Sushi, Lines & Muzik: 4 Minute's Mega Mall Stage
Warning: This is an incredibly long post that involves the subject of K-pop. If you aren't into it, just skip ahead. Thank you.
Sushi, Lines & Muzik:
4 Minute's Mega Mall Stage
Everything starts with Soshi. If not for SNSD, I would never even bother going to 4 Minute’s Promo tour. See, before Invincible Youth aired, I would have marked 4 Minute as another cookie cutter idol group - expectedly pretty with infectious overly produced pop songs; and the promos for Hot Issue only reinforced that notion.
Fortunately, Soshi was there. With Sunny and Yuri’s casting on IY, it was impossible for me not to check it out and watch the first few episodes. Turns out Invincible Youth was really good show; it was funny, charming, has excellent chemistry, and carries the proper amount of emotional resonance and realism that one would want from a variety show involving female idols. So after a few episodes, I got emotionally invested and curious enough about the other non-soshi G7 girls. One of them is Hyuna (there, I’m on track)
Hyuna didn’t really impress me, or got me that curious about her, least not at first. She was whiney, noisy, easily frightened, and largely immature - I would later find out that these traits were her charms - and it works. Eventually, felt I needed to check out the music of all G7 girls. Armed with insatiable curiosity and iron determination, I searched on-line for their music and videos. Granted it might be illegal, and quite unethical, it sure was practical - sides, it wasn’t like the albums were available locally.
It was an honest surprise that 4 Minute’s mini-album was good. While largely a matter of personal preference, one can’t help but give them the proper respect for a well composed album. It had attitude, flavor, and a unique sound they can call their own - it was ready to carve a small space in the fast expanding world of Kpop.
With the news of 4Minute’s visit to the Philippines for their promotions, I started making plans. Impressed by their album, I figured it might be the only time I get to see an idol girl group live and have my CD signed. (Wow that was a long intro - my bad).
The show was on Febuary 6 at 5pm, (that’s 6pm KST) in one of the world's largest malls - the mile long SM Mega Mall. I figured 4 Minute doesn't have a following as big as, say, Soshi, so I could afford to line up an hour or 2 before the actual show starts. That means I got time to finally satisfy a long overdue craving for unspeakable amounts of sushi with my brother, before heading out to slug it out with the rest of the crowd much later on. Curiosity, I’ll tell you now, can be a good thing; as it overpowered my will to just head straight to the restaurant, we took a small detour to scout the staging area and see where we should be positioning ourselves later. It was startling to see that a long line has already formed by 1130 AM. “Ah shit!” I thought, “We might not even get in to watch, much less have the CD signed.” Slightly disheartened, I proceeded to drown my sorrows with tons of raw salmon. Several plates and odd looks from the sushi chefs later, my brother and I decided to head out and hunker down at the line, hoping we still have a shot at getting in.
I buy my “Limited Edition Promo Variant” CD at the entrance, got a control number of 285 (yes, I’m the 286th person in line) and proceeded to the end of the now much longer line. My brother and I, stuffed from lunch decide to just plop our asses on the floor and wait - he would bring out his girlfriend’s PSP and play Tekken 6, while I try to hack my brain and learn a few more Korean sentences and phrases via an audio book (great stuff actually, I can somewhat converse in basic Korean already). I figured I might need this bit of knowledge given the context of today’s event and number of Koreans waiting in line. Time passes. My brother heads out to fetch his girlfriend at the mall entrance, leaving me to play with the PSP. Minutes go by and the line starts to move, I find out that we are being lead into the stage area already, and incidentally, only those who bought CDs today can get in and have it signed - though I saw a few who were able to get in with the ones released a week earlier (damn liars!). That also means in our small group, I’ll be the only one allowed in the area (which is good) but also means I got no one to pass the time with (which is bad).
1 hour standing in line and my feet begins to hurt. Crap. I still got 2 hours to get through before the show even starts. I can’t sit down because whatever small space I manage to get quickly disappears as the crowd thickens. I guess two hours isn’t so bad, I just have to man up and remember what little para-military discipline I’ve learned in high school to get me through. There is a catch though. The producers have been blasting 4minute songs since I got there (which again aint that bad, save for the fact that they keep on playing only 3 songs - its like they didn’t even bother with the other 4 songs in the CD). And to just rub salt into an open wound, they keep announcing the program mechanics every 10 minutes in terrible English.
