KCON: NY Experience 2016

MY P5 EXPERIENCE AT KCON NY 2016

[WARNING: THIS POST IS EXTREMELY LONG AND FULL OF MY RIDICULOUS SIDE COMMENTS LIKE I TYPED EVERYTHING THAT CAME TO MIND. There's plenty of pictures as well! Also the last few sections have a smaller font probably because of formatting issues since this is a ridiculously long post so sorry about that =_=]

It's been so long since I've written anything on here! Anyways, to the main point. A month ago I went to my first ever convention and Kpop concert! I'm still in denial that it's over and still suffering from post-concert depression (˵¯͒⌢͗¯͒˵) 

I'll organize this entry into sections to make everything easier to follow along ^^ if there's a certain section you want to look at, I've provided the list so you can scroll down to the right section. 

breakdown includes: 1)the main verdict, 2)buying tickets, 3)check-in, 4)tents and free stuff, 5)panels and performances, 6)VIP entrances, 7)food, 8)the security line, 9)pre-concert, 10)day 1 concert, 11)day 2 concert, 12)BTS, 13)advice for attending

If you feel like it, also check out this short montage I made of my two days at KCON!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bo6EynW5B4

1)THE MAIN VERDICT

Anyone who doesn't feel like reading the entire experience and just wants a yes or no answer, my reply is 10/10 would do it again. Yeah it wasn't a perfect event, but nothing is ever flawless (*･▽･*) 

My only cons about the event were the lines, overcrowding, and the price of food, but that's basically it. Just keep those things in mind when deciding whether or not you want to come to KCON. 

I thought the whole event was really fun and loved meeting people that didn't think I was crazy! 」(￣▽￣」)

2)BUYING TICKETS

I wasn't really aiming for the VIP tickets so I wasn't too worried about getting tickets right away (#P5FTW#POORSTUDENTLIFE). I ended up getting combo tickets maybe 2 hours after they were released. The seats my friend and I got weren't that bad. We were in the front row of probably the highest section of the arena. However, I do have one complaint. Right when the tickets were being released, KCON tweeted that the ticket prices were actually higher than previously announced =_= I expected to pay $70 + those extra Ticketmaster fees, but the ticket ended up costing $80 + the fees. Although it wasn't by that much, I just wish KCON could've said something sooner about the price increase. I know they raised the prices of the other ticket levels but I don't recall by how much :/

3)CHECK-IN (AKA THE LONG-ASS LINE)

I'd always heard about the long lines for check-in at KCON, but I also hear that it's also common for long lines to occur at huge conventions like it.

The first day of KCON (Friday June 24) was when I came to check in. I arrived at the Prudential Center maybe 15 minutes before the check-in would actually start (I believe I came around 9:45-9:50) and the line was already wrapping around the block. It got even longer 10 minutes after I arrived. The weather wasn't bad at all, it was pretty nice out to be honest. While in line, I chat with this really nice girl behind me and some others. I admit I didn't talk the entire time though ^^'. I recall checking KCON's Snapchat several times to see if we missed anything. 

In total, I waited in line for maybe 1.5 hours. I think I got into the convention around 11:30ish. The line wound up around the block and across the portion of the closed off street. When we finally got to the check-in tents, we were all separated into VIP, P1, P2, P3 and under. In order to access the convention, you had to register online. I gave my name and showed my tickets to the woman checking my friend and I in. Then we were given a scratch off card for a chance to get into a fan engagement (I got "sorry" both days of check-in (︶︹︺)) and a card to redeem your goodie bag. FYI: The goodie bag was basically a big blue tote bag with the KCON NY logo on it and there was a fan from Line inside. It was also supposed to come with one KCON sticker, but they accidentally gave me ten (i gave some away though!) xP

What you get at check-in minus the black t-shirt (it cost $15)

4)TENTS AND FREE STUFF(THERE'S LOTS OF IT)

I'd say take advantage of all the free stuff at KCON. There were raffles for lots of random things like concert tickets, hi-touch and fan engagement passes, gift cards w/ lots of $, and even a trip to Korea! I knew I wasn't going to win anything, but trying never hurt anyone.

