny asked all audience to stand up and learn the dance of the next song. She even said: “Point your fingers to the person you love.” Oh how cute! Of course, most of us were familiar of the dance and even I saw some people already dance before she got to teach the actual, signature dance. I assumed Yenny had realized about this. Anyway, the show went on. Seeing that it was a song that everybody recognized, the entire venue was echoed with “I WANT NOBODY NOBODY BUT YOU *clap* *clap*!” I learned the cover of the dance at school so I couldn't help but dance and sing along with WG. The song was enough to heat up all the audience, bringing them off their seats to move with the familiar beats of Nobody.

After Wonder Girls had done with their performance, there was a bit of commotion. I guess people have already predicted who was going to come up next. I also had a good feeling about this, but on the other, I felt so nervous, excited, and kind of not ready to welcome them. They're just too special. After all, they were my most favorite Kpop artists, the first ones I knew, and the ones that would later introduce me to the world of Hallyu. MC Tiffany and Taeyeon appeared again to present the next artists. The moment of truth is here. Tiffany then recited that the upcoming artists are “nothing more super than SUPER JUNIOR!!!”. Oh boy, at that very second, I couldn't think straight anymore. People started squeezing in between the lines and I attempted to find some space between them so I could see the stage clearly with my binocular.

What I really wondered the most, I realized that after all this time, most of the people around me didn't make much noise compared to people in the seating area where everyone there was literally fangirls and fanboys who didn't bother to scream at the top of their lungs. The lawn area, where I was, was filled with mostly parents, families, elder people, and people who I believe had no idea who's who's performing. I believe that people around me, in particular, were mostly latecomers who happened to know about the free concert and the fact that it's free is what makes them come to the show. So, when I looked back, I realized how people around me were considerably quiet in the lawn area, only me and some other people in the distant (there was one guy who went crazy in every girl group performances though). I'd been screaming at the top of my lungs before I realized I was only one out of only a couple of people who screamed. What I hated about this situation is, if those people who squeeze in between the lines don't know who's performing or maybe they were not excited enough for the concert, why bothered stealing people's spots? When Super Junior performed, I didn't care if I screamed at someone's ears. I didn't care if my saying, the one that goes “OMG THIS IS REAL” kind of stuff bothers someone. I didn't care if later people in front of me would turn around and said “STFU”. After all, we were all here to get crazy right?

Anyway, back to the concert, enough with the complaints. Superman intro started filling in the air. I felt a sudden chill all at once. The only member that emerged from the center stage entrance was Yesung, but I could notice that some other members were all over the place. Eunhyuk was in the upper level of the stage, with Donghae at one side of the mid-level of the stage and Kyuhyun at the other side of the stage. I could hardly see other members, but when I saw the giant screen, Ryeowook and Sungmin were near the seating area. Leeteuk and Shindong was same area, only in the other side. The four boys made a stunning entrance to the main stage, meanwhile Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun, and Donghae descended to the main stage too. For the love of God did they look so handsome and charismatic in person!!!

The boys dressed in white suit with inner black top and black pants. Eunhyuk stood out the most possibly because he wore a different outfit (instead of white suit, he wore a gray one. Good choice of outfit for a main dancer and rapper). Donghae looked cute and somewhat charming as ever. Yesung's powerful voice was not a lie. Even though the background music had the boys' recorded voices, but Yesung's real voice still stood out. He really pulled it off. Leeteuk was more handsome in person, and so were Ryeowook, Sungmin, and Shindong (my, he's got some charisma there, no kidding). I would have to say that Sungmin looked more manly and handsome in person. I always thought he had this cute-ish persona, but apparently not really when you see him in person. Last but not least, my bias, KYUHYUN. Even though I dislike his hairstyle nowadays, his charisma was overwhelming. I never got bored panning my binocular closely at him. His eye contact was bold and fierce. He looks much more handsome in person! His vocals were as strong as Yesung's live, and still, Kyuhyun's vocal captured me the most, even though Yesung was the one who dared to reach a high note flawlessly. I still couldn't believe I saw the boys for real. The moment was too extravagant.