At 450pm, the crowd goes wild as we spot the girls enter the backstage area. I manage to keep my cool despite the ear shattering screams of the fans. A front act doing acoustic covers take up the first 15 minutes of the program - good songs if not a dated selection, save for the last one: “Poker Face” which the crowd ate up. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any digital (or analog) recording devices with me - the camera was with my mom in her out of town trip, and my cell phone camera was incidentally busted along with its speakers. FAIL. Content to just enjoy the show and use my brain to record it, I waited patiently as the rest of the audience prep their gear.
Finally, 4 Minute takes the stage and the relatively calm audience transforms into this massive creature of screams, flashing light, and arms. I realized my good spot, wasn’t that good, when fan cams suddenly popped up in front of me blocking most of my view - thank god I’m taller than most so I was able to peak through the mass of bobbing heads and arms. I actually felt bad for a father-daughter pair who went to see the show. The kid was only 9 years old and because of her size, they had to leave minutes before the girls took to the stage as the heat and lack of space made it difficult for her to breathe.
The girls start strong with “Muzik”, powerful moves and crazy beats are like chum to the frenzied crowd. Soon pushing ensues and the girls had to take a break after the first and 3rd song, and wait for the crowd to calm down and take a step back. The small tween girls in the mix were most affected by the frantic crowd. That didn’t stop them from fighting for a spot and continue filming though.
4 Minute blew the crowd away, no question. Despite lip-synching their hits, their stage presence alone was enough put up an amazing show. At this point I’m even more impressed as I find myself singing along, as I move ever so subtly to the rhythm of the songs.
Then they sang live. It was unexpected, but welcome surprise - a pretty solid rendition of PSD’s “stick wit u”. It showcased their vocals (as well as English speaking abilities) for those who doubted their talent.
Two more songs later and the show wrapped up. Time to fight tooth and nail for a signature - or so I thought. The producers actually managed to keep control over the crowd and the meet & greet was moving along pretty well. That bit started at around 610pm, unfortunately there was only an hour for the fan signing. I looked at my stub and sighed audibly as the number 286 stared back at me, almost tauntingly. Chances are slim, I thought, but rumor has it yesterday’s event accommodated over 300 fans, which gives me enough odds to pull it off. Numbers get called and time zips by as I play more Tekken 6 and practice broken Korean in my head, and wait for my turn. Frequent time checks indicate its getting closer to the cut off. My hands begin to sweat, anxiety creeps in, but I manage to play it cool. Finally my batch gets called: 281 to 300. Sweet! Turns out, that was the last batch to have their CDs or posters signed. Double Sweet! So I take out the album cover from the case and ready it as I approach the stage.
Excitement, anticipation and the nerves battle for dominance, while I still try to hack my brain learning Korean - “thank you very much” is simple to remember in any other circumstance, other than meeting 5 incredibly dazzling girls.
Yes. Dazzling. No, I didn’t pussy out or lose my balls along with my vocabulary, It’s just really the best way I could articulate their impression on me. “Pretty” seems too easy an adjective, “nice” too banal, “beautiful” doesn’t quite capture their personality, and “hot” sounds to sexualized. “Dazzling” however seems to touch on every aspect of what they are. On stage it is like a spectacle - impeccably gorgeous girls (the camera doesn’t do them justice, this I swear), working the crowd with well coordinated and strong dance moves, addictive tunes, and catchy lyrics. It’s like watching a video game or anime - each dance is a combo, and when they bust their signature moves like the Plam-on-Chin body-shake in “Muzik”, it feels like they just unleashed a super power and blows the audience away. Distinct personalities show (from Jihyun’s mature charm, Hyuna’s paradoxical appeal *more on that later*, to Jiyoon’s strong, edgy personality) despite a generally cutesy image. Like I said, “Dazzling”.
So I climb the stairs that leads to the start of the line, whip out the cover, and suddenly as I make eye contact with the first member and coincidentally their leader, Jihyun, I lose higher cognitive functions. Brain turns to mush and I go on auto pilot. I try my best to greet and thank them in Korean, but I’m unsure how articulate or how good my diction was. Regardless of how badly I might have messed that one up, I managed to get the signatures of all the members. EPIC WIN.
