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Photos from K-Pop Nation 2012 concert in Macau: U-KISS, B.A.P, SHINee, and Girls Generation

I wanted to put up this post that very night the concert ended. But considering I only got back to Hong Kong around 2am, I was too damn tired to do anything but sleep. To say it was a hectic day would be an understatement — but I’ll write about my Macau experience when I begin my Hong Kong travel series.

This post is going to be all K-pop!

I chose to go to Macau on 2nd July, 2012 (Monday) because the K-pop Nation concert was happening that evening. I got up early and took the ferry from Hong Kong in the hopes of reaching Macau airport before the flight from Incheon (Seoul) landed at 10:40. That didn’t go according to plan for reasons I’ll rather talk about in the Macau post, but long story short, there was no need for me to go to Macau airport. You see, my biggest (K-pop) dream is to see the members of SNSD up close and in person. But as soon as I got past immigration, I saw a bunch of Shawols (SHINee fans) waiting outside. I was wearing my custom-printed SNSD t-shirt when a considerate girl approached me and told me in her limited English that SNSD arrived yesterday night at this very terminal! She told me it would be of no use to stand around if I was hoping to see the girls.

I thanked her for that bit of information, but as disappointed as I was, I thought “what the heck” and waited to at least see SHINee up close.

Macau Shawols ferry terminal — SHINee fans had been waiting long

Macau Shawols waiting for Shinee — But SHINee was to land in Hong Kong only at 2pm

Shinee fans Macau terminal — The boys wouldn’t land in Macau for another hour

Macau Shawol Diablo sign for Shinee — I can see how this is appropriate, ‘cos you know, SHINee are South Korean… and practically everybody is playing Diablo III right now!

Shinee arriving Macau terminal — As it neared 4pm, the screams began

Taemin Key Onew Shinee Macau arrival — But as they quickly made their way out of the ferry terminal, there was one tall guy missing: Minho

Onew Jonghyun Shinee Macau arrival — Sorry for the blurry shots, but it all got a bit crazy as you can imagine. I couldn’t use flash either.

Macau Shinee ferry terminal arrival — It got chaotic pretty soon

Despite the hour long wait, my experience of seeing SHINee (or whatever I could see of their faces – I couldn’t even see Taemin’s face), lasted less than a minute. Just like that it was all over. There were sunglasses and other things belonging to fans scattered on the floor in the frenzy as girls ran all over the place to get a glimpse of their idols. But fortunately nobody got hurt, and SHINee’s asshole manager didn’t punch anybody either.

I left the ferry terminal and took the bus to The Venetian Macau to get my tickets to the concert as my return ticket back to Hong Kong was only at 11:45pm. I got the HK$780 (Rs. 5,500/$100/€82) ticket and decided to spend some time sightseeing until sunset.

Cotai Arena counters Macao — I headed back to Cotai Arena around 7pm. Although I had to handover my Canon 7D camera and tripod to security, I still managed to keep my Canon 450D in my bagpack

Inside Cotai Arena Macau panorama — This is Cotai Arena – and my HK$780 seat was in front of the girl in white top

As the clock struck 8pm, a DJ came on stage and started playing some dance music to pump up the crowd.

Kpop Nation Cotai Arena glowsticks — All the glowsticks up in the air gave a good indication as to many seats were unoccupied

Cotai Arena unsold seats kpop concert — The concert was far from ‘sold out’. A good 40% of the seats were vacant. The HK$780 I paid was the fourth highest in a six-tier pricing — meaning there were three more ticket prices that cost more.

And then, seven guys walked on stage. Then walked off. Then walked back on again.

U-Kiss Kpop Nation Macau concert — U-Kiss!

U-Kiss Kpop Nation stage performance Macau — They kicked off their performance with their best song to date, “Neverland”

U-Kiss concert Macau China — The boys performed “Believe” “0330” “Bingeul Bingeul” and “Man Man Hi”

U-Kiss performing Kpop Nation macau — But it was fairly apparent that the boys were lip-syncing

U-Kiss performing Macau kpop concert — Which was kinda disappointing considering how good they are as live performers

The organziers were pretty strict about anyone recording video, but some people (as always) managed to record fancams.