ELF, in particular, screamed like crazy and sang along the song. The lyrics were memorable so I had no problem singing along. I started to lose my voice from the very beginning too. The song was way too strong and powerful and somewhat fitting to be made as an opening song. Well, it's also an opening song of Super Show 4. I could feel the chill all over, and my feet – I'm not exagerrating – were shaking. This moment is real. I'm finally seeing them in live. At that moment, I felt grateful at the same time because I was not in the seating area, otherwise the reaction would have been more extreme. When the boys assembled on the stage, the formed like a circle and resumed with the original choreography. However, someone was missing from the group, and it was Siwon. Elda was the first to notice, but then I noticed his absence too. Possibly, he was filming another drama? Anyway, I sang along with the song and screamed “SUPER JUNIOR, THE LAST MAN STANDING!!!” The venue went crazy. The performance was BEYOND PERFECTION. I clapped my hands. Since I trembled at some points, Elda and Jason had to support me, really. I repeatedly said “Oh my God it's them! I'm seeing them for real! This isn't real!! I see Kyuhyun, this isn't real!!” I don't care how embarrassing it sounds but hey, everyone else was having a good time right? I was, too!

“Because you naughty naughty, hey, I'm Mr. Simple!” the line opened the next song. Yay! Mr. Simple! This song definitely captured the heat from the audience. I was surprised that there were no fanchants but then I was reminded again that it was not a Super Show. There would have been some fanchants in Super Show, but it's still fun! Again, I sang along at the top of my lungs. I instantly went “Bwara Mr. Simple, Simple Keuttae-neun Keuttae-neun Keuttae-ro meotchyeo!!”.

Despite more people squeezing in, I could still get a close look to the stage and even attempted to do the hand dance while holding my binocular steady. Elda repeatedly teased me when Kyuhyun's part came, holding my shoulder to support me even though the stage was quite far. At some points, Elda was speechless when Donghae came out. Well I was smitten too by his charm. Yesung's voice also captured Elda's attention. I believe not only me, but tons of other girls at the venue screamed like crazy when the dance part came in the bridge. Lee Hyukjae really pulled it off with the hand-stand. I cheered him when he succeeded to do that, as it was one of my favorite moments in Mr. Simple! Lee Hyukjae jjang!! Wow, guys, you did a really great job even though you just came back from another concert the other day in LA!

The heat was not done after the song was finished. The eight members lined up in a row and started the introduction. Shindong was so full of energy and I shouted out his name. Ryeowook and Sungmin delivered a sweet-sounding “Hello everyone!”. Yesung said. “Hello! Hi!” twice to the audience before introducing himself. Kyuhyun was possibly the briefest one. I could tell he was a bit exhausted but his smile was still so darn sweet as ever! Eunhyuk went “What's up USA?!! Say yeah!!!” The audience screamed “Yeah!” before he got to introduce himself.

Leeteuk, as the leader, gave most of the fanservice. He said “HELLO USA!!! My name is....??? My name is...???” I screamed out along with bunch of other fans: “LEETEUK!!”. He calmly said: “Wow you're genius.” followed with laughter from the audience. Haha, Leeteuk is so adorable. He always knows how to break the ice. Leeteuk then asked the audience if we wanted to appear on Youtube and invited us all to look at the moving camera and said hi. The audience went frantic at the camera. Leeteuk said in Korean “You guys are now popular!” Hahaha.

Eunhyuk was nice enough to ask if everyone in the back could see us because all the seats and spaces got filled. Leeteuk asked “Aren't you tired (Or are you okay, I forgot)?? Aren't you cold??” Everyone said: “NOOOOOO!!!!!” I felt cold because it was getting late. The sun had set since Beast's performance, but with the boys' presence, all the coldness was absorbed to the stage by the heat they brought in! Later on, I was informed by Felicia that the Korean-speaking Sammi even answered “ANDWAE!!!!” which means simply “No” in Korean. Then Leeteuk said that the next song they were going to perform would need everyone to stand on their feet and dance along. Leeteuk, you just made me your instant fan in a day. 

The next and the last song they performer was Sorry Sorry! The heat was back and I could hear everyone started chanting the song's phenomenal lyric. Some people who didn't hold their cameras or video cams freely danced along. I tried to dance too, but seems the dance was harder to do especially while I was trying to maintain the binocular steadily. I was so taken when Eunhyuk did the dance in the bridge. Everyone screamed out “EUNHYUK!!!!”. Yesung's vocal again captivated me, as he tried to fully sing the song without having to lip-sync. Kyuhyun's voice and performance brought me chill. He was so full of energy despite the brief greeting he did. Apparently he was saving his energy for the last performance of the day ^^. Another highlight came when Kyuhyun closed the song with hitting a high note. I was left amazed and perplexed. I couldn't believe the performance had ended, but I was hoping to see the boys back in the closing performance, where usually the artists appeared again to do a closing song together.