I exit the stage and follow the path up the stairs and find out it’s the same route the girls will take as they leave the mall. The onlookers are starting to build up along the side lines. Seeing a sweet spot right next to the security line, I took it. A few minutes later the girls ran up the stairs surrounded by their entourage and burly bouncers that even I won’t take on unless I’m really friggin’ high. The crowd squeals, screeches, and screams. I, armed with an insane urge to be insufferably pretentious, decide to “class up” the exit by showing my appreciation by clapping. Yeah, I’m a real douche bag. They manage to make a few waves and send “hearts” to the crowd as they quickly get into their vans.
Satisfied, exhausted, and still elated, I head to a nearby Frozen Yogurt shop to collect myself, reinsert the album cover, and safely tuck it in my bag before heading home.
Yes. This day was pure win. It has so much Awesome sauce it should be banned. Actually, right now I can’t hear anyone over the sound of how AWESOME this entire day was. I went in an admirer, and left a fan.
P.S.
On the subject of Hyuna
As I mentioned earlier, this particular member, and by the loud chants of the crowd the most popular, is a paradox for me.
She has the face of an adorable kid - cute, but nothing breathtaking really, and her off stage mannerisms seem to strengthen this idea. Yet she has the body of a very sexy older girl - curves are all at the right places, and a flexibility that will make most girls cry. And wow, does she know how to use it well on stage. That is a deadly combination, albeit a very odd one.
I think its that particular odd, almost awkward juxtaposition of conflicting traits that make up her charm. Like very distinct, yet complimentary flavors that make a really intriguing taste.
On the subject of the other members
If SONEs claim that Sooyoung, Seohyun, Hyoyeon and even sunny are underrated, well the other members of 4 Minute are even more so. They actually are very talented, attractive girls with really strong personalities. They just need a bit more exposure to be really appreciated. And I cant stress this enough, they are really, really pretty. My 4 Minute crush count just jumped a number of notches since this afternoon’s stage.
PPS
I found it incredibly charming and adorable to actually attempt to introduce themselves in Filipino. ex. "Ako si Jiyoon" (I am Jiyoon). Hyuna even went as far as saying she wanted to learn more words the next time she visits. Supercool.
Sushi, Lines & Muzik:
4 Minute's Mega Mall Stage
Everything starts with Soshi. If not for SNSD, I would never even bother going to 4 Minute’s Promo tour. See, before Invincible Youth aired, I would have marked 4 Minute as another cookie cutter idol group - expectedly pretty with infectious overly produced pop songs; and the promos for Hot Issue only reinforced that notion.
Fortunately, Soshi was there. With Sunny and Yuri’s casting on IY, it was impossible for me not to check it out and watch the first few episodes. Turns out Invincible Youth was really good show; it was funny, charming, has excellent chemistry, and carries the proper amount of emotional resonance and realism that one would want from a variety show involving female idols. So after a few episodes, I got emotionally invested and curious enough about the other non-soshi G7 girls. One of them is Hyuna (there, I’m on track)
Hyuna didn’t really impress me, or got me that curious about her, least not at first. She was whiney, noisy, easily frightened, and largely immature - I would later find out that these traits were her charms - and it works. Eventually, felt I needed to check out the music of all G7 girls. Armed with insatiable curiosity and iron determination, I searched on-line for their music and videos. Granted it might be illegal, and quite unethical, it sure was practical - sides, it wasn’t like the albums were available locally.
It was an honest surprise that 4 Minute’s mini-album was good. While largely a matter of personal preference, one can’t help but give them the proper respect for a well composed album. It had attitude, flavor, and a unique sound they can call their own - it was ready to carve a small space in the fast expanding world of Kpop.
With the news of 4Minute’s visit to the Philippines for their promotions, I started making plans. Impressed by their album, I figured it might be the only time I get to see an idol girl group live and have my CD signed. (Wow that was a long intro - my bad).
