but pics and cams are at the bottom, so feel free to scroll when you get bored.
∞∞∞
when Bangtan was first revealed for Kcon in Paris, I'll be honest, it felt like a bad dream, not a good one.
mainly cos we have not been good at saving for Korea this time. hubs is weak before motorcycles, and I am weak before rare Bangtan merch and new-might-soon-be-oop merch and concert merch and Bighit just have no fucking chill what. so. ever.
so the nice, comfortable, airy travel budget we had hoped for would become a significantly more tight one if we decide to go, and for the longest time I wrestled with whether or not that sacrifice would be worth it. cos as weak as I am before Bangtan, Korea is my main priority.
this venue is huge for Kpop concerts, and initially there was worry about whether or not they would even be able to remotely fill it. Music Bank had a very good line-up for that time, yet only 2/3 of tickets were sold? and this was a week day in the middle of exam period for pretty much all of Europe, so a lot of people would not be able to go for those reasons alone.
but at the same time, a lot has happened internationally for kpop over the past four years, and Kcon is infamous for Meet & Greet or other events that would definitely make people go hard for the tickets.
plus, I'm sorry to say, I had underestimated Bangtan's popularity in Europe.
there was so much agony and stress over the what if's. what if there was hitouch and I couldn't get in?
what if there was hitouch and I couldn't get in but everyone else I knew could? yes, I can be a very gracious loser to people, but these were my private thoughts, and obviously it would be heart-breaking to miss out on such an opportunity and I wouldn't be above jealousy, I'm only human.
of course I wouldn't be a bitch about it and ruin it for my friends if they did get in, I'm also an adult, but Jikook are my beloveds and the thought of missing out on seeing them up close and making eye contact and touching them was stressing me the fuck out. it was also stressing me the fuck out to think of getting in, but yeah, such is my fun life.
this was only until I learned how Kcon does hitouch tickets in the US at least, then I just said a big fuck you to the whole thing cos raffle style?? at these prices?! well, fuck that. regular pit tickets it is.
then there was the people stress. it would be my fifth time meeting Miranda but that's not a factor in calming my anxiety.
then Giulia and Mara, and even though I've talked to Giulia every day for a year now, it's never the same as in person.
then there was Direct Kill, who I bought an extra ticket for cos I love her pictures and I wanted her to come and take beautiful pictures for me lol
so she bought the ticket and she was so lovely and sweet and we just became instant friends, and of course we were also gonna meet up!
anyway, after having researched airfare and airbnb prices, the cost would actually be a lot less than expected.
we found this place, and it was great, I highly recommend if you're looking to stay in that area.
after I couldn't agonize anymore I decided that IF I could get the tickets I wantedㅡaka pit ticketsㅡwe would go. ticket prices ended up being cheaper than for the US, but since they refused to confirm anything about hitouch or anything, I still chose pit.
in the end, I did manage to get pit tickets - not only for me but Miranda and Direct Kill, too, and I got Cat. 1s for Giulia and Mara. apparently my internet is magical.
so everyone was happy about that for about 5 seconds, but then Paris and the shitty organization of this thing had to rear it's ugly heads.
due to changes in French labour laws (? not sure, but something to that effect) a general strike was announced. it would affect transportation and from 2nd-5th it would also affect airports, so, ha ha, maybe we wouldn't even be able to get to Paris at all. and even if we did, everything might be so delayed that we could miss the concert.
I slowly started to regret flying in on the day of..
don't get me wrong, I'm a strong supporter of people's right to strike as a mean, so I'm not bitching about the strike per se, it's just amazing how me and Paris have such shitty timing on everything every single time.
and then, after all was said and done and tickets were chosen and bought, suddenly the terms of this thing became a huge fucking mess.
Accorhotels Arena forbade numbers in the queue, which is just.. utter bullshit.
Fabien Yoon, who was gonna MC the convention, suddenly dropped M&G/QnA hints, which of course sent people off the deep end cos 1) only 500 were allowed into the convention, and 2) now pit people queuing didn't have a chance to even try lining up - or at least we had to choose which to sacrifice, M&G or the concert spot we wanted, even though we had all paid for the convention as part of our tickets. 3) no one would come out and confirm a fucking thing about who was gonna be there and when.
now, obviously, I was not even gonna be in the country for this, but it still pissed me off that things were so badly effectuated cos it didn't bode well for the part I would be attending.
in the end Bangtan did come out to do a brief QnA session and pick a few winners for some goodie bags or something? I've barely had time to be online since I got back so I'm not sure.
okay, I think that was enough bitching, but honestly, it didn't even scratch the surface of everything that has been going on in the past weeks.
it came to a point where I almost just wanted the whole thing to be over and done with, not cos Bangtan wasn't worth it, but there was so much frustration. every morning there was that stress of going online to check what new kind of mess had happened while you slept. it was very no fun.
I will say, though, besides my French friend, one of the bright spots was June. a random French girl in a Kcon group on facebook, who just went above and beyond in trying to be helpful about the travel/traffic situation for me and another girl. June spoke to people, called people, translated French stuff, kept us updated on news, provided links to all kinds of things, and gave her personal information so we could contact her on the way if we were panicking or if things went completely wrong.
I had never spoken to her before and I'll probably never cross paths with her again, but, June, you really made a difference much bigger than you'll ever know ❤
∞∞∞
let's skip ahead to D-Day.
D-Day for the concert, for traveling, for meeting new people, for queuing in the fucking rain and cold, for Paris, for flying, FOR SO MANY THINGS. I'm sure you can(not) imagine how tightly I was wound the entire day.
long story short, the traveling part of things actually went surprisingly smooth. we had to get up at 4:30am, which is never fun, and our plane was delayed so we spent a fun 30 mins just sitting on the runway, but once we got to Paris, it was surprisingly smooth sailing.
We did get lost around Gare De Lyon on our way to the airbnb, and it was cold and windy and sometimes raining, but because we had made much better time than expected, I didn't stress.
once we got a bit further away from the station, it was a pretty nice, local neighbourhood, and we easily found the apartment.
Alexis was really nice, and the apartment was just as described in the listing, small but nice and clean, and perfect for our needs.
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| dream bed |
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| there wasn't much view, but it was up and above tree level so nice and bright |
after we dropped off our things, we went to the grocery store next door and got some ham and a baguette cos we wouldn't be getting dinner until very late.
I ended up barely eating anything cos I had gotten really airsick from the plane, and I felt like puking for the rest of the day, so instead of going straight to the venue after we ate, we stayed in for a bit in hopes of it going away.
that didn't happen and by 3pm the masses (aka the people we were meeting) were getting restless, so we packed up our stuff and headed out around 3:30.
we stopped by the secondhand shop next door and hubs picked up a sweater for poor freezing Giulia, and we arrived at the venue at 4.
first up was the adorable puddin' pup, Giulia ❤ we just squealed and hugged and all was glitter and rainbows, it was amazing.
she and Mara had been in line for the convention since 10am, and by mid-afternoon they didn't get in, so they had fled to the nearest cafe to warm up.
here, they happened to randomly come across a girl who turned out to be Direct Kill, like?! what are the odds?? LOL
so we all hung out for a bit, but it was way too short, and there wasn't time to really talk or anything. Direct Kill were supposed to meet up after, but because of the strike and her dorm's closing hour, she had to leave straight after the concert. but the rest of us were all meeting up again after the concert to grab something to eat, so around 4:40 we said bye and headed out to find Miranda, who had been in line since 10am, too.
we easily found her, and she came to stand with us for a bit. apparently my Paris curse had rubbed off on her (미안), but fortunately she had at least found some nice people to queue with.
she could only hang for a short while cos due to the no number system, you were only allowed to leave the queue for food and bathroom breaks.
∞∞∞
the pit queue was already super long. Miranda said someone had said it was 6km long, and, uhm, yes, it was long, but the person who estimated 6km clearly didn't know how long that is.
in the end, we were almost last in line. I think maybe only 40 people or so were behind us? so out of the 3000 pit tickets, it was pretty much last.
waiting was soooo mind-numbing. it is never fun, but this was super boring, it was windy and cold as Fuck, and the girl behind us had such an annoying squeaky voice.
during that first hour of waiting, the queue slowly moved ahead even though the doors weren't opened yet, but I think the people up front just squeezed together more and more as time went on? and maybe that's why it took so long for the front half of the queue to get inside, cos it was way more condensed than among us in the back?
doors opened at 6pm, and after an hour we had only moved about 1/3 of the way to the venue and I was seriously starting to doubt that we would make it by show start at 8, and seriously crossing my fingers that Bangtan wouldn't go first.
we got in at like, 2 mins to 8.
there were two security checks and a bag check, and all in all it was just as with any other concert I've been to by now, so all the hype about needing ID copies was useless, just as I expected.