B.A.P entrance kpop nation Macau concert — Next up were a hot rookie group

B.A.P performance K-pop Nation Macau concert — B.A.P began their set with an R&B ballad behind curtains before unveiling themselves

B.A.P K-Pop Nation Macau concert — They sang all their singles to date: “Warrior,” “Burn It Up,” “Unbreakable,” and “Power”

After two songs or three, every group would take a break to introduce themselves to the audience. The audience had a laugh when one of the B.A.P members said something along the lines of: “… I’m excessive to be here”. He meant “excited” but that’s not how we all heard it 🙂

B.A.P performing Macau China — Despite the fact I’m not a huge fan of them…

B.A.P Kpop Nation concert Macau dancers — … B.A.P put on one heck of a performance! I was really impressed!

After B.A.P’s energetic performance, it was now time for the big guns of K-pop. The hugely popular SM Ent. artists were up next. I was a little disappointed to not see Minho since SHINee are not Super Junior — even if one member is missing, their choreography just doesn’t feel right.

Shinee kpop nation concert — But come out as a four-piece SHINee did

Shinee Kpop Nation Macau concert — They began with with “Lucifer”. I had a blast singing along to the whole song, as it remains my favourite K-pop song!

Shinee performing in Macau — But despite the expected awesomeness that comes with being SHINee… they were lip-synching too

Shinee on-stage Macau China — After performing “Stranger,” they paused to speak to the audience. Jonghyun also explained why Minho wasn’t here tonight.

Or at least that’s what I assumed he was talking about, because he spoke in Korean and the translator only spoke in Cantonese(?). Maybe Minho was filming his drama.

Shinee Sherlock live in Macao China — The crowd went wild when “Sherlock” came on

Shinee Sherlock live in Macau China — Fans were itching to chant/shout “SHINee’s back!”

Shinee Sherlock dance Macau concert — “Oh-I’m-curious yeah…” Love that chorus! 🙂

Shinee Sherlock Kpop Macau concert — Taemin is such an energetic dancer

After “Sherlock,” I assumed “Hello” or “Replay” was next. But no. The boys looked at each other and awkwardly just walked off stage waving goodbye to the audience. I was like: “huh?”. The deal was that each artists would perform five songs each. I assumed SHINee would do an encore of two more songs later. At least that was the hope.

Kpop nation concert dj — Anyway, the DJ came back and I got ready for the final act

Kpop Nation Macau concert stage — For it was now time for the pink glow sticks to come out!

Sunny Sooyoung Seohyun screen — Because it was now time for the biggest act in the concert line-up

Jessica Yoona Yuri screen — The loudest cheers were for this group

Taeyeon Tiffany screen — Heck, they’re the main reason I came to Macau today

Snsd Macau kpop nation concert — I spent $780 mainly to see them

Girls Generation Kpop Nation Macau entrance — Because they’re my absolute favourite group in all of K-pop

SNSD Kpop Nation Macau China — SNSD a.k.a Girls Generation!

SNSD Girls Generation Kpop Nation concert — It was only because I was this far that I could manage to fit all nine of them in one frame 🙂

Girls Generation leg dance Macau — The girls ‘kicked’ off their set with “Genie (Tell Me Your Wish)”

Yuri Hyoyeon Snsd dancing Macau — I wonder what Yuri found funny

Tiffany Genie performance SNSD Macau — “Macau, put it back on!”

Girls Generation Genie end pose — And that was song number one

SNSD Macau Genie line dance — Next up was “Run Devil Run”

Sunny behind Sooyoung Genie dance — Poor Sunny – the shortest member right behind the tallest girl in the group 🙂

Run Devil Run dance SNSD — As impressive as their choreography usually is, it’s funny when you capture such frames. Looks like they’re creepily trying to exit the stage 😀

Girls Generation on-stage Cotai Arena — The girls then took a break to introduce themselves

Ice Princess message for Jessica Macau — This Jessica admirer got his message on the big screen

Sooyoung Girls Generation Macau — Sooyoung raises her hand, Sone raises his hand — just when I click. Ugh.

