Experiencing My First Concert

Before coming to Korea, I had never gone to a concert before. I am someone who would only pay to go to a concert for someone I really loved. To my dismay, I somehow always ended finding a favorite artist after they are done touring or when they decide to take a break from music, which never gave me the chance to see them.

However, I was lucky that when I decided to do my study abroad experience in Korea, one of my favorite Kpop groups, SHINee, was celebrating their 15th anniversary of being together in May! I was excited as it’s been two years since all five members have been able to be together due to Korea’s mandatory military enlistment. Before I left, I knew there would be some kind of event to celebrate the anniversary, but nothing was announced.

When April hit, I started to get concerned that there would be no event, however, it wasn't until the end of the month, they finally confirmed they would be having a fanmeet. Fanmeets are events where the artist(s) get to interact with the fans and perform a couple of songs while engaging in skits and different activities. So, although it was not going to be a full concert, I was beyond excited that I had the opportunity to get tickets and see one of my favorite groups for the first time. 

However, before I could enjoy the show, I had to secure a ticket. I bought the fan club membership so I could participate in the pre-sale as I was not sure if there would be any tickets during general sale. Ticket buying in Korea is a sport. They even have websites where you can train to have quick fingers to get concert tickets. One of the ways to get an advantage is by going to a PC Bang which is a computer gaming place; this is recommended because they tend to have fast Wi-Fi. To stay for two hours or so, it cost less than four dollars which is reasonable. My friend and I got to the PC Bang thirty minutes before the ticket buying so we could log in to our account and get situated.

In the last minutes before the ticket buying, I got nervous I would not be successful, especially given this is SHINee’s first offline event in five years, so many people would want to come and see them. As soon as it hit 8 PM, I worked my hardest to secure a ticket; although I could not get the seats I wanted, at 8:08 I was able to secure a ticket. My friend and I got lucky as tickets for the fanmeet sold out in ten minutes! I was beyond happy when I knew I would see them! 

On the day of the fanmeet, we had to arrive hours before so we could get our merch and light sticks! After receiving them, we had to wait a couple more hours to watch the show. Finally, after a long day of waiting, it was finally time to see SHINee, and it exceeded my expectations. SHINee were amazing performers and I got emotional just watching them! I did not want to leave when the show was over, and I was just in awe of them. 

If you have the chance, I recommend seeing a concert while in Korea! Though it can be stressful, it's truly a rewarding experience!