I raced to the bathroom, or, well, as much as one can race through a 30 people line..
then I changed out of my flipflops and into my concert sandals, and we went into the hall.
it already seemed pretty full, both on the floor and up in the seats (except for this area that looked like it would normally be VIP seats? it got completely full later though), but as usual, dead center all the way at the back there was plenty of room.
people didn't move as much forward when it started as we've seen before, but throughout the night there was plenty of room for us to move around and people were dancing and jumping around all around us, having a right party. it was so nice to see.
of course we were far away from the main stage, but as hoped, there was a lot done on the extended stage, and even out on the end of the runway by us, so we ended up both having enough room to party freely, but also being lucky enough to have them all within 5 meters from us ㅠㅠ
the French seemed taller than usual, and even with my sandals I did have to move around a few times to be able to see.
but we didn't have any problems with banners or signs or huge lightsticks blocking our view. I had been a little worried looking at the amount of banners handed out while we queued, but no one in front of us really used them.
and while almost everyone did use their phones, most just took a few pictures here or there or just short video clips, so no one blocked our view for song after song. we had our cameras up almost continuously throughout the entire concert, but the only ones behind us were the control pit so we didn't disturb anyone.
overall this was another really nice pit experience.
before the show had even started there were several people escorted out due to cameras, and two times some girls, who could barely stand, got hauled out by medics, but once the concert started everything went so well.
like I said, there were hardly any pushing, and I didn't see anyone get pulled out in front of us. people were just happy and dancing and singing, and in our end there was so much cheering for every single group and performance.
Miranda was up in the area between main and extended stage, and she said that several people just sat down with their phones when FTI came on, which is just rude as fuck. I will never understand how people can be so disrespectful. fine, they're not why you came, but still.
as we waited, I took some random test shots of the Cat. 1 area and I just happened to get a picture of Giulia and Mara, but when I tried to spot them up in the seats I couldn't find them?! it was driving me nuts, when they were right there in the picture!
okay, not important. moving on.
there was an announcement that the show was gonna start in ten mins, so eventually there was a 10-15 mins delay - which I'm sure the people behind us in line appreciated, cos I actually think everyone just made it in before the lights went down.
for once, I think I'm sorta able to do things more or less chronological? I'm sure it'll still be messy, so take with a grain of salt.
first up was a welcome greeting by Leeteuk.
I'll be honest and say that when I heard he was gonna MC, I was very meh, like, couldn't they find someone else for once, you know, that kind of feel. but I have to say, even after seeing him several times before, that it clicked for me this time, that he is pretty perfect for this.
he was smiley and cheerful, but not annoyingly so. he is a pro and things are delivered smoothly and effortlessly, and he really did a good job.
the script was in Korean, and translated to French on the big screens, so besides a few adlibs in English, my comprehension of the MC bits was limited. but it was MC'ing, it wasn't that complicated to follow along overall.
and then the big screen opened up and tHERE WAS BANGTAN, in white jackets and black pants, looking completely breath-taking ㅠㅠ I really hadn't expected them to go first and I was no way near ready. I don't think I cried at this point, I was way too excited and shaking and !!!!!!! finally!!!!!!! my babies!!!!!!!!!! ㅠㅠㅠ seeing them finally, and hearing their voices again, I WAS A PUDDLE OF GOOP. Jeongkook was so smiley, they all were! Hoseok so cute and excited singing along at the end without a mic ㅠㅠ
first of all, the overall lighting for this was complete shit, at least for these purposes. yes, I know you will see lots of super edited, perfect noona pictures from this, but I mean for regular little people like myself, whose "editing" consists of putting logo on her point-and-shoot pocket cam pictures.
as usual, the big screen in the back disturbs the focus, on both video and pictures, and there was so little spotlight/white/bright light that from our distance, the result isn't perfect.
that is especially true for pictures cos 1) I was shaking and way too excited for life, and b) JIKOOK MOVE TOO DAMN MUCH.
they all do, and those two things combined with the poor lighting has made me end up with a shitload of blurry pictures.
I'm sure you'll notice the big difference between performance pictures and MC pictures, cos those people were well-lit and it made all the difference.
and.....yes, the lighting sucked, but.. ☞☜ I also accidentally changed my camera setting to darker instead of lighter during the concert because I couldn't function like a basic human, so that also didn't help.. ☞☜
however. having said all that, usually I'm super self-conscious about sharing my stuff because I feel like people nowadays have such high expectations cos we're all so used to noona photos for everything, and my stuff will never be that level, simply because my gear is different.
but this time, for some reason, I really don't care. I know stuff is shaky and blurry, and I never claimed it to be perfect, only perfect for me, but I am still putting it out into the world.
I've chosen to upload a lot more pictures than would have usually made the cut, simply because even if they aren't super sharp, it's still funny/cute/hot pictures.
the videos are better - pretty good, actually, compared to a lot of the ones I've seen so far, if nothing else because of the angle straight on (which is obviously a matter of preference, I know). maybe except the one I shot. it should be pretty clear which one that is.
I also did the ments, so pardon my shaking on those.
as usual, or maybe even moreso today cos this was some messy shit, thank you if you actually read through this entire post ❤
as far as pictures and videos go, it's the usual drill.
please, DO NOT RE-UPLOAD my cams without my permission, but feel free to spread my youtube links around, preferably with a "do not re-up" note.
and DO NOT crop, edit, gif, or whatever else you can think of that would alter my original material.
as far as the pictures are concerned, feel free to share if you find them good enough for that, but DO NOT crop my watermark, DO NOT edit, and please re-up in full size. please credit.
other than that, I hope you enjoy ^^
다들 수고해써!! 고마워 ❤
방탄이들 ㅠㅠ 벌써 보고시퍼 ㅠㅠ 다시 곧 만나!! ^^ 사~랑~해~❤❤❤❤
waiting was soooo mind-numbing. it is never fun, but this was super boring, it was windy and cold as Fuck, and the girl behind us had such an annoying squeaky voice.
during that first hour of waiting, the queue slowly moved ahead even though the doors weren't opened yet, but I think the people up front just squeezed together more and more as time went on? and maybe that's why it took so long for the front half of the queue to get inside, cos it was way more condensed than among us in the back?
doors opened at 6pm, and after an hour we had only moved about 1/3 of the way to the venue and I was seriously starting to doubt that we would make it by show start at 8, and seriously crossing my fingers that Bangtan wouldn't go first.
we got in at like, 2 mins to 8.
there were two security checks and a bag check, and all in all it was just as with any other concert I've been to by now, so all the hype about needing ID copies was useless, just as I expected.
I raced to the bathroom, or, well, as much as one can race through a 30 people line..
then I changed out of my flipflops and into my concert sandals, and we went into the hall.
it already seemed pretty full, both on the floor and up in the seats (except for this area that looked like it would normally be VIP seats? it got completely full later though), but as usual, dead center all the way at the back there was plenty of room.
people didn't move as much forward when it started as we've seen before, but throughout the night there was plenty of room for us to move around and people were dancing and jumping around all around us, having a right party. it was so nice to see.
of course we were far away from the main stage, but as hoped, there was a lot done on the extended stage, and even out on the end of the runway by us, so we ended up both having enough room to party freely, but also being lucky enough to have them all within 5 meters from us ㅠㅠ
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| I found this picture of the stage, which was fun for me cos I never saw it from this view in person. x marks our spot |
the French seemed taller than usual, and even with my sandals I did have to move around a few times to be able to see.
but we didn't have any problems with banners or signs or huge lightsticks blocking our view. I had been a little worried looking at the amount of banners handed out while we queued, but no one in front of us really used them.
and while almost everyone did use their phones, most just took a few pictures here or there or just short video clips, so no one blocked our view for song after song. we had our cameras up almost continuously throughout the entire concert, but the only ones behind us were the control pit so we didn't disturb anyone.
overall this was another really nice pit experience.
before the show had even started there were several people escorted out due to cameras, and two times some girls, who could barely stand, got hauled out by medics, but once the concert started everything went so well.
like I said, there were hardly any pushing, and I didn't see anyone get pulled out in front of us. people were just happy and dancing and singing, and in our end there was so much cheering for every single group and performance.
Miranda was up in the area between main and extended stage, and she said that several people just sat down with their phones when FTI came on, which is just rude as fuck. I will never understand how people can be so disrespectful. fine, they're not why you came, but still.
as we waited, I took some random test shots of the Cat. 1 area and I just happened to get a picture of Giulia and Mara, but when I tried to spot them up in the seats I couldn't find them?! it was driving me nuts, when they were right there in the picture!
okay, not important. moving on.
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| WE'RE READY 고고씽~ |
there was an announcement that the show was gonna start in ten mins, so eventually there was a 10-15 mins delay - which I'm sure the people behind us in line appreciated, cos I actually think everyone just made it in before the lights went down.
∞∞∞
for once, I think I'm sorta able to do things more or less chronological? I'm sure it'll still be messy, so take with a grain of salt.
first up was a welcome greeting by Leeteuk.
I'll be honest and say that when I heard he was gonna MC, I was very meh, like, couldn't they find someone else for once, you know, that kind of feel. but I have to say, even after seeing him several times before, that it clicked for me this time, that he is pretty perfect for this.
he was smiley and cheerful, but not annoyingly so. he is a pro and things are delivered smoothly and effortlessly, and he really did a good job.
the script was in Korean, and translated to French on the big screens, so besides a few adlibs in English, my comprehension of the MC bits was limited. but it was MC'ing, it wasn't that complicated to follow along overall.