It's time for the last performers, and there was no one left to perform but the kings of the Hallyu: TVXQ. They say, save the best for the last. I would say, save the legendary for the last. Yes, TVXQ has been around in the Kpop since early 2000. I guess they were the only artists in the concert who debuted in the first place before other groups emerged. Even big groups such as Super Junior came out in 2005 and Girls' Generation were hatched in 2007 (right? Just wanted to clarify). All Cassiopeias and the rest of the audience went frantic. I don't consider myself much as a Cassiopeia, more like just a fan of TVXQ, but still I know some of their songs.

As for the first song, they brought my most favorite song of TVXQ lately, Keep Your Head Down. I never knew that song would bring so much heat not just to stage but to the venue! Yunho first emerged with some back dancers, showing his flawless rapping skills. He looked incredibly stunning and fierce at the same time in the black outfit which had some gray-ish side. The outfit of his as well as the backdancers somehow fit with the whole song's vibe and even the animated fire in the background. So much heat in the air! Changmin caught up later with an outfit similar to Yunho's. He looked less fiercer compared to the backdancers and even Yunho himself. However, yeah, Yunho looks handsome that night. On the other hand, Changmin is always my bias. Changmin is, well, good looking (I love his fierce expression despite the babyface look).

His real singing voice definitely stood out the most and when he reached a high note, he simply made me chill. Back to the performance, everyone including I sang “KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!!!” I saw some people tried to imitate the hand-lowering movement. The beat and everything were so powerful, before I remember that the atmosphere of this song was similar to that of Super Junior's Superman! The whole performance was just intense. The choreography was much more aggressive and energy spending than the previous groups.

There were only two of them, with a couple of backdancers, yet they put a lot of effort on the dance. The moved a lot, and it's just the beginning of the song. So many jumping, body twisting, and stuff like that. Even my friend who took picture said that the performance was hard to be captured in pictures, because they moved a lot. At one point, approaching the last chorus, Changmin pulled off a high note that instantly made everyone go awe. Gosh I loved him even more. Elda fell for him at that second too.

Afterwards, TVXQ continued in a softer song, but still with a dynamic yet slower dance style, but at least it wasn't too energy-consuming. At first, I forgot the song's name. I definitely have heard of it before, but then I remember that it was Before You Go. I never expected the song would be this good if performed live. It's good that they finally went for a smoother song after a heated up, energy-consuming one. Changmin never failed to always amuse the audience with his high note. I was once again brought to chill by his voice (I love him even more after the concert). Yunho charmed everyone with his dance (well, he's better in dancing I guess). Each member did their best job.

Later on, TVXQ did an introduction like any other previous group had done. I heard that they were quite running out of breath, but they still managed to greet their American fans. Yunho said “Are you ready for tonight???” Which I responded with “YEAAAH!!”. We were here already heated up ever since the first performance! Yunho then explained that they had just done SMTown LA last night, but despite the cheers and the welcome of people in the Bay Area, he could hardly feel the exhaustion. That's very nice of him! I knew at that point, they were already dead tired. Changmin then greeted the audience saying “Are you ready???” before he got to introduce the last song they were going to perform, Rising Sun.

 

I was like, wait, I heard of that song before. The moment they played the song, I instantly thought “OMG that's the song back in the day when there were still five of them!!!”. Yes, I now remember the song. The music style is very familiar, and I suddenly miss five of them together. The song is yet another dancing song that required more stamina. It's as physically demanding as Keep Your Head Down. Yunho's rap really nailed it in the middle of the song. Changmin, however, again and again, managed to kill fans with his high note. He's got the highest note he could ever pull out of all performers in the concert. So overall, Changmin was the highlight of the all the TVXQ performances. Wew, what a good closing song! Rising Sun was somewhat a climax of the concert itself. It's like, after singing all the recent music, TVXQ pulled off the performance by singing one of the earliest songs they've got (well, Girls' Generation too, with Gee). Talking about going back to basic.