Some booths may also make you do certain things in order to get free samples. One of the many things I did those two days was take pictures with the tent's "photo booths" and post a picture of it on Instagram (hah I deleted everything after it though). Some businesses also made you follow them on social media to get samples. I remember the Nongshim Ramyun tent also had a cup stacking competition and the winner would get a bag while second place gets this really cute notebook (WIN-WIN). Some booths also had that spin the wheel thing to pick your prize (I remember spinning the wheel at Sokoglam, Melona, and Spottoon). Others had mini games you could play to win. DramaFever had these giant fuzzy dice you had to roll to win and Bibigo had this Korean game you had to play to win (I'm not really good at explaining how it worked!). Of course most of these had...you know it...LINES. The line may look long on the outside, but they actually moved by pretty quickly. If you come to KCON early in the day like I did, just know you have plenty of time to do almost everything!

I ended up coming home with loads of stickers, a couple notebooks, a mousepad, LOTS OF FANS (the ones to cool you off OBV), coupons, and so many sheet masks (i'm so excited to use them!) and skincare/makeup samples. I also got these really nice smelling body mists from Duft&Doft. They were supposedly "sample size" but honestly what they gave me could last me like 2+ years :D

  There were also various sellers there selling Kpop merch alongside albums, makeup and skincare, and even books. Other such as fan clubs had booths there, some holding giveaways and some even selling merch. Honestly there was just so much to get from the tent area.

Free bags and fan signs

Miscellaneous free stuff

SO MANY SAMPLES!

5)PANELS AND PERFORMANCES

I didn't get a chance to see too many panels, but the ones I did go to were pretty fun. The first one I saw was Jre and Kenny's meet and greet. I got there like 10 minutes before it started and the inside seating was already full, but I managed to get a spot outside that was pretty close to the main table. Kenny and Jre were even a foot away from as they walked to their seats! I was trying so hard not to fangirl! It was so surreal seeing these people that I was so used to seeing on a computer screen in real life. It was really fun hearing their experience meeting BigBang (still really happy Taeyang recognized Jre!) and they also answered plenty of fan questions. They even had a rap battle in which Jre body-rolled(*⌒▽⌒)ﾉ oh my gosh it was the best. Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the whole entire panel bc I was hungry AF, but it was still great seeing Jre and Kenny.

PLAY MY INTRO!
(pls excuse the horrible quality of the next pics bc i had to zoom in)

Another panel I checked out was Behind the Scenes (gosh the acronym is never the same for me anymore) with SM Entertainment. In it, we were all able to ask songwriters for SM questions. They talked about working with artists like Exo, SNSD, Shinee, and even non-SM artists like I.O.I. It was really insightful and they even told us about how much the artists were involved in the process. I remember some lady even telling them to tell the higher ups at SM to have another SM Town in NYC. I wanted to shout, "you go girl!" so badly!

On the main convention stage, lots of things happened. I only got a chance to see Cindy Vo's performance and Jun Sung Ahn. I caught Cindy performing this amazing rendition of Yanghwa Bridge and she even sang My Type with Patrick Park from East2West. I caught Jun Sung near the end of one of his violin performances in time to see his dance cover of Fire by BTS. Ugh I still can't decide on a BGA bias, but Jun Sung is definitely moving up! I've watched both of these people on YouTube before I even thought about going to KCON and just like I said before, it's really surreal to see these people performing in front of you.

After Jun Sung's performance, he announced that he was going to help the KCON staff present one of the artists for the concert. We all waited anxiously to see who it was. Then, a van pulled up and the car doors opened. On stage, a staff member was leading none other than the beautiful ladies of Mamamoo. Oh my gosh they are so pretty. And their voices are so angelic! The staff along with Jun Sung then interviewed them for maybe 10-15 minutes or so, then they all thanked us and left.

their fashion was actual goals

6)VIP ENTRANCES (BE CAREFUL OF THE FANS)