- ∞ -
and then the big screen opened up and tHERE WAS BANGTAN, in white jackets and black pants, looking completely breath-taking ㅠㅠ I really hadn't expected them to go first and I was no way near ready. I don't think I cried at this point, I was way too excited and shaking and !!!!!!! finally!!!!!!! my babies!!!!!!!!!! ㅠㅠㅠ seeing them finally, and hearing their voices again, I WAS A PUDDLE OF GOOP. Jeongkook was so smiley, they all were! Hoseok so cute and excited singing along at the end without a mic ㅠㅠ
they did a remix version of Arirang, and halfway through they even came out on the extended stage - Hoseok, Taehyung and Jeongkook politely bowing to the president as they passed her.
the song ended with all groups coming out on the main stage, singing parts of the song.
first up was Block B!
they were so great. they seemed in such a good mood and they were really smiley and waved, and I think it was them who said that they were really surprised at the reception here in France/Europe? they hadn't expected it to be like this, but they were definitely a crowd favorite and were well cheered for by everyone around us.
they kicked things off with a bang, and I found myself wishing I could go to a Block B concert. they definitely know how to get the crowd going, and their mix of Korean, English, and French were so funny and cute.
Yookwon looked sooooo so good, rip me, and holy shit, his voice. I was completely in awe. I mean, I've seen Block B before, but he has improved so much.
as far as I can remember they did four songs with a ment somewhere in between, and they used the entire stage so they came out to the entire crowd really well.
first up was Toy and I love that song, I was so happy I got to hear it live. and people were so good about singing along. then they did Her and Very Good, and then they closed with Nalina! I was so excited!!! I honestly never thought I would get to hear that live cos it's so old by now, and I will most likely never go to a Block B concert so chances were slim, but they did it heeeere!!!
then came IOI.
I think they came onto the extended stage through the crowd? or maybe they were just coming from underneath it, I dunno, but suddenly they came on from out of nowhere.
I know a lot of people were into Produce 101 and I am aware that they aren't a complete flop or anything, but I am definitely surprised at just how crazy the crowd went. they might as well have been a seasoned group with the amount of cheering people did.
I'm not interested at all, and I only just watched their MVs last week because of Kcon, but I still thought it was really nice to see. it's no skin off people's nose to cheer and clap for a group at an event like this, even if they aren't your faves.
they spent a long time on their introduction ment - obviously, with that amount of members, even though I think someone said that one was missing?? I have no idea if that's true cos I have no clue how many they are.
I can't remember if all spoke French, but it was really cute how those who did longer ments tried so hard to get it all out and not cave and turn to Korean. Mina (? I think? 3rd from the left in my pictures, the one with the bow/leaf thingy in her hair) struggled for the longest time remembering it all, but she didn't give up and she didn't seem like she got completely flustered or embarrassed by it, she just kept trying with a big smile on her face :)
one of the others just blatantly held up her hand so she could read off her palm LOL
hubs said one spoke in English, but honestly, I can't remember.
I also can't remember if they started with a song or if they went straight into their ment, but after the ment it was Pick Me and then some slow songs I also don't know. I kinda expected them to do that Dream Girls one cos I thought that was their "big hit" or whatever, but oh well. or did they do it and I can't remember???
while Pick Me wasn't completely horrible in a concert setting, I am still not a fan. hubs on the other hand, much to my surprise, got semi hooked and went home and Googled them.
during their performance I was busy testing the venue wifi and tweeting a couple of pictures of them, but no one cared (later I tweeted a preview of Jeongkook and my ipod completely blew up). in hindsight I'm thinking that maybe I should have recorded a video of them for hubs instead, but oh well.
then out came Han Jimin and Jin Goo, all the way at the end of the runway, so right in front of us.
they did their MC thing, but once again I didn't pay too much attention to what they were talking about, I was more focused on just looking at them and taking pictures.
what I did catch was that they were talking about special stages, maybe cos they were special MCs? I dunno.
not that it mattered, but I did wonder for a moment why they had cue cards. my assumption is, that compared to the scripts they normally have to memorize, these little bits must have been peanuts? but maybe I'm wrong.
they both seemed relaxed and in a good mood, and Jimin especially, perhaps a bit amused or fascinated about being cheered for in this fashion. I know they're both popular actors, but I doubt it's usual for them to be cheered by almost 20k foreigners at once.
next up were two special stages.
first was Hongki and a guitar player, maybe FTI's? (yes people say he was). they did an acoustic version of Shape Of My Heart by Sting, and it was beautiful.
when they were done, Taemin suddenly appeared out on the extended stage. black pants, white shirt, and his white hair in a solo spotlight. he looked beautiful.
for some reason his appearance took me by surprise and I completely forgot all about filming him which I totally regret now. not so much because of the song, but because he's Taemin who used to be my Taemin and I would have liked to personally have a solo cam of him. next time for sure.
he did a cover of Reality by Richard Sanderson from the La Boum OST, and while I did appreciate his voice, I never even noticed that he sang in English?? I know, I know. I'm as puzzled as you.
then there was Leeteuk again, I think??
then it was time for f(x).
I already knew that Victoria wouldn't be there, but the trio looked pretty small..
like everyone else so far, they seemed really excited about being there. I dunno if it's their first performance in Europe since SMTown in 2012, but they seemed really pleasantly surprised at the cheering.
I think they did some French greeting, but otherwise Korean, and Amber did a lot/most of her talk in English. maybe that also had a say in the cheering for her cos she definitely had the biggest response, and I think, generally, her down to earth, more relaxed attitude gains her a lot of ifans.
they opened with 4 Walls. I don't like it much, but like Pick Me, the live version earned it a few extra points. then they did 첮 사랑니 (RPPP), and after that they had a little ment where Luna got sent off stage.
- ∞ -
first up was Block B!
they were so great. they seemed in such a good mood and they were really smiley and waved, and I think it was them who said that they were really surprised at the reception here in France/Europe? they hadn't expected it to be like this, but they were definitely a crowd favorite and were well cheered for by everyone around us.
they kicked things off with a bang, and I found myself wishing I could go to a Block B concert. they definitely know how to get the crowd going, and their mix of Korean, English, and French were so funny and cute.
Yookwon looked sooooo so good, rip me, and holy shit, his voice. I was completely in awe. I mean, I've seen Block B before, but he has improved so much.
as far as I can remember they did four songs with a ment somewhere in between, and they used the entire stage so they came out to the entire crowd really well.
first up was Toy and I love that song, I was so happy I got to hear it live. and people were so good about singing along. then they did Her and Very Good, and then they closed with Nalina! I was so excited!!! I honestly never thought I would get to hear that live cos it's so old by now, and I will most likely never go to a Block B concert so chances were slim, but they did it heeeere!!!
- ∞ -
then came IOI.
I think they came onto the extended stage through the crowd? or maybe they were just coming from underneath it, I dunno, but suddenly they came on from out of nowhere.
I know a lot of people were into Produce 101 and I am aware that they aren't a complete flop or anything, but I am definitely surprised at just how crazy the crowd went. they might as well have been a seasoned group with the amount of cheering people did.
I'm not interested at all, and I only just watched their MVs last week because of Kcon, but I still thought it was really nice to see. it's no skin off people's nose to cheer and clap for a group at an event like this, even if they aren't your faves.
they spent a long time on their introduction ment - obviously, with that amount of members, even though I think someone said that one was missing?? I have no idea if that's true cos I have no clue how many they are.
I can't remember if all spoke French, but it was really cute how those who did longer ments tried so hard to get it all out and not cave and turn to Korean. Mina (? I think? 3rd from the left in my pictures, the one with the bow/leaf thingy in her hair) struggled for the longest time remembering it all, but she didn't give up and she didn't seem like she got completely flustered or embarrassed by it, she just kept trying with a big smile on her face :)
one of the others just blatantly held up her hand so she could read off her palm LOL
hubs said one spoke in English, but honestly, I can't remember.
I also can't remember if they started with a song or if they went straight into their ment, but after the ment it was Pick Me and then some slow songs I also don't know. I kinda expected them to do that Dream Girls one cos I thought that was their "big hit" or whatever, but oh well. or did they do it and I can't remember???
while Pick Me wasn't completely horrible in a concert setting, I am still not a fan. hubs on the other hand, much to my surprise, got semi hooked and went home and Googled them.
during their performance I was busy testing the venue wifi and tweeting a couple of pictures of them, but no one cared (later I tweeted a preview of Jeongkook and my ipod completely blew up). in hindsight I'm thinking that maybe I should have recorded a video of them for hubs instead, but oh well.
- ∞ -
then out came Han Jimin and Jin Goo, all the way at the end of the runway, so right in front of us.
they did their MC thing, but once again I didn't pay too much attention to what they were talking about, I was more focused on just looking at them and taking pictures.
what I did catch was that they were talking about special stages, maybe cos they were special MCs? I dunno.
not that it mattered, but I did wonder for a moment why they had cue cards. my assumption is, that compared to the scripts they normally have to memorize, these little bits must have been peanuts? but maybe I'm wrong.
they both seemed relaxed and in a good mood, and Jimin especially, perhaps a bit amused or fascinated about being cheered for in this fashion. I know they're both popular actors, but I doubt it's usual for them to be cheered by almost 20k foreigners at once.
- ∞ -
next up were two special stages.
first was Hongki and a guitar player, maybe FTI's? (yes people say he was). they did an acoustic version of Shape Of My Heart by Sting, and it was beautiful.
when they were done, Taemin suddenly appeared out on the extended stage. black pants, white shirt, and his white hair in a solo spotlight. he looked beautiful.
for some reason his appearance took me by surprise and I completely forgot all about filming him which I totally regret now. not so much because of the song, but because he's Taemin who used to be my Taemin and I would have liked to personally have a solo cam of him. next time for sure.
he did a cover of Reality by Richard Sanderson from the La Boum OST, and while I did appreciate his voice, I never even noticed that he sang in English?? I know, I know. I'm as puzzled as you.