Taeyeon Girls Generation Macau — Hello dorky leader 🙂

Girls Generation Macau audience interaction — The girls introduce the next song

SNSD Hoot graphics — Time to “Hoot”! And thanks again Sone’s hand. Ugh!

Girls Generation Macau Hoot performance — But just before hitting the first chorus…

Girls Generation technical problem Macau concert — … the music suddenly stops!

Taeyeon surprise Macau concert — Best part? Taeyeon goes: “Surprise!!!!”

Yoona talking Macau concert — The girls make small talk while the team behind the scenes try to sort out the technical glitch

Girls Generation Hoot down dance — When the music began a second time, it was time to go “Down, down, down” again

Girls Generation Hoot Macao — Seohyun was doing her line before the first chorus

Girls Generation technical problem Macau — And the music stops again! And Taeyeon went: “Surprise!” – again! LOL

SNSD on stage Macau — But thoughtful ‘manager’ Tiffany still gave a shout out to the technical team for their efforts. While Yuri checked up on Sooyoung.

It was really funny, but at the same time we all wondered what was going on. Here’s a good fancam of the goof-up(s):

The girls were about to walk off stage…

SNSD Hoot third time Macau — Just then the song restarts a third time… the girls embarrassingly walk back to their positions

Hoot SNSD Macau Kpop concert — Third time proved to be a charm as it went without a hitch

Girls Generation Macau concert — The girls followed “Hoot” with “The Boys”

Girls Generation The Boys live in Macau — Which was a moment everybody was waiting for as we finally got to shout “GG!” at the top of our lungs

Girls Generation hair Macau concert — Ahh, hair freeze moments

Snsd hair funny picture — Seems everybody but Tiffany had their hair moment 🙂 LIKE A BOSS!

Girls Generation The Boys Macau concert — You don’t realize just how cramped for space SNSD’s choreography is until you see them live. How do they not bump into each other? 🙂

Snsd The Boys live in Macau — “Girls bring the boys out!”

SNSD lights Macau concert — Confetti began to rain even though we had one more song left

Girls Generation Taeyeon jig — The girls spoke one last time before getting into their final song (that’s Taeyeon doing a jig)

Taeny Macau Kpop Nation concert — TaeNy is so real, it’s no joke!

Snsd Macau stage — Everyone was up on their feet and ready to fan-chant like crazy for the final SNSD song

Snsd Gee performance Macau — For it’s SNSD’s signature song, and the one that introduced me to the group

Girls Generation Gee crab dance — “Gee, gee, gee, gee, gee, baby baby”

Girls Generation Gee dance Macau — Even though I’m tired of hearing “Gee,” seeing it live is another feeling altogether

Sunny Hyoyeon Jessica Girls Generation — Sunny smile!

Kpop Nation SNSD confetti Macau — Confetti marked the end of the girls’ performance

Kpop Nation Macau crowd Cotai Arena — The crowds were pleased, and so was I!

Empty seats Kpop Nation Macau — Ignore the empty seats below, the upper sections were full

Girls Generation SNSD saying goodbye — The girls cheerfully walked off stage with Yuri giving us all a big “muaahh”!

The DJ came back on again and some of us waited to see if there was going to be a encore. I was hoping for more SHINee, but there was none. The announcer said ‘thanks for coming’ and I left the arena.

Kpop Nation The Venetian Macau — I collected my Canon 7D and tripod and made my way out

B2ST 4minute Macau concert — Next up, B2ST and 4Minute!

Kpop Nation tickets — So was it worth it?

Well, kind of. I can now say I saw Girls Generation live in concert. And U-Kiss, B.A.P and SHINee. Add to the fact I’ve seen Jay Park and three-fifths of BIGBANG, I guess I’m lucky to have seen enough K-pop acts compared to most fans back in India. On the other hand, K-pop Nation 2012 wasn’t a well put together concert. For something that promised to be an unique show with the artists interacting with the fans and sharing stories… yeah, there was none of that. Pretty much all the interaction went like this: “We are _______” “Hello Macau, I am _______” “What’s up Macau, how you doing?” “Our next song is _____” “Goodbye Macau, we hope to be back”. That’s it – standard concert talk. In fact, SNSD spoke the most, and it was thanks to technical difficulties.