One thing I didn't realize would happen at these events was that you might get the chance to see an actual Kpop idol or other Korean celebrity up close. After leaving Cindy's performance when it ended, a huge crowd started congregating around the barricades the security guards were setting up in front of a VIP entrance. In a series of events, my friend and I ended up making it to the front of the barricades where we could see whoever was coming out up close. Lots of people were saying that Seventeen was coming out, but when I saw that it was leading to the TVN tent (I'm pretty sure that's a channel for Kdramas), I knew it was going to be Yim Siwan. I'm not a big watcher of Kdramas, so I wasn't really familiar with Siwan. It was still really cool seeing him up close and I was able to get a great video of him passing by. I also looked him up and saw he was a part of ZE:A (heard of the band but not familiar w/ their music ^^').

The next day, this happened again. I was also near the front of the barricades this time, but I wasn't smack dab in front like I was when Siwan came out. The group that ended up coming out was Day6. Oh my gosh they all looked so amazing and they were all so adorable. They all went inside the Toyota tent and took a selfie w/ this really lucky guy who won a raffle. It just made me even more excited to see them performing at the concert later ^.^

One thing that can be quite annoying with these kinds of things is the overcrowding. I saw lots of people trying to pass by, but the crowd that was waiting for Siwan/Day6 didn't really make way. It was also a bit chaotic once everything ended and the celebrity went back inside. People just starting scattering everywhere and ughhhhh it was a mess.

DAY6 at the Toyota Tent

7)FOOD (I ENDED UP AT MCDONALDS)

I was really, really excited for the food at KCON. As soon as I saw all the trucks pulling in and setting up while waiting in line, I knew it was gonna be hype. I could even smell the ddeokbokki in the distance. From what I can remember, I know there was an ice cream truck, a Mexican food truck, a couple Korean food trucks, some fusion food trucks, a bubble tea tent, a Korean food tent, and the usual stuff (being cheesesteaks and hot dogs...pretty sure there were hot dogs...but i don't remember totally^^'). 

Around 11:30am, there were barely any lines for food. However, this would change in maybe half an hour. By the time I decided to grab some grub, the lines quadrupled in length =_= I had a feeling it was going to happen at some point. 

I only ate at the KCON food area once the entire time. Though the food was amazing and I wish I could've tried more, the prices were a bit high in my opinion(the long lines were also a deal breaker). The one time I did get food, I got a bulgogi rice bowl with kimchi (*mouth waters while typing*) from one of the food trucks. My friend and I also got in line for the bubble tea and ordered passionfruit lemonades.

In the end, I just ended up going to McDonald's for the rest of the time. The walk wasn't too far from the Prudential Center (I'd say maybe 1 block away) and many other attendees also had the same idea of eating there as well. I just wanted to save some money and who could resist that McPick 2 deal? d=(´▽｀)=b

8)THE SECURITY LINE

Ah, the concert. The most anticipated event of the entire day. However one obstacle is left to conquer: the security line.

I'm not entirely sure when the line began forming for general admission, but it was pretty long when I joined (around 5:30pm). It was a bit confusing on where to line up because there were signs saying that only this line was for P1 and that line was for P2 while the security guards were directing people with general admission to these supposed "P1 and P2" lines. The signs were actually false and the area was supposed to be for GA. 

Like most concert venues, outside food is not allowed. This security guard with a megaphone kept yelling it out and telling everyone to open their bags in order to make the process faster. My friend and I still had our McDonald's but thankfully we managed to finish it in time ^^'

Around 6pm, one hour before the concert was set to start, the doors were opened and the lines began pouring in. We were instructed to take out our cell phones and wallets, open any bags we had while security sifted through it, and step through a metal detector.

After all that waiting, a security guard with a scanner scanned our tickets and we were finally lifted off into the depths of the Prudential Center.

9)PRE-CONCERT

WE HAVE ARRIVED AT THE CONCERT...kind of. A lot happened even before the main show and I was so close to hyperventilating already. It was all too much to take in. Our seats were high in the rafters. We were in the first row of our section, so it wasn't that bad. I wasn't able to discern any faces up in my seat, but I could tell everyone by their hair and outfit. There were also large screens on stage broadcasted live video so we would be able to see what was happening up close. One thing I thought was really cool seeing from afar was the dance formation of the groups. Both concerts were equally amazing.