Okay, done with all the performers. As for the closing, the behind-the-stage MC announced the performers. The groups went out according to the order they performed. I cheered and screamed when each group emerged, but of course, I cheered the loudest at Super Junior as they returned to the stage. I really couldn't help but focus on Kyuhyun, but overall, I tried to observe everyone. MC Tiffany and Taeyeon reappeared and they were actually the last to come out (after TVXQ). They both thanked the audience for coming to the show. Leeteuk also recited a couple of closing lines before everyone closed the show with “안녕이가세요“. Now, about the news that Leeteuk cut off Tiffany for the closing lines, I'm not so sure how it happened. I did notice that Leeteuk said something to conclude the show, but I was not aware that it wasn't how it was supposed to be. In any case, apparently Leeteuk sort of took over in purpose after I read the clarification on a website. So no hard feelings here.

Image credit to Allkpop.com

Image credit to soompi.com

All performers were having a good time as they were singing together to Arirang (in techno version). Lee Joon of MBLAQ was dancing on his own, with G.O singing to the song. Amber, Sunny, Hyoyeon, and Sooyoung were waving their arms and dancing along. Jessica and Seohyun were hand-in-hand, singing, before Jessica moved to her sister, Krystal. Speaking of Jung sisters! There was a bit of KyuMin moment as Kyuhyun and Sungmin sang along to the song (Kyuhyun got more control of the mic compared to Sungmin). Kyuhyun's strong, velvet voice sounded really clear compared to others while singing Arirang. Ryeowook was adorable at this point too. Leeteuk, at the other hand, also sang to the song. As for Shindong...you gotta see him. He was bouncing up and down and moving from left to right behind the line, like making a wave. He's just soooo freaking funny!

The KARA girls were conversing with SISTAR. As for Beast, Yoseob was soooo cute! I could see him bouncing up and down like he was having such a good time! I couldn't get my attention to Yoseob. TVXQ looked tired, but they still managed to blend in with the atmosphere. Wonder Girls were the most okay one. SunYe joined the singing as well. If only I could hear her voice clearly. Then, Eunhyuk, Shindong, and Donghae ascended to the upper level of the stage, doing some sort of an arm dance. Hyoyeon and Sooyoung caught up with them soon and joined the three boys. At one point, Seohyun got a keroro doll and Yesung later handed it to Taeyeon. I was like “It's Seohyun's!!”. When all the stars closed the song, they were hugging with each other, congratulating for the success of the show. MBLAQ boys bowed to the sunbaes on the way back to the backstage. The last ones to bid farewell to the audience were Super Junior. Leeteuk even retrieved a Despicable Me's minion doll on the stage floor. Ryeowook once again waved before retreating to the backstage. I waited until everyone disappeared to the backstage. Well, overall, most of the time, I observed Kyuhyun. I enjoyed doing that after all.

Wow, I couldn't believe that just happened to me. I couldn't believe it was just over.

I finally took my eyes off from the stage and looked at my friends after ages of looking continuously at the stage. Elda, Jenifer, and Jason were busy talking about how to get home, as it was already late. I simply lost my voice after the entire series of screaming and shouting. The clock showed that it was already 10. I was all like “I'm not ready to go back to reality.” and Elda was like “This kid's still stuck with the atmosphere.” We all got off the lawn area and quickly searched for Sammi and Felicia. Outside, we also met another friend of mine who happened to come late. Together, we discussed briefly about the show before she needed to go.

When we were on the way out of the venue, exactly on the bridge, I saw a commotion. Bunch of people went to the edge of the bridge and looked down. I knew exactly that beneath the bridge was a road where the vehicles made their way in and out of the backstage. I figured that some fans might want to see the artists as they left. I made my way to the railing and held it tight (actually I was lucky enough to make my way to the edge as I could see a clear view of the road). There were two vans parked there. Some managers and security were in their walkie-talkie, which I assumed they must be arranging how the artists would make their way out. One van had its front part out of the bridge and the back part was beneath the bridge.

The entrance of the van was clearly seen from where I was now. I could see some managers going in and out of the van, but still no signs of artists entering the van. The girls that happened to stand next to me happened to be Koreans and they sort of begged to some managers or securities down below that they wanted to see MBLAQ. How annoying that the girls shouted right at my ear. I thought to myself “That manager is not going to hear you anyway.” And yes I was right. The manager indeed looked up briefly but he just brushed off the girls, ignoring them. I could hear that some people near me also talked among themselves, hoping to see the stars before they left the venue. I also anticipated that the stars would make their way out from beneath the bridge to the van that had awaited for them outside, but of course, it wouldn't be that easy. Kpop managers were strict when it comes to security. I have heard a great deal of stories of stars getting their VIP exit out of the airport when fans actually waited in the normal exit.

