Our First K-Pop Concert: Big Bang ‘MADE’ Tour in Seoul!

Okay, so this wasn’t necessarily my first concert in Korea, but it WAS my first solo K-Pop concert and it was absolutely worth every penny! This year’s adventure was to see the incredibly popular 5 member boy group Big Bang, a group under the same label as the internationally recognized Psy.

Before we could even think past anything else, we had to fight off half of Korea to get actual tickets. There were a few ways you could get the tickets themselves, but everyone’s best bet was to get them through GMarket, a popular shopping site in Korea similar to Amazon in that they literally sell everything. Once tickets were purchased, both for the concert itself and for the couple of hour bus ride to Seoul, it was another, slightly shorter, subway ride to the concert venue. Though I’ve been to Jamsil, another popular concert venue in Seoul, Big Bang were set to perform at the equally popular Olympic Park stadium which is where the Olympics were once held when they were in Seoul in the 80’s.

Once we stepped off the subway with a horde of excited fan girls and boys, I mean the MINUTE we exited, we were bombarded by small street vendors selling Big Bang merchandise for the concert itself. What merchandise you walk in with can be almost as important as the concert itself when it comes to K-Pop. Every K-Pop group, especially the more popular ones, have their own light stick with their official group color that you will light up and wave during the concert (Big Bang’s official symbol is the crown since their fandom name is ‘VIP’, their official color yellow). Not only will people have group memorabilia, you can also purchase items that are just for your favorite group member. This can be anything from a towel you hold up during the concert, to headbands with a member’s names on them, to fans with their actual faces on them. These are by no means the only things you can buy to show your favorite member you love them, but they are some of the most popular.

After we got our official merch, it was time to get to the actual building. Then, came the lines. When I say lines, I mean lines that went on for days. Lines for those with standing section wristbands, lines for extra merchandise they have to sell at special stalls, lines for food, lines to pick up your tickets, lines to the ends of the EARTH! Even though we got there about an hour early, the line to pick up our tickets was basically around the block. We completely lucked out and ran into a few of our friends who were near the front of the line, but there were more lines to come don’t you worry!

Once we got our tickets, we had to line up to present said tickets to go in. Then, of course there was the line for the bathroom which stretched just about the length of the entire building itself. It was a relief when we FINALLY got inside and to our seats so we could settle in and wait for it to begin.

There were so many people that the staff had to get inside that the concert was running about half an hr late, but they kept us busy by playing the more popular Big Bang  music videos on the big screen at the front.

Popular groups like Big Bang always attract celebrities who can make it to their concerts, so it wasn’t a surprise when DARA of 2NE1 showed up, but at one point the rookie group WINNER showed up and every female in the building about lost their effing minds.

Still, it was far more entertaining to watch the standing sections begin filing in and immediately start pushing and shoving to get a good place close to the stage. They were half mosh pitting before anything even started. There was a strict ‘No Photography’ rule that was pretty strictly enforced so we had limited time to get our pics in while we could. Especially once the concert started the staff was ever vigilant about cameras of any kind.

When the lights finally dimmed, the light sticks came out along with Big Bang, and everything after that is basically a chaotic, fan girl-y blur. There was lots of standing, screaming, light stick waving and people losing their shit during seemingly random moments. Still, it was great to sing along and dance with other people that you knew also enjoyed the same music you did. The energy and excitement in the building was nothing short of electric, the group doing a great job keeping it going the entire time.

Big Bang did an amazing job live, moving seamlessly from hype songs to more relaxed ones, then simply talking to their fans before introducing their 2 new songs, giving each member a chance to show off some of their solo skills while simultaneously and then making all the people who have been fans for a while nostalgic with some songs that went back to just after their debut.

The concert went on for about 2 hours, but then the encore was about half an hour so by the time it was all said and done I was a ball of exhaustion and excitement. Once outside the new street vendors were there to make sure you went home with as much merchandise as physically possible to carry on the subway.

I was pathetic and bought everything from a mug to a pillow with my favorite member’s face on it, but it was all worth it because they did an awesome job. If you have a chance to check out a K-Pop concert while you’re here I highly suggest it!