Before the main act would began, we were all treated to amazing opening acts. The first night was opened by a group of kids from a local school showcasing an amazing Kpop medley dance cover. They were actual goals °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° The second night was opened by none other than Jun Sung Ahn. As a homage to BTS that night, he performed a violin cover of Save Me and even danced while playing it. Goals...just goals（*´▽｀*）

Following the opening acts was a cute video of all the artists revealing that they were going to KCON NY. After the video ended, two hosts stepped out: Ailee and Rap Monster. They both did such an amazing job as MCs and were able to address us all perfectly in English and Korean. One thing in particular that touched me and the rest of the audience was when Ailee expressed her thanks for being given the opportunity to perform in her hometown (#JERSEYREP). She really deserved being here after getting to the point she's gotten. 

10)DAY 1 CONCERT

FINALLY. I'M GOING TO DISCUSS THE ONE AND ONLY KCON NY 2016 DAY 1 CONCERT. After an amazing intro by Ailee and RapMon, the sound of screams opened up as the logo of Seventeen flashed onto the jumbotron. I don't remember the order of songs they performed, but I recall they sang around 5 songs. Unfortunately, Seventeen was incomplete as Wonwoo was recovering from an infection :(
However, the members gave him a cute little shoutout during Pretty U! The book they had during the performance had Wonwoo's face on it〔´∇｀〕In the middle of the performance, Seventeen also had a little chat with the audience and thanked us as it was their first performance EVER in the States. Hopefully they'll be back soon!


Please excuse me if I butcher the order the artists performed >.<
I believe the next artist to come out was Ailee. Oh. My. Freaking. Ailee. SHE. SLAYED. The first song she sang was Mind Your Own Business, but as you might know from all the other fan accounts, the back track shut off in the middle of the song. She sang acapella for a little bit after that, but she ended up going back and restarting the song. That acapella though. I'm still not over it. I think she sang the same amount of songs Seventeen performed and then had a small talk in the middle. She even admit that although she's not really nervous for performances, she was nervous for her hometown performance. Don't worry Ailee! You blew us all away with that stage!

After all the adrenaline from the previous performers, we were all soothed by Crush's R&B. I'm not too familiar with Crush, but his performance was very soulful. One day I'll get the chance to check out his music again!

When Crush exited the stage, RapMon and Ailee came out again and had talked to all of us again. I also remember that two Kdrama actors also came out as MCs (Park Boyoung and Yim Siwan). Pretty sure they came out during the Day 1 concert ^^' (too lazy to look back)

The next performer was BTOB. I wasn't too familiar with them either (I love watching Peniel's vlogs on YouTube though!). They were all so adorable in their pink suits(〃⌒∇⌒) They also stopped in the middle and talked. I don't remember if they also had a collaboration stage with another performer...? (omg this post is a mess. i forgot so much ^^')

I think Ailee and RapMon came out again...? They did the whole "Let's M-Countdown!" thing and then suddenly...it got dark. Then bam (or should I say, BANG...haha no). Seventeen comes out again! I was flipping out because they performed Bang by Afterschool (YOU'LL NEVER CATCH ME OH CHICKEN) and that song just...gives me life. THEN THEY DID SORRY SORRY. OH MAH. I COULDN'T TAKE IT. I WAS STILL RECOVERING FROM THEIR SURPRISE APPEARANCE. They finally ended the special stage with Balloons (*cries TVXQ5*) and all was calm. 

The final performance of the night was Dynamic Duo. Their rapping was so hype. I had never listened to them before (I knew of them only from this Epik High song they were featured in), but man there's just something about Korean hip hop... But really, it was actually "lit". Then Crush came back out again and had a collaboration stage with them. It was a really great performance to end the night.

Finally, all the artists came out on stage for the final bow. And that my friends, was only day 1.