Suddenly, I saw a head popping out of beneath the bridge, and it's JESSICA!!!!! She briefly looked up to people on the bridge and waved. I waved back and her before she disappeared beneath the bridge. I could imagine how unhappy the manager was going to be, seeing Jessica being nice to fan and even gave a brief fanservice before disappearing. After waiting for a while, I moved to the other side of the bridge where I reunited with Sammi and Felicia. They had a better view of what was beneath the bridge. Even they could see the window of the van which I talked about earlier (the same van which I said a manager going in and out of it). The window was dark, but Sammi kept on saying that inside that van was the artists, even Sammi claimed that she saw MBLAQ or Beast earlier. Well, believing that all artists were inside the van (maybe they had entered the van before I arrived on the bridge), I just waved my hand at the dark window, hoping that the artists would at least see it.

After a while, the two vans left. The road was cleared. The commotion ended and people even cleared the bridge area, making their way out of the venue. Outside, I met my two other friends, one of which spazzed hard on Yoseob. I was like “I know right. I saw him too, he's soooo adorable!!!”. Then, I waited for them until they assured me that they had a ride home. I bid them adieu. Elda and Jason went home with Jason's brother, Kevin, who had come to pick them up. Elda and I are roommates. I know that we were supposed to go home together, but I had left my stuff in Felicia's car trunk, so I had to carpool with her back home. Jenifer also carpooled with Sammi, Felicia, and I.

On the way back home, we barely had energy to discuss about the show because all of the energy we had saved from morning had been completely absorbed to the show. However, we did talk a bit about the highlight of the show, how fantastic the artists really were, how much energy they really threw to the show. We even asked each other “Which performance did you like best?” I answered with Super Junior, but then I also added that TVXQ surprisingly made a hit that night. Although I'm more an ELF, TVXQ remains the legendary of Kpop history, so their performance in the end of the show really pulled off. So, Super Junior and TVXQ were overall the best performance of the night. My friends agreed.

When Felicia randomly asked me “Have you done your arts project?” I was like. “Thank you Felicia, for returning me to reality. Unfortunately, no, I haven't. I'm almost done with it though.”

Bummer, welcome to reality, Carissa!

Later in the week, I met with some other people at school who came to the concert. Most of them got into the seating area. Even a friend of mine got to sit at the front row!!! THE FREAKING FRONT ROW!!!! She even got to shake hands with Leeteuk and got loads of eye contact from the artists!!! HOLY POO!! I regretted for not coming early or not bringing my camera, but who to blame? Whenever I got slightly emotional and upset for not getting into the seating area, a friend of mine, who also got into the lawn area, would remind that I should be grateful enough for having been able to attend the show, and even he mentioned that I got what most of the people there didn't: a binocular. Seeing bunch of the leaders of Korean hallyu wave all in a day (the artist line-up was no kidding) FOR A FREE ADMISSION is already a luck itself. So yay! $24.00 is worth it for the equipment that has connected me with my lovely Kpop idols. I was thinking to refund it but then, I thought I'd save it for future concerts.

Thank you so much for all my friends, particularly Felicia for the drive, and Sammi for getting me a ticket. Thank you so much for Elda, for accompanying me. I know it was a last minute decision for you to come and I know you're more into Jpop than Kpop. I know that the first big concert you're supposed to go to is Jpop one, not a Kpop. I promise that if there's any Jpop artist coming and you'd like to see them, I'd be willing to keep you company!

Thank you so much for Google, MBC, and Youtube for making my dreams come true. Thank you so much for all the artists: MBLAQ, Kara, Sistar, Beast, f(x), Wonder Girls, Girls' Generation, Super Junior, TVXQ for coming to one of the places I used to think no Kpop artists would ever bother to go to, Mountainview (the fact that this place was so freaking close to where I live).

I'll look forward to see you guys in the future!!! 

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So that's it for the fanaccount guys. That's not too shabby for the first Kpop concert. Sorry if the post is long (even longer than any other posts) but I hope you enjoy it! :)