My EXO Concert Experience Part 1
- theyeppoyodel
- Feb 10, 2017
- 5 min read
The title is not what it seems.
This is an open message to all the Kpop fans out there. I've been through these hardships and I believe they all boil down to one reason. This is my story.
I have not; ever in my 19 years of existence manage to attend any EXO concerts. WHAT IS EXO? so should you ask. Well, EXO is a bunch of good looking, talented, young South Korean (and some Chinese) boy group who made their first appearance in the Kpop world last 2012. They started training for the road to Kpop since early 2008.
THE BOYS
The group is originally composed of 12 members and is divided into 2 sub units – sub units meaning a group for the Korean version of the songs (EXO-K) and for the Chinese version (EXO-M). The 12 members are Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, Sehun, Luhan, Kris and Tao.
But unfortunately 3 of its members left the group due to certain reasons leaving the remaining 9 members continue promoting as EXO. For the record, EXO has already released 3 full length albums namely XOXO (2013), Exodus (2015) and the latest Ex’act (2016). The boy group also broke records when their Exodus album earned the largest first-week sales ever for a K-pop act on the Billboard 200, Billboard which is a record chart and ranking the 200 most popular music albums and other extended plays in the United States the basis is mostly on the rate of album sales. And now “Monster” the front song for their Ex’act album reached the No. 1 spot in the billboards world ranking making them the sixth K-pop act to hit No. 1 on World Digital Songs [Other Kpop acts were by PSY, CL (2NE1) , Taeyang and GDragon (BIG BANG) and BTS], one of the best moments for Kpop and of course to EXO.
So this boy group is not just plain looks and face, they have some talent which led them to those recognition. IN SHORT, I LOVE THIS GROUP SO MUCH BECAUSE OF THEIR MUSIC AND EVERYTHING. (If you want to know my feeling, just think of your favorite singer or band, YES! That’s the very emotion)
KPOP
As much as I love Original Filipino Songs I also appreciate Korean pop, as a youth who understands respect to other cultures I happen to find Kpop a unique flavor in the music industry. I first got hooked up in the K-wave since 2014 and the first band to touch my heart was EXO, but I was already enjoying the Korean pop culture since "boys over flower" made a huge groundbreaking tease in ABS CBN’s afternoon prime slot, the story was so out of the stereotype box during those days so the k-drama had a wide audience.
Let’s get back to EXO, just like other international and local bands/artist they promote a concert with an endearing uniquely constructed title, one of those once in a lifetime names was "Exo’lution, it’s like EXO plus evolution, they have their usual team as a all of them were EXO from exo planet. Now, lets get it with the story.
THE DREAM
Since I am miles away from Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, it’s not a one click plane ticket or a 15 minute ride from my boarding house in Albay. Either is it easy to go there specially that I am not the best traveler to cut loose in Metro Manila where the venue for the concert is usually held.
It was early fall of 2015 when the news of EXO concert exploded and that it will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena. As an EXO-L (if the One Direction fans call themselves "Directioners", EXO-L's go for EXO fans) it would be a dream come true as in "A BIG DREAM COME TRUE!" I would consequently imagine myself singing at the top of my lungs the boys’ names, watch how the stage lights shifts rapidly hurting my eyes , singing along with all the Korean songs despite lack of mastery and of course to see the man you adore so much due to a lot of emotional reasons I cannot elaborate without screeching sounds.
A friend of mine who was an avid fan herself had plans on going, and we’re not talking about normal plans but – solid rock plans- and it hit me, I have to make the most childish yet strongest decision and what happened next was hilariously a twister.
I got the details, Price and the rules. I chose the General admission which is at the back most part of the concert hall. It was affordable enough . . . No, it is actually equivalent to a month supply of my individual needs. Whenever my mother hand me some allowance I tried saving a bit for the concert until the ticket booth for the Exo’lution Manila (The title of the concert) opens, and if I remember correctly it was last December 6, 2015.
Weighing the Pros, Cons and my Heart
I consulted my mother about this concert thing, as a daughter who can’t keep secrets I told my parents my plan and of course they said “NO”, for the reason that nobody would guide me in a city like Manila, I do have relatives but they all have their works of life.
I tried thinking of ways for them to approve, but all my plans failed, until I got to the conclusion. (WARNING: KIDS DO NOT TRY THIS WITHOUT YOUR PARENTS CONSENT) I sent the money I saved to my friend, to buy me a ticket on the 6th of December – secretly. It was freedom at its finest, not minding the responsibility of defying the rules, I am truly a child.
As a second year College student and a fresh 18 year old that time (since it was 2015) , I was determined that once I present the ticket to my parents they would agree to send me to Manila to attend more or less the 5 hour concert.
I got the ticket! I told my Mother and then she had her brows up. She didn’t care about the money though, she still said NO.
Rectifying the situation
See? My once in a lifetime dream at my fingertips but still a 12 hour ride away, No screaming, no singing along, No EXO and NO CONCERT. Did I cry? Of course I did!, and the cry was alike that of a heartbreak from your significant other- 10 significant others to be exact.
I remember it was January, I was alone in the boarding house and my cry was really a wail, like I’ve lost a part of my body, like it won't function normally without it, and technically speaking it was horrible, I did that crying for 3 days before I go to sleep.
Childish right? but I laugh at it now.
So you might guess what happened next, I fully accepted that I am not really allowed to go, so I decided to sell the ticket.
I was a member of a bunch of group pages of EXO fans in facebook, I told them my story and that I am selling my tickets (2 of them because I got my sister a ticket too) it got almost a hundred likes and some comments inquiring ways for them to get a hold of the ticket.
THE TICKET
Selling the ticket was a process too.
But I’ll explain more soon.
Stay tuned for the second part of this twister.
Source:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/7407964/exo-world-digital-songs-monster-exact
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