DAY 1 ENDING

11)DAY 2 CONCERT (R.I.P. ME)

THE LAST DAY OF KCON( ´△｀) 

I had so many mixed emotions before this concert. I was super excited yet super anxious (WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO AFTER IT WAS ALL OVER?!). 

As the arena darkened, the same VCR that was shown on the first day was shown again. Ailee and RapMon came out again and introduced the one and only Mamamoo. They had this really cool intro with high heels and stuff. Then they slayed us all with their angelic voices. They also had a short chat with the audience (ugh they were so cute). Piano Man will forever be my favorite Mamamoo song 
ヾ(´▽｀;)ゝ 

Eric Nam was the next artist. His songs were depressing at first (even he admit they were!), but he kept joking around with all of us afterwards. Then he promised that his next song wouldn't be sad and he even taught us the clapping routine to the chorus of his song Into You (I believe this was the title. the song was also in English!). He also sang a little bit of Ooh Ooh during the short chat (I wish he performed it though（´＿｀）it was actually the first song of his I had listened too). 

Ailee and RapMon came out again after Eric exit the stage. They played a Kpop song guessing game with the audience and RapMon even did aegyo(≧∇≦*)

I remember they were giving us hints to what the song was and they told us to sing the answer. Ailee danced the routine as the hint to the first song. Lol not many people around me knew it (maybe because it was older Kpop) but it was Wonder Girls' Tell Me (one of the first Kpop songs I had ever listened too!). And of course I sang it back off key. 

Both of them gave us a couple hints for the second song. They mentioned that the band would be turning 10 this year (I could already tell who it was gonna be because I'm trash for them!) and they intentionally emphasized the word "lie" in their sentence. Then they motioned for us to sing and I swear I shot up so fast and began singing Big Bang's Lies even more off key than Tell Me! RapMon even rapped part of T.O.P's rap in the song. I almost died of happiness. 

The next artist to come out was Day6. It was so refreshing to see an actual band on stage with instruments and everything. I was familiar with their debut song Congratulations (which they performed!) and they also did maybe two of their own original songs and had a short chat. After that, they started their special stage by covering none other than Big Bang's Lies (and I swear I almost died of happiness again). After that was a cover of fellow JYP artist: the Wonder Girls (oh i loved how many artists were covering songs for these concerts!). Suddenly, Mamamoo came out again (AHHHHH) and both groups sang Nobody (this song though!). After that epic collaboration stage, both groups said their thanks and went backstage.

The air was already intensifying for you know who, but another VCR began playing to calm us all down. It was this really cute video of Eric and Ailee meeting up and going around the actual New York City together. Oh my gosh they were so adorable. In the video they got in a car, then the actual car pulled up on the side of the stage and they both came out of it! They went around the stage together and sang a song called Some. Their chemistry together was amazing, but they both expressed that it was awkward when the song was over because they were best friends. Aww you guys...(*~▽~)

12)"BEHIND THE SCENES"

I had to make this into an entirely separate section because this performance and the ending was just so much to take in. I know the way i wrote this next section sounds really cheesy so beware! there were too many feels and i can only express it through making it super descriptive!

Before you know who came out, Eric and Ailee both hyped up the crowd. After they left, a VCR began playing. Immediately, the air around me grew tense. I was literally going off the edge of my seat. The video displayed various quotes from international media outlets about the group's success, the rising views their music videos were getting, and the crazy audiences from their concerts around the world. One by one, the name of each member popped up on screen. With each name, the decibels of the audience's screams grew higher and higher. Then the logo flashed on the audience before getting dark. Suddenly, the sound of the opening song's bass beat. The audience [and I] roared. 