The show was on Febuary 6 at 5pm, (that’s 6pm KST) in one of the world's largest malls - the mile long SM Mega Mall. I figured 4 Minute doesn't have a following as big as, say, Soshi, so I could afford to line up an hour or 2 before the actual show starts. That means I got time to finally satisfy a long overdue craving for unspeakable amounts of sushi with my brother, before heading out to slug it out with the rest of the crowd much later on. Curiosity, I’ll tell you now, can be a good thing; as it overpowered my will to just head straight to the restaurant, we took a small detour to scout the staging area and see where we should be positioning ourselves later. It was startling to see that a long line has already formed by 1130 AM. “Ah shit!” I thought, “We might not even get in to watch, much less have the CD signed.” Slightly disheartened, I proceeded to drown my sorrows with tons of raw salmon. Several plates and odd looks from the sushi chefs later, my brother and I decided to head out and hunker down at the line, hoping we still have a shot at getting in.
I buy my “Limited Edition Promo Variant” CD at the entrance, got a control number of 285 (yes, I’m the 286th person in line) and proceeded to the end of the now much longer line. My brother and I, stuffed from lunch decide to just plop our asses on the floor and wait - he would bring out his girlfriend’s PSP and play Tekken 6, while I try to hack my brain and learn a few more Korean sentences and phrases via an audio book (great stuff actually, I can somewhat converse in basic Korean already). I figured I might need this bit of knowledge given the context of today’s event and number of Koreans waiting in line. Time passes. My brother heads out to fetch his girlfriend at the mall entrance, leaving me to play with the PSP. Minutes go by and the line starts to move, I find out that we are being lead into the stage area already, and incidentally, only those who bought CDs today can get in and have it signed - though I saw a few who were able to get in with the ones released a week earlier (damn liars!). That also means in our small group, I’ll be the only one allowed in the area (which is good) but also means I got no one to pass the time with (which is bad).
1 hour standing in line and my feet begins to hurt. Crap. I still got 2 hours to get through before the show even starts. I can’t sit down because whatever small space I manage to get quickly disappears as the crowd thickens. I guess two hours isn’t so bad, I just have to man up and remember what little para-military discipline I’ve learned in high school to get me through. There is a catch though. The producers have been blasting 4minute songs since I got there (which again aint that bad, save for the fact that they keep on playing only 3 songs - its like they didn’t even bother with the other 4 songs in the CD). And to just rub salt into an open wound, they keep announcing the program mechanics every 10 minutes in terrible English.
At 450pm, the crowd goes wild as we spot the girls enter the backstage area. I manage to keep my cool despite the ear shattering screams of the fans. A front act doing acoustic covers take up the first 15 minutes of the program - good songs if not a dated selection, save for the last one: “Poker Face” which the crowd ate up. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any digital (or analog) recording devices with me - the camera was with my mom in her out of town trip, and my cell phone camera was incidentally busted along with its speakers. FAIL. Content to just enjoy the show and use my brain to record it, I waited patiently as the rest of the audience prep their gear.
Finally, 4 Minute takes the stage and the relatively calm audience transforms into this massive creature of screams, flashing light, and arms. I realized my good spot, wasn’t that good, when fan cams suddenly popped up in front of me blocking most of my view - thank god I’m taller than most so I was able to peak through the mass of bobbing heads and arms. I actually felt bad for a father-daughter pair who went to see the show. The kid was only 9 years old and because of her size, they had to leave minutes before the girls took to the stage as the heat and lack of space made it difficult for her to breathe.
The girls start strong with “Muzik”, powerful moves and crazy beats are like chum to the frenzied crowd. Soon pushing ensues and the girls had to take a break after the first and 3rd song, and wait for the crowd to calm down and take a step back. The small tween girls in the mix were most affected by the frantic crowd. That didn’t stop them from fighting for a spot and continue filming though.
4 Minute blew the crowd away, no question. Despite lip-synching their hits, their stage presence alone was enough put up an amazing show. At this point I’m even more impressed as I find myself singing along, as I move ever so subtly to the rhythm of the songs.
Then they sang live. It was unexpected, but welcome surprise - a pretty solid rendition of PSD’s “stick wit u”. It showcased their vocals (as well as English speaking abilities) for those who doubted their talent.