As much as I loved seeing SNSD, it was B.A.P’s set that I can say was the best without any bias. Their segment was if that’s how they would have done their stand alone concert. From start to finish, their act packed quite a punch. So I appreciate the effort they put in putting on an impressive show for what was a multi-starrer concert.

I’m proud of the fact SNSD were pretty much the only group who didn’t lip-sync! Every other group danced well, but didn’t bother singing live (did B.A.P sing live? some vocals sounded like it did). Girls Generation did both live, and were funny… god, tell me why I love them so much again?

It would have been cool if the venue was sold out as the experience could have been wilder, but that’s what you get when you price a concert out of the reach for most K-pop fans (who are really young). I know K-pop concerts in general are more expensive (heck, I’ve seen world famous David Guetta and Metallica for less!), but I can imagine the cost of bringing down such acts to such a small place like Macau, and that too in an expensive venue. Still, it’s baffling to see how many seats were empty for a concert that had U-Kiss, SHINee and Girls Generation in the line-up! That last group alone could fill up a stadium.

Of course I would have wished I was closer to the stage so I could see the girls better, but in some ways I’m glad I only paid HK$780. SNSD barely came forward to the smaller stage up front, so there was quite a bit of distance even for those who were seated in the most expensive section. It would have been nice if they had like a T-shaped stage, but anyway… I’m saving up and hoping for an SM Town in either Singapore or Bangkok later this year.

Otherwise the concert was alright. Oh yeah, there was one moron who showed up with his girl to the venue and accused me of taking his seat. I didn’t want to argue with him so I just let him sit in my seat. SNSD were just finishing up “Gee” and I wanted to click as much as I could before they left the stage. I don’t know what his problem was.

All-in-all, looking at the above photos, I’m happy I was there. My love for K-pop remains the same and I don’t think my urge to see the SNSD again has died down one bit.

As for the rest of my day, I’ll begin writing about my Hong Kong trip soon.

P.S: I did take a few more photos of U-Kiss and B.A.P, so if any of you fans/clubs want to see those, just ask. I’ll e-mail them to you. I didn’t take any videos as the Canon 450D can’t take videos, plus I didn’t want to get into trouble as the usher was right behind me.

K-pop Round-up-Review: BIGBANG, Wonder Girls, Teen Top and She’z

By Mithun Divakaran
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Jun 04, 2012
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Korean Pop, Music/Videos, Round-up-Review

I didn’t feel like reviewing these releases individually, so here’s the second edition of my K-pop Round-up-Reviews. First up, the return of BIGBANG.

BIGBANG – “Monster”
One of South Korea’s best groups makes a return with a re-package album titled ‘Still Alive,’ just three months after the fantastic ‘Alive‘. I’ll make a mention of the other three ‘new’ tracks later, but let’s first get to the lead single:

What can I say about G-Dragon that hasn’t already been said many times before by pretty much anyone who knows how talented this guy is. This song is awesome! Penned by G-Dragon and T.O.P, produced by G-Dragon and Choi Pil Kang, “Monster” is a great single and has already become one of my favourite BIGBANG tracks. I rank it higher than 2011’s “Tonight” and it’s only unfortunate the group aren’t going to be promoting it on the music shows.

Unlike “Blue” and “Bad Boy” which were a change of pace for the group, “Monster” is pure K-pop. Piano melodies, thumping beats and strong vocals by Taeyang and Daesung. It isn’t a song that you can label ‘quintessentially BIGBANG,’ because the song structure is something you hear from a dozen other idol group songs. As for the video, it sure looks expensive. Lot of action, special effects and outrageous Prodigy-inspired styling. As usual, I’m not going to comment on the fashion or choice of clothing because the quality of the music outweighs both. – 5 out of 5 (Excellent)

As for the other tracks on ‘Still Alive,’ the title track is a full version of the intro track found on ‘Alive’. “Feeling” and “Ego” are Korean versions of their previously released Japanese tracks. “Bingeul Bingeul” (not to be confused with U-Kiss’ track of the same name) is rock-infused and a pretty good album track. The rest of the track-list includes “Blue,” “Bad Boy,” “Fantastic Baby” and “Love Dust” – making this a great collection for people who were holding out from picking up ‘Alive’. I’ve got my copy on pre-order at YesAsia!