- ∞ -
- ∞ -
then it was time for f(x).
I already knew that Victoria wouldn't be there, but the trio looked pretty small..
like everyone else so far, they seemed really excited about being there. I dunno if it's their first performance in Europe since SMTown in 2012, but they seemed really pleasantly surprised at the cheering.
I think they did some French greeting, but otherwise Korean, and Amber did a lot/most of her talk in English. maybe that also had a say in the cheering for her cos she definitely had the biggest response, and I think, generally, her down to earth, more relaxed attitude gains her a lot of ifans.
they opened with 4 Walls. I don't like it much, but like Pick Me, the live version earned it a few extra points. then they did 첮 사랑니 (RPPP), and after that they had a little ment where Luna got sent off stage.
then Amber did Shake That Brass, and as much as I like Amber, I can't stand that song, so I don't know whose part she covered, but by the end Amber was joined by one of the IOI girls (or so hubs said, I dunno) who did a singing bit.
after that Luna appeared on the extended stage and did Free Somebody. I liked it even more as a live, and even though it's as new as it is, it got a really nice reception.
then Amber and Krystal joined her and after a little chat they ended their set with Hot Summer. I was so excited!!!! it's one of my fave f(x) songs still, and I haven't seen it since SMTown 2012 in Seoul, and like with Nalina, I never thought I was going to hear it again.
AND THEN IT WAS TIME FOR MY BABIES ㅠㅠ MY 방탄소년단 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
I think they were the only group to have like an intro vcr? it was a nice minute to prepare my heart, but once the big screen opened up and they were there, I still lost it. I know I had already seen them, but this was different. Arirang was so unexpected, but this, this is what I had been waiting for, this is why I was there. I just died.
while all groups did get a huge reception, this was just different, and Bangtan definitely got the biggest cheer of the night, closely followed by SHINee.
I was just in awe, finally seeing my boys again for the first time in almost two years ㅠㅠ I'm so lucky. and this close?! 진짜 꿈이야 ㅠㅠ
Jimin ❤ my beautiful cinnamon roll with the sweetest voice. the all black clothes and the fiery-coloured jacket, he looked so. good. and the way he just works that neck, rolling his head back, mouth open and eyes closed, I mean, it's like he's doing it on purpose and I want him tonever stop.
and his hair was so fluffy ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ it was just whipping and bouncing all over the place, I don't know how his parting managed to survive since it clearly wasn't sprayed down. I'm so glad I got to see him with black hair, he's so beautiful.
speaking of hair, though, someone needs to tell him he can stop with the whole running his hands though his hair thing cos it's bad for my health.
as usual, his dancing was on point. all those extra hours in the practice room definitely pays off. it is such a pleasure to watch him on the dance floor or stage. you know what I mean, he's so energetic and graceful. those thighs definitely know what they're doing..
and his smile ㅠㅠ that beautiful, world-peace inducing, heart-healing, core-melting smile that just reduces me to tears every time he smiles at me. it will never be enough, I can never get enough of it. it's the reason I fight over tickets, why I will wait in pouring rain or scorching sun, cos when he looks at me and smile, nothing else matters ❤
at one point, when he was out on the runway right in front of me, he squatted down and just sat there for a bit, looking out on the crowd, and me and this girl beside me just lost it, like, "JIMIN!!!!!!!JIMIN!!!!!!!!!!JIMIN!!!!!!!JIMIN!!!!!!!!!!!" and when he got up and moved on we just looked at each other and we were both just laughcrying hysterically. it was a nice moment lol
and Jeongkook. my love ❤
his hair was curly and over-sprayed so not fluffy at all, and that shirt of his is completely hideousthough somehow he makes it works I'm so upset, but he looked absolutely perfect ㅠㅠ
he looked so happy and smiley, he was waving at the crowd, bowing, and blowing kisses here and there. he's so attentive and caring towards the crowd, he's so open and generous with his affection, always humble and thankful and he really tries to give back as much as he can. he's grown into himself so much, I'm so proud of him ㅠㅠ❤ it's a pleasure to see him enjoy himself like this, so much in his element, my heart exploded a million times over just watching him ㅠㅠ
he was so playful and goofing off whenever there was time for it, and as soon as they got counted down, he just turned it On, killing me with his voice and the way his body moved and the winking and the wetness. oho, the wetness, cos this is Jeon Jeongkook, the reason Bangtan don't wear hand-free mics on MCountdown because his sweating has ruined too many mics by now. he looked delectable. his thighs in those tight pants didn't do much to calm me either. god, they were so tight...
I'm surprised he could actually move in them, but he could and he did, and did well. watching him move is one of my favourite things in life. I like his dancing style so much (this boy is so full package for me it's gross, I know), it's so fluent and beautiful. the way he gives his all to every single movement and dances with his entire being. the way his face changes, the look in his eyes, his intensity is such a turn on.
I felt so lucky, getting to lay my eyes on him again ㅠㅠ
Hoseok was so energetic and cute, but not in an annoying way, and he just generally looked like he really enjoyed himself, the cutie pie, and he said it was an honour to be there.
his hair was super fluffy and I have no explanation to the fact that despite looking at him a lot, I discovered when we got home, that I had taken no pictures of him??? like??? why?! 미안 호서가 ㅠㅠ next time for sure!
despite him looking absolutely perfect, I also barely took any pictures of Yoongi, which is why I've uploaded pretty much everything I got aka also some that are so blurry, they wouldn't have made the final cut under usual circumstances.
and for some reason, Yoongi and Taehyung grabbed my attention a lot less than usual and than what I had expected. they didn't seem down or in a bad mood or anything, but they seemed less..animated than we know they can be, especially Taehyung.
his voice still killed me, and his performances were flawless, it wasn't like that. and there were smiling and waving, just..less boxy smiles than expected?
Seokjin cracked me up. for the first half or so he was so giddy and energetic, and he's derping so hard in 80 percent of my pictures from dancing so hard.
I'm wondering though, if he really pulled his neck during or if he actually had a sore neck beforehand, and then it just got so much worse due to the dancing. but throughout it was pretty evident that he was in more and more pain ㅠㅠ if you look for it, you can also see him holding his neck more and more, and he pulls these pained expressions during the dances that doesn't seem like they're only due to the difficult choreo. poor lil muffin.
but he finished like a pro and with a big smile on his face, waving to the crowd until the very last moment before he went off stage.
Namjoon was Namjoon, just as I had expected. going hard at dancing and making me laughsorry baby I love you, going hard at rapping and making me squeal, being cute and smiley and professional and polite. he also seemed to really enjoy himself.
it could have just been the usual spiel, I wouldn't be shocked, but he said that Bangtan would like to come back to Paris to have their "exclusive concert".
I wouldn't be surprised if it happens, I just need it to not happen in 2016 cos broke as all fuck right now.
they started out on the main stage with 불타오르네, and once again I'm among the first ones to see it live, just like with Danger. how amazing is that?
after, they all left the stage except Namjoon, and then suddenly What Am I To You started and I just burst into tears. that is one of my alltime FAVE Bangtan songs (if you can call it a Bangtan song?) and it's my fave Namjoon solo, I love it so much. it always moves me to tears when I listen to it, and seeing it performed right in front of me was just amazing. he's so into it, my heart hurts ㅠㅠ
then the others popped up, literally, and they did 쩔어. by the way, in my cam, please enjoy Jikook's thighs in the beginning before the backscreen is turned on and screws up my camera focus. just a little tip from me to you.
then they had their first ment, and then came Save Me, and hELLO TEARS. I was an ugly sobbing mess, I was shaking so hard that hardly any of my pictures came out remotely useful. it's so beautiful and melancholy and maknae line's voices just tears me up.
after that they went straight into I Need U, and I was still a mess, crying over Jeongkook's body rolls, like, what the fuck kind of things is that to cry over?! moan, sure, but cry? I was a mess. and Hoseok, fuck me, he's so hot in I Need U I don't know what it is, but I just fjrhrhggghh.
then another quick ment so they could catch their breath, and they ended with the perfect energy explosion, 흥탄. they all came out on the end of the runway and I just lost my shit. Jeon's shirt was soaked at this point, he fucking nae nae'd and dabbed right in front of me, and his neck was so sweaty, and his pants were so tight anD RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and did I meNTION TIGHT?! Jimin rolled his body during his part in a way I don't remember from the choreo, like, wHY WHAT KIND OF ADD-ON IS THAT. but he sat down at the end and it was too much cuteness ㅠㅠ
it was so amazing seeing them again, time just flew by. 화양연화 era has been so intense, and seeing all these songs in person was really exciting after having watched them online so many times over the past couple of years.
and the boys delivered, just like I knew they could. it was over so fast, even if they had the longest set, but my brain was just all over the place, and I didn't stop crying until 3-4 songs later.
with the consequences for our Korea trip, and with all the bullshit that had been going on, I had been wondering- no, I had been needing this to be amazing, to make me not regret my decision to spend the money, to make it worth the troubles, and they just delivered above and beyond. queuing had been doable, the pit was a party, and those 30 mins with them so so close just made everything come together and the world was beautiful. 얘드라 고마웡 ㅠㅠ❤❤❤
but, it was far from the end, and now there was a little MC break with Leeteuk and Kibum up among the Cat. 1 seats.
I couldn't see them, so I didn't really pay attention and instead tweeted some Bangtan previews, subsequently making my twitter crash from notifications overload.
anyway, they had probably been up in the seats to divert attention, cos after, onto the main stage, came FTIsland.
