To celebrate their 25th debut anniversary, legendary 1st generation K-pop group g.o.d has kickstarted a tour in 3 cities in Korea, with the 1st night being held on December 23.
However, instead of having the time of their life, loyal fans of the group have constantly voiced frustration, even describing their concert experience as “unacceptable” and “the worst”.
According to fans, they had to spend 2 hours waiting outside the venue when the temperature was below 0 Celsius degrees, as the inside waiting areas were closed due to other events booked at the venue.
Furthermore, there were not enough lockers for fans to store their possessions, leading to many fans having to continue wearing their winter coats indoors, even overheating and passing out due to suffocation.
The standing sections were also too crowded to the point of the fences having to be moved back twice, cries for help were heard, and many ended up leaving the concert half-way through, said fans at the scene.
On top of all this, there was no elevated section, leading to fans who purchase seating tickets being unable to see the stage due to the standing section in the front blocking their views. It is known that the top rows of seating was priced the highest, despite fans there barely able to see anything.
So far, various posts discussing this unacceptable concert experience have been published on Korean forums, with fans showing their disappointment and comparing g.o.d’s concert to Im Young-woong’s, which had careful preparations to meet the needs of fans.
In particular, Im Young-woong installed huge LCD screens, employed a huge number of safety personnel, and even set up waiting areas for non-audience members.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- This sucks. 25 years in the industry and yet they don’t think about the audience at all. From the view, the sound, to the venue, all the basic conditions were not met
- Idol fans need to protest against improper practices like this instead of letting K-pop companies trample on them.
- To place the standing section in front of the seating one despite having no elevated seating area is just foul. Who in their right mind would do this?
- g.o.d has performed in these venues countless time. Shouldn’t they know all about this? The organizer is obviously cutting corners for better profits.
- Compared to Im Young-woong’s concert, this is a major disappointment. Fans of Im Young-woong are mostly seniors yet no problems occurred thanks to careful preparations. The concert experience can be better if companies stop being greedy monsters
- That seating section is a VIP section too… Normally seats with limited view should be announced clearly and sold at a cheaper price…
- Ever since Im Young-woong’s concert, I have come to understand that fans don’t need to suffer. The companies just want to cut costs instead of making a better experience. I hope artists and fans alike can speak up
Source: KB, theqoo