Wonder Girls – “Like This”

Another super group returns to the Korean music scene a few months after a stellar previous effort. As much as everyone is anticipating the American debut of the Wonder Girls, JYP has released the Girls’ second Mini Album ‘Wonder Party’ in Korea. Comprised of six tracks, the lead single is “Like This”:

I must say the song caught me by surprise. It’s a sound I never expected from the Wonder Girls. Very edgy, unique and more hip-hop than k-pop. It’s another track by their mentor J.Y. Park, but all that time spent in America seems to have influenced his musical style too. It took me a few listens to like the song but I think it works for the direction the girls are heading towards as they venture into the Western market.

If I heard the audio before watching the music video, I would have picturized it very differently. Quite ghetto in fact. It’s weird. The song doesn’t sound like a happy-go-lucky song you like to bop to, but the way the girls dance to the beat (and everybody else in the MV) – the video seems to convince you otherwise. For once you get an idol group video in an open environment and not confined to a set. So everything the Wonder Girls have done this time seems to be a welcome change. “Like This” may not be a favourite, but I won’t skip the channel if the music video ever came on. – 3 out of 5 (Excellent)

As for the rest of the album, it didn’t really fit my fancy as much as ‘Wonder World’ did. I didn’t instantly fall in love with the other tracks like I did when I first ‘Wonder World’. It may take me a few listens, but just like “Like This” the rest of the album is altogether a sound you’re not used to hearing from Wonder Girls.

Teen Top – “To You”

This is the first time I’m writing about Teen Top. The six member boyband debuted around the same time as INFINITE and seemed to be on the same path of progress alongside INFINITE. But INFINITE gained pace far quicker and are already one of the best (and my favourite!). After “Supa Luv,” my favourite song by Teen Top to date is “No More Perfume On You” (produced by Sweetune). I hoped the songs would get better, but instead the Brave Brothers-produced track “Goin’ Crazy” was chosen as their 2012 comeback. I didn’t like it. I’m not a fan of the “Brave sound”. So when I heard Teen Top’s next comeback track was also going to be produced by Brave Brothers, I doubted I would like it.

When I heard the audio first, I thought the song was quite dull. But I must admit it was a poor quality upload. My opinion soon changed when I saw the MV. I loved the hard beats, 90s-inspired vibe and for once, Niel doesn’t get all the lines to sing! I especially loved the dancing. Like INFINITE, Teen Top are fantastic performers and their dancing is very in-sync. “To You” isn’t better than “No More Perfume…” but it is now my second favourite song by the group. It suits the image of the boys well and I look forward to their live performances.

When I heard SISTAR’s “Alone,” I was quite wowed. I never knew the Brave Brothers could produce such a good track! So it’s a sign the “Brave sound” has evolved and Kang Dong Chul is experimenting with newer sounds as supposed to sticking to the uptempo formula that churned out “Bingeul Bingeul” and “Man Man Ha Ni” for the likes of U-Kiss. “To You” may not be a classic, but I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. – 4 out of 5 (Very Good)

Teen Top Artist album cover members kpop — Back on top

Honourable mention

The other song I felt I should give some attention to is “My Way” by rookie girl group She’z.

She'z My Way mv screencap kpop — She’z from Line Entertainment

Pop-rock with really strong vocals. The traits very common with, erm, I dunno… Kelly Clarkson? 🙂 And Kelly is exactly the artist that came to mind when I heard the first line of the chorus. Sounds like “My Life Would Suck Without You” doesn’t it? The selling point this group has is a fresh sound and all four of them have really good vocals! Hello Venus, another rookie girl group that debuted just recently, caught my attention too. But their debut single “Venus” is the typical cutesy concept, which although good, doesn’t hold the candle to a debut song like “My Way” by She’z. I appreciate it when companies know what the market is saturated with and then take the tough decision to offer something different.

My rating for She’z “My Way” – 3 out of 5 (Good)

P.S: I also liked A-Pink’s “Hush Hush” but only when I see them dancing to it.