I'll be honest, I didn't know much about FTI beforehand, except 1) Hongki has one of my favourite voices, 2) 지독하게 is one of my fave songs, and 3) despite all that, I have, like, 5 or 6 FTI albums that I've never even heard.
I am happy to say, though, that despite what might have gone on up in the front pit, on our end people were having a party and everyone cheered and so many could sing along to everything! I never come across FTI fans (that I know of???), so I was really surprised at how popular they are. also because the songs they played were really hardcore rock for several of them, so very different from the usual kpop area.
this was right up hubs' old heavy metal alley and a tiny Primadonna was born.
Hongki made me laugh a lot, too. he had such a down to earth attitude, and he just didn't give a fuck. he left the stage to get water, leaving the other members flustered and speechless and really bad at stalling lol
at one point, I dunno if he slipped or laid down or what, and if he was commenting on something or, yeah, what was even going on, but he was on the stage, saying "shit" or "oh shit" or something, and it was all so random (maybe cos I couldn't tell what was going on), I just couldn't stop laughing.
I think they did 5 songs, but because I only knew 지독하게, and because I was wrecked from Bangtan during the first part, it all blurs a bit in my memory.
but around 5 with a couple of ments/Hongki chit-chatting in between songs.
then Leeteuk was back. this time he was joined by Zico, and they were also at the end of the runway, so really close.
I didn't really pay attention to what they were talking about, but they seemed to have a nice rapport.
they announced yet another special stage, Taeil and Luna.
they did Taeil's solo, 사랑이었다, from Block B's Blooming Period. I already knew they were gonna do a collab, so I did expect a ballad cos they both have really great vocals, so I was happy with that.
it was really beautiful, and I like the way they started it off, with Luna in on the main stage and Taeil out on the extended, and during the song, she joined him.
then they left and by now there was only one thing left, so before the music started up again, everyone was chanting "SHINee, SHINee, SHINee~!!!".
these days, me and SHINee have a very fond but relaxed relationship, and when I heard they were part of the line-up I was really happy. even though this was my 5th time seeing them, besides maybe iKON or Infinite, they were probably the group I would want to see. ..and, let's be real, if we're rearranging the line-up they're probably not the group I would have switched..
it's been years since Taemin has made me go crazy, but he actually did have these moments of "...no?" where he ran his hand through his hair and arched his back, exposing his sweaty neck. I dunno, maybe I was just caught up in the moment, but he did look beautiful.
I like that he was just in ripped jeans and a tshirt, it was very casual and not stage costume-y at all. he did have some sort of jacket on, but he lost that for the last song and it was so much better without.
and of course his vocals were on point. every time I hear him live I'm always super amazed and proud of how far he's come as a singer - and as person, in the same way as Jeongkook. Taemin always gave 110 percent in performances, but he was also super shy and quiet and awkward in the beginning. of course, he's had almost a decade to get comfortable now, but he has, and not all actually reach that place.
his dancing was also the usual joy to watch. his dancing is really in the details, from the way he doesn't just move his head, but whips it around, to the way he stretches his hands to the tips of his fingers. he dances with so much power and tension, there is no slacking off or steps half done, it's mesmerizing to watch.
but honestly, the one who caught my eye the most, was Choi. not in a googly eyed kinda way, I mean, it's Choi. I adore him, but that is not my thing. but he was so damn cuteee!!! he was bubbly and smiley and seemed so happy and just being really cute all over the place, I couldn't help but look. when he's not being all intense and competitive, he has this puppy quality about him, and I just love that side of him.
I was also really surprised at his singing, like, damn. he's no main vocalist, but he has come a long way, that's for sure. plus his jeans were nice and tight, and if there is something he does have, it's nice legs (even if his thighs aren't as big as other thighs I know). he also had a long coat on that he lost halfway through and it also drastically improved his looks for the better.
Jinki was Jinki, in his cute, happy, but more quiet way. he was so cute doing these little bouncy moves for the parts where they didn't have choreography.
and of course his vocals. he's such an effortless singer. I'm sure he practices when need be, but his delivery is so natural and effortless, it's always a pleasure to hear him live.
Kibum.. I don't really have much to say? not cos I only have bad stuff to say and chooses to shut up, but I barely noticed him? which is a bit surprising cos Kibum used to be pretty high on my list, but the other three by far out-captured my attention. and, for me, these days, he has an air of... something I can't put my finger on, but it's not my style and by now we have sorta parted ways.
anyways, when I did look at him, he did seem perfectly happy and he was wavy and smiley with the crowd, and performed just as expected. I'll never like his vocals, but he put on a solid performance, so it's just something in me that just made me focus on the other three much more.
and on that note, there were only three others cos due to his solo promotions, Jonghyun couldn't be there. when I first heard I was, like, "........???? but- but- ????" cos how to SHINee without Jonghyun.
I felt most bad for Miranda, though. SHINee's her main bias group and has been for..more than five years(?) now, and Jong has always been her main bias, and this was her first time to finally get to see them and him, and then he's not even coming :'(
and while the other four did do a good job, it would have nice to have him there. out of the five times I've seen SHINee, they've only been ot5 for one of them, which..is not good. I feel like for anything but album promotions and SHINee World concerts, SM prioritizes solo activities over random performances, so if you wanna be sure to see your bias, you need to prioritizes those, too. fortunately, Taemin's been there for all my five times.
they started off on the main stage with this dance intro thing that went into Sherlock, and everyone was singing along. for Bangtan, I was too caught up in my own mess of feels to really appreciate it, but I got serious goosebumps from the collective feeling of joy and excitement over SHINee, like, when Minho did the "tonight, SHINee's in the house" bit I had tears in my eyes.
anyway, after Sherlock, out of the damn blue, they suddenly did Lucifer, like?! Lucifer??? it's one of my fave songs, it holds so much sentimental value for me, so many memories, I just started bawling. I have seen it before, but I honestly never expected to ever again cos it's so old by now. but it's such an epic SHINee song, and I'm so happy they did it.
after that they came out on the extended stage and had a little ment. they did member greetings, and said a few bits and pieces in French, English, and Korean, and Kibum said, in French, that they would like to have a concert here - here being this venue, Paris, France, Europe, who knows, but it was very well received.
then they did a loose choreo version of 아름다워 where they spread out over the entire runway, and Minho and Key came out on our end. they all met up on the extended stage for the ending, and straight into Why So Serious. as a listening song I've never been too keen on WSS, but as a performance it worked great. it's very sing-along friendly and the choreo has lots of fun movements. Taemin slipped at one point, but it was hardly noticeable if not for the grin on his face lol
their last song was View, another one I really like. it's also really sing-along friendly, and a good one to end on.
and then it was over. instead of an actual ending song, some background music was played (and bits of some of the groups' hits at first?? I can't remember) while all groups came out onto the extended stage, waving and bowing and saying bye.
meanwhile Leeteuk ran around with his mic saying thank you and I love you and more thank you and whatnot in all different languages lol
I was sobbing cos they were leaving and laughcrying cos Jeon was being so extra, dancing and walking around, scooping up handfuls of confetti and then hiding it in his jacket, only to reach in and fling it out. he's so cute, I love him so much ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
of course Bangtan, or should I say the usual half of Bangtan, were last to leave the stage along with Choi, and he and Taehyung had a cute little dance for the camera before they left.
but with Leeteuk's long 90 degree bow and one last wave, it was really over and the house lights came back on, turning us all into pumpkins again.
it had been such a great concert, one of the best I've been to. I liked, if not loved, every group, and even IOI managed to hold my attention a lot more than I had expected. the groups I love played only good songs.
I laughed, I cried, I danced, I cheered, I clapped until my palms were sore. I saw my babies so much closer than I had ever dared dream I would. I got my pictures and videos. everyone looked and sounded great.
despite a lot of people and fanbases for all groups working really hard at getting everyone to learn fanchants, it didn't really sound to me like that bit in itself was a success. as far as I could hear, mostly people just chanted when it felt right, and otherwise they just sang along with everything they knew, which was a lot more than I expected.
while I do think that Korean fanchants from a big crowd like this can sound really impressive, I like this better, when people sing along to the entire songs.
I was suprised that only IOI and SHINee, and maybe f(x)? I can't remember (you're shocked, I know), but that only those two groups for sure, did member introductions. you never see a solo concert without it, and that's despite it being a setting where you would assume everyone knows who the members are. but since this was a multi group thing, even with the general popularity of the groups, I would expect them to introduce themselves cos it would be expected that there must be people there who aren't fans, or maybe new fans who don't know all the groups. I dunno, I just thought about it afterwards.
also I sorta forgot to mention that the Korean president was there. Leeteuk introduced her somewhere up in Cat. 1, but I think she left pretty early? I'm sure she was super bummed about that.
but at least she got a huge applause to take home with her, like, people reacted and cheered as if she was the one responsible for the concert. if they knew more about her it would hopefully be another story..
anyway, final concert thought: thank you so much to all the people in the back pit. thank you for orderly conduct amongst ourselves and turning things into a party. but mostly, thank you for respectful behaviour towards the people on stage. they gave their all and tried their hardest, thank you for doing the same for them ❤
after I changed back into my flipflops and hubs had gotten his body to function properly again (holding a camera steady above a crowd for hours on end takes a lot more strength than you would imagine), we left to go find Giulia, Mara and Miranda.
unfortunately, because the concert had lasted until almost 11:30? Giulia and Mara had to leave straight away cos they needed the metro to get back. so we said a regretful goodbye, and as exciting as meeting up for a concert was, I'm glad we're meeting in Korea again soon, with more time to hang out and chat. and eat!