Two more songs later and the show wrapped up. Time to fight tooth and nail for a signature - or so I thought. The producers actually managed to keep control over the crowd and the meet & greet was moving along pretty well. That bit started at around 610pm, unfortunately there was only an hour for the fan signing. I looked at my stub and sighed audibly as the number 286 stared back at me, almost tauntingly. Chances are slim, I thought, but rumor has it yesterday’s event accommodated over 300 fans, which gives me enough odds to pull it off. Numbers get called and time zips by as I play more Tekken 6 and practice broken Korean in my head, and wait for my turn. Frequent time checks indicate its getting closer to the cut off. My hands begin to sweat, anxiety creeps in, but I manage to play it cool. Finally my batch gets called: 281 to 300. Sweet! Turns out, that was the last batch to have their CDs or posters signed. Double Sweet! So I take out the album cover from the case and ready it as I approach the stage.
Excitement, anticipation and the nerves battle for dominance, while I still try to hack my brain learning Korean - “thank you very much” is simple to remember in any other circumstance, other than meeting 5 incredibly dazzling girls.
Yes. Dazzling. No, I didn’t pussy out or lose my balls along with my vocabulary, It’s just really the best way I could articulate their impression on me. “Pretty” seems too easy an adjective, “nice” too banal, “beautiful” doesn’t quite capture their personality, and “hot” sounds to sexualized. “Dazzling” however seems to touch on every aspect of what they are. On stage it is like a spectacle - impeccably gorgeous girls (the camera doesn’t do them justice, this I swear), working the crowd with well coordinated and strong dance moves, addictive tunes, and catchy lyrics. It’s like watching a video game or anime - each dance is a combo, and when they bust their signature moves like the Plam-on-Chin body-shake in “Muzik”, it feels like they just unleashed a super power and blows the audience away. Distinct personalities show (from Jihyun’s mature charm, Hyuna’s paradoxical appeal *more on that later*, to Jiyoon’s strong, edgy personality) despite a generally cutesy image. Like I said, “Dazzling”.
So I climb the stairs that leads to the start of the line, whip out the cover, and suddenly as I make eye contact with the first member and coincidentally their leader, Jihyun, I lose higher cognitive functions. Brain turns to mush and I go on auto pilot. I try my best to greet and thank them in Korean, but I’m unsure how articulate or how good my diction was. Regardless of how badly I might have messed that one up, I managed to get the signatures of all the members. EPIC WIN.
I exit the stage and follow the path up the stairs and find out it’s the same route the girls will take as they leave the mall. The onlookers are starting to build up along the side lines. Seeing a sweet spot right next to the security line, I took it. A few minutes later the girls ran up the stairs surrounded by their entourage and burly bouncers that even I won’t take on unless I’m really friggin’ high. The crowd squeals, screeches, and screams. I, armed with an insane urge to be insufferably pretentious, decide to “class up” the exit by showing my appreciation by clapping. Yeah, I’m a real douche bag. They manage to make a few waves and send “hearts” to the crowd as they quickly get into their vans.
Satisfied, exhausted, and still elated, I head to a nearby Frozen Yogurt shop to collect myself, reinsert the album cover, and safely tuck it in my bag before heading home.
Yes. This day was pure win. It has so much Awesome sauce it should be banned. Actually, right now I can’t hear anyone over the sound of how AWESOME this entire day was. I went in an admirer, and left a fan.
P.S.
On the subject of Hyuna
As I mentioned earlier, this particular member, and by the loud chants of the crowd the most popular, is a paradox for me.
She has the face of an adorable kid - cute, but nothing breathtaking really, and her off stage mannerisms seem to strengthen this idea. Yet she has the body of a very sexy older girl - curves are all at the right places, and a flexibility that will make most girls cry. And wow, does she know how to use it well on stage. That is a deadly combination, albeit a very odd one.
I think its that particular odd, almost awkward juxtaposition of conflicting traits that make up her charm. Like very distinct, yet complimentary flavors that make a really intriguing taste.
On the subject of the other members
If SONEs claim that Sooyoung, Seohyun, Hyoyeon and even sunny are underrated, well the other members of 4 Minute are even more so. They actually are very talented, attractive girls with really strong personalities. They just need a bit more exposure to be really appreciated. And I cant stress this enough, they are really, really pretty. My 4 Minute crush count just jumped a number of notches since this afternoon’s stage.
PPS
I found it incredibly charming and adorable to actually attempt to introduce themselves in Filipino. ex. "Ako si Jiyoon" (I am Jiyoon). Hyuna even went as far as saying she wanted to learn more words the next time she visits. Supercool.