Dalmatian – ‘State of Emergency’ album review: A makeover in every sense

Another group I never thought I’d write about. When Dalmatian debuted, it was hard to take a boyband named after a cute breed of dogs seriously. Their songs didn’t do it for me either. “Round 1,” “Lover Cop” and “That Man Opposed” were not to my liking at all. In fact the only song I ever liked by them was the album track “Lost in Love“. But the one thing I did appreciate about the group was the members worked on many of the songs themselves, a rarity in K-pop.

But now, like a lot of their rookie peers, Dalmatian have gone though some changes. From an original line-up of six members, they’re now down to five. Member Day-Day left, new member Simon comes in, and brings with him perfect English skills. (Something which shines on this album)

Dalmatian State of Emergency members new lineup — Dalmatian, the current line-up

So why am I writing about a group I never cared for before? Because their comeback song is probably their best song to date!

Dalmatian State of Emergency album cover — In fact I gave the whole album a listen and felt the need to give the album some attention

Here’s a track-by-track review:

1. “E.R” – The lead single:

As soon as I heard this song, I couldn’t help but compare it to B2ST’s “Fiction”. The pacing, song structure and the melody all seemed similar, albeit with a few keys off. Still, I won’t call “E.R” a carbon copy of “Fiction” – because this song manages to sound so good on its own. It was only a few days back INFINITE came out with out with “The Chaser” and as an Inspirit, I find myself listening to “E.R” a lot more! – 4.5/5

The MV does everything to re-introduce Dalmatian to the world. Gone are the silly themes, aegyo-filled actions – this ‘new’ Dalmatian look serious and hard edged. They look pretty cool in fact, enough to separate them from the standard look of every other K-pop boy band. And although the choreography isn’t great, the MV still serves its purpose well.

2. “차 안에서 (Drive)” – The second track keeps the pace on a high, but with a smoother jam. The beats are really nice, vocals even nicer and its yet another good track. There are lot of lines sung in English, and with Simon on board, it just sounds so much better when the accent and pronunciation is done right. – 4/5

3. “Hurt Me” – It was by this point I realized this was a good mini-album. The third track sounds like a boyband song from the late ’90s. The beats and the keyboard hook are reminiscent of teen-pop music of that era. Not really a ballad, but the tempo is a notch lower on this one. – 3/5

4. “Still By Ur Side” – Rounding up the songs on ‘State of Emergency,’ this is tookeeps the ‘feel’ consistent. Consider me impressed, I never expected a consistent tracklist like this. – 3/5

5. “E.R” (Instrumental) – I know it’s an instrumental, but I really enjoy listening to this a lot (but I’m not going to give it a rating though)

Dalmatian E.R MV screencap members — Good job guys

When your album only consists of 5 tracks (4 proper songs) and each one is good, if not great, then you know you have a good release in hand. Sure it’s only their second mini-album, but ‘State of Emergency’ is in my opinion Dalmatian’s best release to date. “E.R” is great single and I hope the boys get a taste of success this time around.

With INFINITE promoting “The Chaser,” I doubt Dalmatian have a shot at winning an award. But even if they don’t, I hope Dalmatian at least get taken seriously as a musical act. I’m sure it wouldn’t mean a lot more to the members given its been over one-and-half years since they debuted, and despite three singles, the group have yet to make much of an impact on the K-pop charts.

With a whole new image, a great new song, Dalmation shows it’s never too late to go in for a makeover. U-KISS did it last year and look at where they are now. I consider these changes as a sign of maturity in K-pop. When the ‘big 3’ entertainment companies went with a certain formula, every other idol wannabe went with the tried-and-tested to emulate the initial success K-pop saw. But the newbie agencies seem to have woken up to the fact the market is saturated with the same image and sound, and that if you want to set yourself apart from the rest, you best do something different. The fact that the album cover only shows ‘DMTN,’ you know whoever in charge at Monkey Funch Entertainment wanted people to forget the white suits with black spots. It’s a move I can commend.

My final rating for Dalmatian’s 2nd mini-album ‘State of Emergency’: 3.5 out of 5 (Pretty Good)