I suppose it depends on logistics, too. I don’t think we’ll have opening acts here because it’d be expensive to bring a second act over… unless they source locally and go for a P-pop group, and that won’t fly well with some fans, I feel.
Luckily my two K-pop concerts (GFriend in 2016 and Mamamoo last year) were full and wasn’t lacking in momentum. I suppose there was also the fact that there were a lot of fans seeing them live for the first time, so the atmosphere was strong. I think we were outsinging recorded Mamamoo songs!
So many good points on the value opening acts could bring to k-pop concerts. Maybe if the labels make the first move, the more resistant fans will adjust.
I've also found it odd that there are no openers and agree it's a missed opportunity. I wonder if there's a way to normalize it, because I do think that K-Pop fans are often only wrapped in their own bubble of the genre - even if an artists' show isn't their first concert. It's funny, despite so many people being multistans, there's still a certain loyalty to their preferred artists without a lot of wiggle room for others! On the contrary, the K-hip hop, K-rock and K-R&B shows I've been to always have an opener or two and this seems like a norm for the fans there.
I was floor for one of ATEEZ's 2022 shows with xikers opening and it seemed like everyone really enjoyed them and were hyping them up! But, and this is completely anecdotal, it seems like ATINY seems to skew a bit older and many I've met were seasoned concertgoers who were drawn to ATEEZ due to their love of other genres that the group utilizes in their sound. So this show wasn't their first rodeo!
I actually tried to book the opening slot for that Epik High show (I think HMLT & Joiya might have also opened?)!
But when I later learnt how rare it is for K-pop acts to have openers (local or touring), I really thought that was such a missed opportunity… until I discovered that the dominant sect of younger music fans/newer industry mechanisms don’t really favour discovery in the same way they used to. It’s just a novelty! 🫠
I suppose it depends on logistics, too. I don’t think we’ll have opening acts here because it’d be expensive to bring a second act over… unless they source locally and go for a P-pop group, and that won’t fly well with some fans, I feel.
Luckily my two K-pop concerts (GFriend in 2016 and Mamamoo last year) were full and wasn’t lacking in momentum. I suppose there was also the fact that there were a lot of fans seeing them live for the first time, so the atmosphere was strong. I think we were outsinging recorded Mamamoo songs!
Definitely enjoyed it when I saw xikers open for ATEEZ. I've been saying companies should do two-artist tours more. Great read!
So many good points on the value opening acts could bring to k-pop concerts. Maybe if the labels make the first move, the more resistant fans will adjust.
I've also found it odd that there are no openers and agree it's a missed opportunity. I wonder if there's a way to normalize it, because I do think that K-Pop fans are often only wrapped in their own bubble of the genre - even if an artists' show isn't their first concert. It's funny, despite so many people being multistans, there's still a certain loyalty to their preferred artists without a lot of wiggle room for others! On the contrary, the K-hip hop, K-rock and K-R&B shows I've been to always have an opener or two and this seems like a norm for the fans there.
I was floor for one of ATEEZ's 2022 shows with xikers opening and it seemed like everyone really enjoyed them and were hyping them up! But, and this is completely anecdotal, it seems like ATINY seems to skew a bit older and many I've met were seasoned concertgoers who were drawn to ATEEZ due to their love of other genres that the group utilizes in their sound. So this show wasn't their first rodeo!
I actually tried to book the opening slot for that Epik High show (I think HMLT & Joiya might have also opened?)!
But when I later learnt how rare it is for K-pop acts to have openers (local or touring), I really thought that was such a missed opportunity… until I discovered that the dominant sect of younger music fans/newer industry mechanisms don’t really favour discovery in the same way they used to. It’s just a novelty! 🫠