From underneath the stage, the seven members of BTS were lifted into view. A familiar "woo-woo!" (probably J-Hope) came from behind the screen as it parted to reveal the boys standing on stage. BTS then entered into Fire. Although they were far, it was still very surreal seeing them on stage. Watching their synchronized formations from above was spectacular. They gave off an even more powerful charisma than you can see through watching their performances online. After the energetic Fire, the stage darkened and lit up again with a lone Jimin standing with his back to the audience. The intro to Save Me began playing as Jimin began singing the opening lyrics. He exit backstage as Jungkook came and sang his lines. Jungkook then went back as V and Jin came out to sing their parts. Then everyone came out on stage and danced the group choreography when the beat dropped. This time, the members walked around the outer parts of the stage to finish the song. After it ended, the lights darkened and lit up again as BTS introduced themselves to the audience. They talked for a bit until eventually launching into Boyz With Fun. All of them engaged with the audience during the song and split up to go to different areas of the stage. When the tune ended, the vibe of the performance totally changed as the rapper line began Cypher pt.3: Killer. Oh. My. Gosh. They absolutely killed it. Their rapping was so intense. Like I said before, there's just something...just something about Korean hip hop. When the song ended, they all gathered back on stage and announced that this was their last song. I had a feeling what it was (well obviously THEY HAD TO PERFORM THIS). A familiar guitar intro sounded before Jungkook launched into "Ayo ladies and gentleman..." and the whole arena screamed. Dope live is just something else. They were all in sync and the involvement of the audience was incredible. I still get chills every time I watch my crappy recording of the song! Almost the entire arena was singing along to the song and shouted simultaneously every time Suga and RapMon held the mic towards the audience. My friend and I screamed the "enemy, energy" part so loud. I feel like I lost my voice because of that ^^' I didn't want the performance to end, but it had to at some point. Finally, the boys did their final breakdown and spun around to give their thumbs up (Jimin held his arms in a heart and I died). Then the lights darkened as BTS left for backstage.

JIN GET YOUR CHILDREN!

All good things must come to an end, which was essentially the entire KCON experience overall. This night ended the same way as last night (save for the fact that the effects of post concert depression were already kicking in). All of the artists along with Ailee gathered onstage to give one final bow before exiting. However, they weren't just going to leave just like that. Eric began doing this weird dance as Ailee and the audience cheered him on. Then out of nowhere, two little sh*ts from BTS began dabbing. It was none other than Kookie and TaeTae. I swear they were trying to "outdab" each other. Those children... V was the last one to exit the stage as he dabbed goodbye to the crowd. Then the stage was left bare as the automated "Thanks for coming!" message boomed over the speakers.

GOODBYE KCON I DON'T KNOW
WHAT TO DO WITH MY LIFE AFTER THIS

13)ADVICE FOR ATTENDING

My gosh I feel refreshed after releasing all those KCON feels into this entry. Through my experience at KCON, I'd like to offer up some advice if you plan on attending. This might only apply to the one in NY [*ahem Newark*] but I'm pretty sure any KCON event no matter what country or city has got to have a pretty similar vibe to KCON NY. 

What to pack? The obvious bare essentials. A small bag or backpack (I brought a small backpack but the straps were killing my shoulders after several hours =_=), your phone and its charger, money (make sure to secure it somewhere safe), a portable battery charger, and water (bring a small snack too if you feel like it). I also brought my Polaroid camera, but that's just me being extra :P
You'll be given a tote bag at KCON which is what I used to carry the free stuff I got along with McDonalds leftovers. 

Newark wasn't too hot that day (it was only the end of June, but KCON dates seem to be irregular so idk about next year :/). It was cooler in the morning and the sun came out later on in the afternoon. I just know North Jersey tends to get hotter during July and August. I wore shorts the first day and a skirt the next. I'd definitely recommend wearing comfy shoes (my Adidas Superstars did the job well!) because there will be standing, and lots of it! 

When you come to KCON, be prepared to wait in long lines, possibly be shoved in large crowds, deal with people who may not be the best in a calm and collected way, and just have a lot of patience. It's a really amazing event and a great way to meet other fans, but it's only going to be fun if you keep a positive mind and attitude. 

Anyway, I give you credit if you read all the way through and sealed with my random side comments! This whole entry is longer than the research papers I did for school this year _へ__(‾◡◝ )> (you know where my priorities are at!) Hopefully this gave you an insight of the KCON NY experience. I know this whole event is just going to grow larger and even better in years to come(KCON NY almost tripled in size from last year's event!)! Hope to see you at KCON 2017!