I was still so wired from the whole thing, plus my airsickness wasn't completely gone, so I wasn't hungry, only thirsty. Miranda and hubs could eat, so we went into a café by the arena (cos none of us felt the need to walk a lot at this point) and they had some fries while I had a €5 Diet Coke.
then we dragged our tired asses home, through the somewhat creepy area behind Gare De Lyon.
first we went with Miranda to her place cos she had had key problems, and in case she couldn't get in, she could come crash at our place. but after we all gave it a try, hubs got it to work and she got in.
travel day was its usual Parisian self, complicated and slow, but rather uneventful in itself.
we had breakfast at a café across the street from Miranda's place, and then headed for the airport around 10:30.
there was a lot of waiting and cancelled trains and announcements only in French and changing lines, all as expected, but there was also a lot of information people everywhere so it was relatively easy finding our way after a couple of tries here and there.
it turns out there had also been serious flooding in certain suburbs, so that also messed with the transportation system even if the strike hadn't.
we thought we would have had time to hang out at the airport, but in the end there wasn't enough time, so we said bye to Miranda on the train and she headed on to her terminal.
after we finally made it to our gate, we only had about an hour before boarding, so we just ate a sandwich and tried to watch some of the cams on the camera screen, but it was too small to be comfortable.
and after a 10 mins delay we left windy, cloudy, and 13 degree Paris for blazing sunny and hot as fuck 28 degrees Copenhagen, I honestly don't know which was worse.
here, our train was also cancelled, so we had to take a two train detour and I was so done by the time we were finally home after 10-11 hours on the way.
about my pictures and videos this time.
after that Luna appeared on the extended stage and did Free Somebody. I liked it even more as a live, and even though it's as new as it is, it got a really nice reception.
then Amber and Krystal joined her and after a little chat they ended their set with Hot Summer. I was so excited!!!! it's one of my fave f(x) songs still, and I haven't seen it since SMTown 2012 in Seoul, and like with Nalina, I never thought I was going to hear it again.
- ∞ -
AND THEN IT WAS TIME FOR MY BABIES ㅠㅠ MY 방탄소년단 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
I think they were the only group to have like an intro vcr? it was a nice minute to prepare my heart, but once the big screen opened up and they were there, I still lost it. I know I had already seen them, but this was different. Arirang was so unexpected, but this, this is what I had been waiting for, this is why I was there. I just died.
while all groups did get a huge reception, this was just different, and Bangtan definitely got the biggest cheer of the night, closely followed by SHINee.
I was just in awe, finally seeing my boys again for the first time in almost two years ㅠㅠ I'm so lucky. and this close?! 진짜 꿈이야 ㅠㅠ
Jimin ❤ my beautiful cinnamon roll with the sweetest voice. the all black clothes and the fiery-coloured jacket, he looked so. good. and the way he just works that neck, rolling his head back, mouth open and eyes closed, I mean, it's like he's doing it on purpose and I want him to
and his hair was so fluffy ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ it was just whipping and bouncing all over the place, I don't know how his parting managed to survive since it clearly wasn't sprayed down. I'm so glad I got to see him with black hair, he's so beautiful.
speaking of hair, though, someone needs to tell him he can stop with the whole running his hands though his hair thing cos it's bad for my health.
as usual, his dancing was on point. all those extra hours in the practice room definitely pays off. it is such a pleasure to watch him on the dance floor or stage. you know what I mean, he's so energetic and graceful. those thighs definitely know what they're doing..
and his smile ㅠㅠ that beautiful, world-peace inducing, heart-healing, core-melting smile that just reduces me to tears every time he smiles at me. it will never be enough, I can never get enough of it. it's the reason I fight over tickets, why I will wait in pouring rain or scorching sun, cos when he looks at me and smile, nothing else matters ❤
at one point, when he was out on the runway right in front of me, he squatted down and just sat there for a bit, looking out on the crowd, and me and this girl beside me just lost it, like, "JIMIN!!!!!!!JIMIN!!!!!!!!!!JIMIN!!!!!!!JIMIN!!!!!!!!!!!" and when he got up and moved on we just looked at each other and we were both just laughcrying hysterically. it was a nice moment lol
and Jeongkook. my love ❤
his hair was curly and over-sprayed so not fluffy at all, and that shirt of his is completely hideous
he looked so happy and smiley, he was waving at the crowd, bowing, and blowing kisses here and there. he's so attentive and caring towards the crowd, he's so open and generous with his affection, always humble and thankful and he really tries to give back as much as he can. he's grown into himself so much, I'm so proud of him ㅠㅠ❤ it's a pleasure to see him enjoy himself like this, so much in his element, my heart exploded a million times over just watching him ㅠㅠ
he was so playful and goofing off whenever there was time for it, and as soon as they got counted down, he just turned it On, killing me with his voice and the way his body moved and the winking and the wetness. oho, the wetness, cos this is Jeon Jeongkook, the reason Bangtan don't wear hand-free mics on MCountdown because his sweating has ruined too many mics by now. he looked delectable. his thighs in those tight pants didn't do much to calm me either. god, they were so tight...
I'm surprised he could actually move in them, but he could and he did, and did well. watching him move is one of my favourite things in life. I like his dancing style so much (this boy is so full package for me it's gross, I know), it's so fluent and beautiful. the way he gives his all to every single movement and dances with his entire being. the way his face changes, the look in his eyes, his intensity is such a turn on.
I felt so lucky, getting to lay my eyes on him again ㅠㅠ
Hoseok was so energetic and cute, but not in an annoying way, and he just generally looked like he really enjoyed himself, the cutie pie, and he said it was an honour to be there.
his hair was super fluffy and I have no explanation to the fact that despite looking at him a lot, I discovered when we got home, that I had taken no pictures of him??? like??? why?! 미안 호서가 ㅠㅠ next time for sure!
despite him looking absolutely perfect, I also barely took any pictures of Yoongi, which is why I've uploaded pretty much everything I got aka also some that are so blurry, they wouldn't have made the final cut under usual circumstances.
and for some reason, Yoongi and Taehyung grabbed my attention a lot less than usual and than what I had expected. they didn't seem down or in a bad mood or anything, but they seemed less..animated than we know they can be, especially Taehyung.
his voice still killed me, and his performances were flawless, it wasn't like that. and there were smiling and waving, just..less boxy smiles than expected?
Seokjin cracked me up. for the first half or so he was so giddy and energetic, and he's derping so hard in 80 percent of my pictures from dancing so hard.
I'm wondering though, if he really pulled his neck during or if he actually had a sore neck beforehand, and then it just got so much worse due to the dancing. but throughout it was pretty evident that he was in more and more pain ㅠㅠ if you look for it, you can also see him holding his neck more and more, and he pulls these pained expressions during the dances that doesn't seem like they're only due to the difficult choreo. poor lil muffin.
but he finished like a pro and with a big smile on his face, waving to the crowd until the very last moment before he went off stage.
Namjoon was Namjoon, just as I had expected. going hard at dancing and making me laugh
it could have just been the usual spiel, I wouldn't be shocked, but he said that Bangtan would like to come back to Paris to have their "exclusive concert".
I wouldn't be surprised if it happens, I just need it to not happen in 2016 cos broke as all fuck right now.
they started out on the main stage with 불타오르네, and once again I'm among the first ones to see it live, just like with Danger. how amazing is that?
after, they all left the stage except Namjoon, and then suddenly What Am I To You started and I just burst into tears. that is one of my alltime FAVE Bangtan songs (if you can call it a Bangtan song?) and it's my fave Namjoon solo, I love it so much. it always moves me to tears when I listen to it, and seeing it performed right in front of me was just amazing. he's so into it, my heart hurts ㅠㅠ
then the others popped up, literally, and they did 쩔어. by the way, in my cam, please enjoy Jikook's thighs in the beginning before the backscreen is turned on and screws up my camera focus. just a little tip from me to you.
then they had their first ment, and then came Save Me, and hELLO TEARS. I was an ugly sobbing mess, I was shaking so hard that hardly any of my pictures came out remotely useful. it's so beautiful and melancholy and maknae line's voices just tears me up.
after that they went straight into I Need U, and I was still a mess, crying over Jeongkook's body rolls, like, what the fuck kind of things is that to cry over?! moan, sure, but cry? I was a mess. and Hoseok, fuck me, he's so hot in I Need U I don't know what it is, but I just fjrhrhggghh.
then another quick ment so they could catch their breath, and they ended with the perfect energy explosion, 흥탄. they all came out on the end of the runway and I just lost my shit. Jeon's shirt was soaked at this point, he fucking nae nae'd and dabbed right in front of me, and his neck was so sweaty, and his pants were so tight anD RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and did I meNTION TIGHT?! Jimin rolled his body during his part in a way I don't remember from the choreo, like, wHY WHAT KIND OF ADD-ON IS THAT. but he sat down at the end and it was too much cuteness ㅠㅠ
it was so amazing seeing them again, time just flew by. 화양연화 era has been so intense, and seeing all these songs in person was really exciting after having watched them online so many times over the past couple of years.
and the boys delivered, just like I knew they could. it was over so fast, even if they had the longest set, but my brain was just all over the place, and I didn't stop crying until 3-4 songs later.
with the consequences for our Korea trip, and with all the bullshit that had been going on, I had been wondering- no, I had been needing this to be amazing, to make me not regret my decision to spend the money, to make it worth the troubles, and they just delivered above and beyond. queuing had been doable, the pit was a party, and those 30 mins with them so so close just made everything come together and the world was beautiful. 얘드라 고마웡 ㅠㅠ❤❤❤
- ∞ -
but, it was far from the end, and now there was a little MC break with Leeteuk and Kibum up among the Cat. 1 seats.
