Going the distance for your idols

In the new year, we have a series of concerts to look forward to. Various artists will embark on tours and visit the Philippines as one of their stops.

Tours usual happen after an artist releases an album. It’s an opportunity for fans to watch their idols perform live. It’s a chance for artists, especially international ones, to meet their fans from all over the world. Sometimes it’s the other way around, it’s the fans who travel to see the artists.

I had the opportunity to watch Tomorrow by Together’s (TXT) encore concert in Seoul last December. Although I was already living as an exchange student in Korea, it was like a detour I took during my stay there.

More important, I was able to fulfill a dream I and many KPop fans have, which is to attend a concert in my favorite artists’ home country. It’s the same for college student Joan Pan, who went to Korea last July to watch Enhypen’s Fate in Seoul concert.

“Simula nung naging KPop fan ako, isa sa mga pinapangarap ko sa buhay ay maka-attend ng

concert overseas (Ever since I became a KPop fan, one of my goals has been to attend a concert overseas),” says Joan, who has been a KPop fan since 2017. She has been to Korea before, but it was her first time traveling to Korea with her friends for a concert.

Another first-timer is Sarah Villanueva, a fresh college graduate who will attend Taylor Swift’s

Eras Tour stop in Singapore in March. She’s been a Swiftie since 2007 and couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

“Naisip ko rin, graduating na ako nung inannounce ’yung tour and may job na ako by the

time na magkaka-concert kaya ako nakapag-decide [na pumunta] (I was about to graduate when the tour announcement came and I would already have a job by the time of the concert, so those two factors solidified my decision to go),” says Sarah, who also considers it a celebration of her being a longtime fan. “Um-attend ako nung Red Tour in Manila last 2014, ‘yung last concert niya dito,” she says.

“It’s been 10 years since I last saw her.”

Meanwhile, Seventeen fan and content creator Kaydii Dupet has traveled to Korea multiple times to support her favorite group, attending their in-person fansigns and concerts.

“My dream has always been to travel often,” she says. “Every time I travel for a Seventeen concert or event, I am also making a childhood dream come true.”

Of course, going to overseas concerts is not just about motivation. Along with the concerts comes a plethora of things to plan, such as airfare and accommodations. Some people might even consider this too burdensome compared to the payoff.

Joan, Sarah, and Kaydii had a common answer when I asked them why they chose to go through all that effort: They want to support their favorite artists while also doing something they enjoy. It all boils down to love, like all things worth doing.

“It’s part of my bucket list. Wala na sa akin na ang dami ko pang effort na gagawin para makanood kasi nga gusto ko siya gawin talaga (I don’t mind what it takes because it’s something I want to do),” Joan explains. For Sarah, passion and motivation make the effort fulfilling.

Every time I attend a concert, all these concerns fade away the minute I step into the venue, the minute the stage lights come to life, and the moment my favorite artists greet us before the opening song. I realize it’s all worth it. There’s no place I’d rather be.

Travel, after all, is part of the experience. Since you have to go the distance, you might as well maximize your time wherever you are.

“I understand that it can be burdensome to others who don’t necessarily like to travel,” Kaydii admits. “But it’s something I enjoy doing, like making itineraries and planning activities and outfits.”

The concert might be the priority, but going to various places and meeting people from different cultures are the cherry on top of an already fun activity.

This hobby, however, is far from cheap.  “When I was growing up as a fangirl, my parents had never been fully supportive of my hobby,” says Kaydii. “I was taught that if I wanted something, I had to earn the money for it.”

She recalls traveling overseas for the first time to see Seventeen for the Ideal Cut concert in Singapore back in 2018. She had just graduated from college and saved up.

The concert experience may vary per country. Philippine and Korean concerts have noticeable differences, particularly in terms of duration. The TXT finale concert lasted for three and half hours and had several encores, an admirable feat, thanks to the endurance of the members. Kaydii also says that Seventeen’s concerts would have a significantly longer setlist than in other stops.

Another difference is how fans would participate in the concert. The Filipino way involves shouting and singing along while Korean concertgoers focus on doing the fanchants. “Napansin ko lang din, na in general, mas tahimik ang Korean fans compared sa atin na sigaw ng sigaw talaga ((I noticed that Korean fans tend to be calmer compared to Filipino fans who tend to be very enthusiastic),” Joan says.

Despite these differences, Kaydii and Joan share that fans anywhere would go all out on their concert outfits and the concert promoters always have freebies to give out to fans. Perhaps that’s the biggest similarity of all. Whether it’s in the Philippines or Korea or anywhere else, these concerts let people come together to support someone they love. — Bianca Ysabelle Lucanas

*****
Credit belongs to: www.mb.com.ph