I couldn't see them, so I didn't really pay attention and instead tweeted some Bangtan previews, subsequently making my twitter crash from notifications overload.
- ∞ -
anyway, they had probably been up in the seats to divert attention, cos after, onto the main stage, came FTIsland.
I'll be honest, I didn't know much about FTI beforehand, except 1) Hongki has one of my favourite voices, 2) 지독하게 is one of my fave songs, and 3) despite all that, I have, like, 5 or 6 FTI albums that I've never even heard.
I am happy to say, though, that despite what might have gone on up in the front pit, on our end people were having a party and everyone cheered and so many could sing along to everything! I never come across FTI fans (that I know of???), so I was really surprised at how popular they are. also because the songs they played were really hardcore rock for several of them, so very different from the usual kpop area.
this was right up hubs' old heavy metal alley and a tiny Primadonna was born.
Hongki made me laugh a lot, too. he had such a down to earth attitude, and he just didn't give a fuck. he left the stage to get water, leaving the other members flustered and speechless and really bad at stalling lol
at one point, I dunno if he slipped or laid down or what, and if he was commenting on something or, yeah, what was even going on, but he was on the stage, saying "shit" or "oh shit" or something, and it was all so random (maybe cos I couldn't tell what was going on), I just couldn't stop laughing.
I think they did 5 songs, but because I only knew 지독하게, and because I was wrecked from Bangtan during the first part, it all blurs a bit in my memory.
but around 5 with a couple of ments/Hongki chit-chatting in between songs.
- ∞ -
then Leeteuk was back. this time he was joined by Zico, and they were also at the end of the runway, so really close.
I didn't really pay attention to what they were talking about, but they seemed to have a nice rapport.
- ∞ -
they announced yet another special stage, Taeil and Luna.
they did Taeil's solo, 사랑이었다, from Block B's Blooming Period. I already knew they were gonna do a collab, so I did expect a ballad cos they both have really great vocals, so I was happy with that.
it was really beautiful, and I like the way they started it off, with Luna in on the main stage and Taeil out on the extended, and during the song, she joined him.
- ∞ -
then they left and by now there was only one thing left, so before the music started up again, everyone was chanting "SHINee, SHINee, SHINee~!!!".
these days, me and SHINee have a very fond but relaxed relationship, and when I heard they were part of the line-up I was really happy. even though this was my 5th time seeing them, besides maybe iKON or Infinite, they were probably the group I would want to see. ..and, let's be real, if we're rearranging the line-up they're probably not the group I would have switched..
it's been years since Taemin has made me go crazy, but he actually did have these moments of "...no?" where he ran his hand through his hair and arched his back, exposing his sweaty neck. I dunno, maybe I was just caught up in the moment, but he did look beautiful.
I like that he was just in ripped jeans and a tshirt, it was very casual and not stage costume-y at all. he did have some sort of jacket on, but he lost that for the last song and it was so much better without.
and of course his vocals were on point. every time I hear him live I'm always super amazed and proud of how far he's come as a singer - and as person, in the same way as Jeongkook. Taemin always gave 110 percent in performances, but he was also super shy and quiet and awkward in the beginning. of course, he's had almost a decade to get comfortable now, but he has, and not all actually reach that place.
his dancing was also the usual joy to watch. his dancing is really in the details, from the way he doesn't just move his head, but whips it around, to the way he stretches his hands to the tips of his fingers. he dances with so much power and tension, there is no slacking off or steps half done, it's mesmerizing to watch.
but honestly, the one who caught my eye the most, was Choi. not in a googly eyed kinda way, I mean, it's Choi. I adore him, but that is not my thing. but he was so damn cuteee!!! he was bubbly and smiley and seemed so happy and just being really cute all over the place, I couldn't help but look. when he's not being all intense and competitive, he has this puppy quality about him, and I just love that side of him.
I was also really surprised at his singing, like, damn. he's no main vocalist, but he has come a long way, that's for sure. plus his jeans were nice and tight, and if there is something he does have, it's nice legs (even if his thighs aren't as big as other thighs I know). he also had a long coat on that he lost halfway through and it also drastically improved his looks for the better.
Jinki was Jinki, in his cute, happy, but more quiet way. he was so cute doing these little bouncy moves for the parts where they didn't have choreography.
and of course his vocals. he's such an effortless singer. I'm sure he practices when need be, but his delivery is so natural and effortless, it's always a pleasure to hear him live.
Kibum.. I don't really have much to say? not cos I only have bad stuff to say and chooses to shut up, but I barely noticed him? which is a bit surprising cos Kibum used to be pretty high on my list, but the other three by far out-captured my attention. and, for me, these days, he has an air of... something I can't put my finger on, but it's not my style and by now we have sorta parted ways.
anyways, when I did look at him, he did seem perfectly happy and he was wavy and smiley with the crowd, and performed just as expected. I'll never like his vocals, but he put on a solid performance, so it's just something in me that just made me focus on the other three much more.
and on that note, there were only three others cos due to his solo promotions, Jonghyun couldn't be there. when I first heard I was, like, "........???? but- but- ????" cos how to SHINee without Jonghyun.
I felt most bad for Miranda, though. SHINee's her main bias group and has been for..more than five years(?) now, and Jong has always been her main bias, and this was her first time to finally get to see them and him, and then he's not even coming :'(
and while the other four did do a good job, it would have nice to have him there. out of the five times I've seen SHINee, they've only been ot5 for one of them, which..is not good. I feel like for anything but album promotions and SHINee World concerts, SM prioritizes solo activities over random performances, so if you wanna be sure to see your bias, you need to prioritizes those, too. fortunately, Taemin's been there for all my five times.
they started off on the main stage with this dance intro thing that went into Sherlock, and everyone was singing along. for Bangtan, I was too caught up in my own mess of feels to really appreciate it, but I got serious goosebumps from the collective feeling of joy and excitement over SHINee, like, when Minho did the "tonight, SHINee's in the house" bit I had tears in my eyes.
anyway, after Sherlock, out of the damn blue, they suddenly did Lucifer, like?! Lucifer??? it's one of my fave songs, it holds so much sentimental value for me, so many memories, I just started bawling. I have seen it before, but I honestly never expected to ever again cos it's so old by now. but it's such an epic SHINee song, and I'm so happy they did it.
after that they came out on the extended stage and had a little ment. they did member greetings, and said a few bits and pieces in French, English, and Korean, and Kibum said, in French, that they would like to have a concert here - here being this venue, Paris, France, Europe, who knows, but it was very well received.
then they did a loose choreo version of 아름다워 where they spread out over the entire runway, and Minho and Key came out on our end. they all met up on the extended stage for the ending, and straight into Why So Serious. as a listening song I've never been too keen on WSS, but as a performance it worked great. it's very sing-along friendly and the choreo has lots of fun movements. Taemin slipped at one point, but it was hardly noticeable if not for the grin on his face lol
their last song was View, another one I really like. it's also really sing-along friendly, and a good one to end on.
- ∞ -
and then it was over. instead of an actual ending song, some background music was played (and bits of some of the groups' hits at first?? I can't remember) while all groups came out onto the extended stage, waving and bowing and saying bye.
meanwhile Leeteuk ran around with his mic saying thank you and I love you and more thank you and whatnot in all different languages lol
I was sobbing cos they were leaving and laughcrying cos Jeon was being so extra, dancing and walking around, scooping up handfuls of confetti and then hiding it in his jacket, only to reach in and fling it out. he's so cute, I love him so much ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
of course Bangtan, or should I say the usual half of Bangtan, were last to leave the stage along with Choi, and he and Taehyung had a cute little dance for the camera before they left.
∞∞∞
but with Leeteuk's long 90 degree bow and one last wave, it was really over and the house lights came back on, turning us all into pumpkins again.
it had been such a great concert, one of the best I've been to. I liked, if not loved, every group, and even IOI managed to hold my attention a lot more than I had expected. the groups I love played only good songs.
I laughed, I cried, I danced, I cheered, I clapped until my palms were sore. I saw my babies so much closer than I had ever dared dream I would. I got my pictures and videos. everyone looked and sounded great.
despite a lot of people and fanbases for all groups working really hard at getting everyone to learn fanchants, it didn't really sound to me like that bit in itself was a success. as far as I could hear, mostly people just chanted when it felt right, and otherwise they just sang along with everything they knew, which was a lot more than I expected.
while I do think that Korean fanchants from a big crowd like this can sound really impressive, I like this better, when people sing along to the entire songs.
I was suprised that only IOI and SHINee, and maybe f(x)? I can't remember (you're shocked, I know), but that only those two groups for sure, did member introductions. you never see a solo concert without it, and that's despite it being a setting where you would assume everyone knows who the members are. but since this was a multi group thing, even with the general popularity of the groups, I would expect them to introduce themselves cos it would be expected that there must be people there who aren't fans, or maybe new fans who don't know all the groups. I dunno, I just thought about it afterwards.
also I sorta forgot to mention that the Korean president was there. Leeteuk introduced her somewhere up in Cat. 1, but I think she left pretty early? I'm sure she was super bummed about that.
but at least she got a huge applause to take home with her, like, people reacted and cheered as if she was the one responsible for the concert. if they knew more about her it would hopefully be another story..
anyway, final concert thought: thank you so much to all the people in the back pit. thank you for orderly conduct amongst ourselves and turning things into a party. but mostly, thank you for respectful behaviour towards the people on stage. they gave their all and tried their hardest, thank you for doing the same for them ❤
∞∞∞
after I changed back into my flipflops and hubs had gotten his body to function properly again (holding a camera steady above a crowd for hours on end takes a lot more strength than you would imagine), we left to go find Giulia, Mara and Miranda.
unfortunately, because the concert had lasted until almost 11:30? Giulia and Mara had to leave straight away cos they needed the metro to get back. so we said a regretful goodbye, and as exciting as meeting up for a concert was, I'm glad we're meeting in Korea again soon, with more time to hang out and chat. and eat!
I was still so wired from the whole thing, plus my airsickness wasn't completely gone, so I wasn't hungry, only thirsty. Miranda and hubs could eat, so we went into a café by the arena (cos none of us felt the need to walk a lot at this point) and they had some fries while I had a €5 Diet Coke.
then we dragged our tired asses home, through the somewhat creepy area behind Gare De Lyon.
first we went with Miranda to her place cos she had had key problems, and in case she couldn't get in, she could come crash at our place. but after we all gave it a try, hubs got it to work and she got in.
we agreed to meet at her place the next day to find a place for breakfast before going to the airport together.
back at our place hubs fell asleep soon after - after all we had been up since 4:30, but I couldn't fall asleep until around 3 cos too wired.
∞∞∞
we had breakfast at a café across the street from Miranda's place, and then headed for the airport around 10:30.
there was a lot of waiting and cancelled trains and announcements only in French and changing lines, all as expected, but there was also a lot of information people everywhere so it was relatively easy finding our way after a couple of tries here and there.
it turns out there had also been serious flooding in certain suburbs, so that also messed with the transportation system even if the strike hadn't.
we thought we would have had time to hang out at the airport, but in the end there wasn't enough time, so we said bye to Miranda on the train and she headed on to her terminal.
after we finally made it to our gate, we only had about an hour before boarding, so we just ate a sandwich and tried to watch some of the cams on the camera screen, but it was too small to be comfortable.
and after a 10 mins delay we left windy, cloudy, and 13 degree Paris for blazing sunny and hot as fuck 28 degrees Copenhagen, I honestly don't know which was worse.
here, our train was also cancelled, so we had to take a two train detour and I was so done by the time we were finally home after 10-11 hours on the way.
THE END
∞∞∞
about my pictures and videos this time.
first of all, the overall lighting for this was complete shit, at least for these purposes. yes, I know you will see lots of super edited, perfect noona pictures from this, but I mean for regular little people like myself, whose "editing" consists of putting logo on her point-and-shoot pocket cam pictures.
as usual, the big screen in the back disturbs the focus, on both video and pictures, and there was so little spotlight/white/bright light that from our distance, the result isn't perfect.
that is especially true for pictures cos 1) I was shaking and way too excited for life, and b) JIKOOK MOVE TOO DAMN MUCH.
they all do, and those two things combined with the poor lighting has made me end up with a shitload of blurry pictures.
I'm sure you'll notice the big difference between performance pictures and MC pictures, cos those people were well-lit and it made all the difference.
and.....yes, the lighting sucked, but.. ☞☜ I also accidentally changed my camera setting to darker instead of lighter during the concert because I couldn't function like a basic human, so that also didn't help.. ☞☜
however. having said all that, usually I'm super self-conscious about sharing my stuff because I feel like people nowadays have such high expectations cos we're all so used to noona photos for everything, and my stuff will never be that level, simply because my gear is different.
but this time, for some reason, I really don't care. I know stuff is shaky and blurry, and I never claimed it to be perfect, only perfect for me, but I am still putting it out into the world.
I've chosen to upload a lot more pictures than would have usually made the cut, simply because even if they aren't super sharp, it's still funny/cute/hot pictures.
the videos are better - pretty good, actually, compared to a lot of the ones I've seen so far, if nothing else because of the angle straight on (which is obviously a matter of preference, I know). maybe except the one I shot. it should be pretty clear which one that is.
I also did the ments, so pardon my shaking on those.
as usual, or maybe even moreso today cos this was some messy shit, thank you if you actually read through this entire post ❤
∞∞∞
as far as pictures and videos go, it's the usual drill.
please, DO NOT RE-UPLOAD my cams without my permission, but feel free to spread my youtube links around, preferably with a "do not re-up" note.
and DO NOT crop, edit, gif, or whatever else you can think of that would alter my original material.
as far as the pictures are concerned, feel free to share if you find them good enough for that, but DO NOT crop my watermark, DO NOT edit, and please re-up in full size. please credit.
other than that, I hope you enjoy ^^
∞∞∞
왔다아아앙!!!
~❤
소 핫!!!!
남주나 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
누나도 살려줘 ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
찌미나 ㅠㅠㅠㅠ 정꾸가 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ 고마워 ㅠㅠㅠㅠ❤
ㅠㅠㅠ❤
there is an audio change halfway through, but I dunno why?? hubs probably covered the mic with his finger or something
얘드라 안뇽 ㅠㅠㅠ 고생해쪄 ㅠㅠㅠ 싸랑해❤ 또 만나~^^
∞∞∞
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| 드뎌 왔다 ㅠㅠ |
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| 긔여워 ㅠㅠ |
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| it looks like he's holding a light saber I cannot unsee |
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| he was so small and cute |
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| 긔여워 ㅠㅠ |
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| 머맄ㅋㅋㅋㅋ앜ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ웃곀ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ |
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| 꾹아 입술 넘 긔여워 ㅠㅠ |
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| I love this shot so much❤ |
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| 얘드라...ㅠㅠㅠ |
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| look at that neck... |
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| 헐 |
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| ㅅ살려줘.... |
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| ㅅ살려줘!!!!! |
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| ㅅㅂ |
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| how to live, honestly.. |
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| MY LIFE IS SO HARD |
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| fucking hell Jeon Jeongkook |
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| 넌 아름다워 ㅠㅠㅠ |
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| ㅠㅠㅠ지미나ㅠㅠㅠ |
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| ot3❤ |
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| 아이닏유 ㅠㅠ |
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| 긔여워 ㅠㅠ |
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| ㅆㅂ!!!!!!!! |
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| 넘 아파?? ㅠㅠ |
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| 이뻐 |
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| 머시다 진짜 ㅠㅠ |
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| 꾸가 ㅠㅠ |
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| 누나 앞에 왤케 ㅠㅠㅠ |
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| 세상에 |
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| 진짜 죽게따 |
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| 흥태 ㅎㅎ |
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| 흑발 민융기 제일 조아 그래서 왜 누나의 심장은 설레인 지금...?? ㅠㅠ |
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| 앜ㅋㅋㅋ "태미나 가자!" ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ |
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| 귀여운 진기다 ㅠㅠㅠㅠ |
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| 꾸가 만세 ㅠㅠ |
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| look at Kwon being so tiny and cute ㅠㅠ |
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| 수고해따 얘드라❤ |
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| 긔여워 어뜨게 ㅠㅠ |
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| 그냥..그냥 사랑해 ㅠㅠ 마음이 아파 ㅠㅠㅠ |
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| ❤1004❤ |
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| 구오즈들 ㅠㅠ❤ |
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| 잘생겨써 ㅠㅠ |
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ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㅋㅋㅋ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ |
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| 짐나... 가지마..ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ히잉 |
다들 수고해써!! 고마워 ❤
방탄이들 ㅠㅠ 벌써 보고시퍼 ㅠㅠ 다시 곧 만나!! ^^ 사~랑~해~❤❤❤❤
i remember seeing your tweets about french transportation :(( that's so nerve-wrecking ajiofdjifs thankfully you made it to kcon on time and returned home :)
ReplyDelete"Bangtan definitely got the biggest cheer of the night" from fancams (yours and others) i could definitely tell there were a lottt of bangtan stans. like hearing the fanchants and cheering, it seemed like a bangtan concert XD
aw, reading this and seeing your cams just makes me more hyped to go to KCON NY so thank you for this!! ^_^
<333
OMG MIAAA!!!
ReplyDeleteI just got to read the whole thing today!
(Tho i did skip some parts, hahah...)
But seriously, judging by the photos you seem to be REALLY close to the stage, huhuhuhuuu... I'm so happy for you ~<333
Ughhh... Taemin is just... *cries* he's just so beautiful and your fanaccount just made me feel all the feelsss...I can totally understand what you felt back then...
Aww... it's really sad that Jonghyun couldn't make it to the concert... I know that he's busy for his album promotion, but even he missed the whole week last week not performing at anyof the music shows... i wonder why... It seems like SM is pushing all the comeback schedules that they overlap one another, hmph!
But i'm happy to know that SHINee shines (pun very much intended),even with the absence of Jonghyun. It's just a little sad that Taemin didn't perform his solo song T~T
I'm so happy knowing that overall you got a great experience from the concert. Thanks for sharing the stories, and the camsss(including the photos). I always enjoy reading your post! I hope more happy moments to share will come ahead in the future! *winks*