Learn More About the First Korean Idol Performance in South America!
K-Con is a convention of Korean Idols which is held annually in different countries around the world. K-Con was created by Koreaboo, a digital media company of Korean pop culture content, in 2012 and organized by CJ E&M, a Korean entertainment and mass media company. K-Con was held for establishing an annual event to introduce, connect and bring Korean wave, K-Pop artists and professionals, to American fans.
The first K-Con was held on October 13th, 2012, in Irvine California. Approximately 20.000 people attended the K-Pop conference. Initially, K-Con was held for American fans but in later years, K-Con started being held in East Asia, South East Asia, Europe, Australia, and South America. The 2017 K-Con was held in Mexico, Japan, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Australia from March to September. It was the first K-Con held in South America and Australia. In this article, Byeol Korea will provide you with a rundown of everything about the appearance of Korean idols on K-Con Mexico, South America. So, stay tuned!
About The Show
K-Con Mexico was held in Mexico City from March 17-18, 2017. There were 5 different cities that accommodated the K-Con 2017. The first stop was Mexico City, followed by Chiba, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Sydney on September 22-23 2017. Reportedly, there were around 30.000 K-Pop lovers attending the conference.
Since it was the first K-Con in Mexico, the conference wasn’t managed properly. The convention venue was deemed too small for the K-Con event. The K-Con entrance venue was too small and people got in a long waiting line to go inside the venue. Since the venue was small, conference vendors were cramped in very tight spaces. The vendors sold Korean cosmetics, K-Pop merchandise, and a variety of Korean foods.
The first night, the show started at 7:30 PM. There was an event before the main show where members of the Korean Cultural Center in Mexico City introduced traditional Korean music. When the main show began, Eric Nam was the main MC as he was known as a proficient Spanish speaker.
Line-Up Performances
On March 17th, 2017, the first day, EXID, BTS, Eric Nam, and NCT 127 performed in the Mexico City Arena, while on the second day, INFINITE H, Red Velvet, MONSTA X, and ASTRO performed at the same venue.
BTS
BTS opened the main event on the first day. They started with performing their latest single “Not Today.” The continued their stage performance by singing “Spring Day,” “Save Me,” “Blood Sweat Tears,” and “Fire.” BTS members were dressed in all black suits with white shirts and black leather shoes.
After their stage performance, BTS entertained fans with an interactive game. RM showed his ability to speak English by directing the interactive game. They had to follow the mission played on the main screen. The main screen showed “kiss” which meant one of the members should kiss the audience. After the game, BTS embers held a short photo session on the stage. They did several poses while their fans got to take their pictures.
Not Today
There was a minute of intro before their actual performance. When the intro was played, the crowd started to scream and jump on their feet. The concert venue was filled with mainly teenage and young girls. BTS started strong with their latest single “Not Today.” It was a good choice as the first song for their performance as the crowd screamed and cried while BTS members danced with a thumping beat.
Spring Day
After their explosive first song, BTS continued with their melodic and soft single titled “Spring Day.” Jimin started the performance with a solo dance and then J-Hope took control of the stage with his voice. The crowd screamed when RM followed the performance with his rap. His heavy voice stunned the fans in the venue.
Blood Sweat Tears
“Blood Sweat Tears” is one of BTS’ favorite singles. K-Pop fans in Mexico seemed able to sing along with the performers on the stage. Even the rap version by RM was sung by the crowd. BTS members captivated the attendance with their dance performance and voice.
MONSTA X
Fighter
Jooheon started MONSTA X’s performance by solo rapping. Without other members, Jooheon captivated the audiences with strong rapping lyrics. His rapping was intense and his stage outfit enhanced his solo rapping performance. Another Monsta X member, IM, appeared on stage and continued with his own duet rapping performance. They performed their duet single titled “That’s My Future.”
MONSTA X’s performance started with a suspense intro. One by one, MONSTA X members appeared on the stage. MONSTA X performed their single titled “Fighter.” They choreographed their stage performance well and their stage costumes, all-black outfits with a touch of gold ornament at the shoulders, complemented their look. Their performance looked intense and energetic and their vocal and rapping skills were excellent.
Beautiful
MONSTA X’s Kihyun held a solo performance, singing “Beautiful,” the original soundtrack of the Korean hit drama Goblin. His voice is very soft and soothing. The audience listened and enjoyed his voice. Kihyun of MONSTA X is one of the idols who is known for his voice and this time, he entertained the audience in Mexico with his soothing voice.
ASTRO
A video of ASTRO enjoying their visit to Mexico was displayed for the audience before their performance. They seemed to enjoy their precious time visiting foreign countries and experiencing a new culture.
Breathless
Before they started their performance, ASTRO waved at the audience and greeted them with “Holla.” The crowd screamed wildly, especially when the face of ASTRO, Cha Eun-woo appeared on the big screen while waving at them. They performed their single “Breathless,” a catchy song with an easy listening tune. ASTRO members wore casual clothes for their performance. Their stage outfit was a good match with their song selection. Their dance moves were simple and playful without any difficulty or any power moves. While performing, all members made a cute “love” hand signal to their fans. It was a cute and casual performance by ASTRO.
Again
ASTRO’s song was easy to listen and their performance was simple and memorable. During the performance of “Again,” ASTRO chose simple yet sexy dance moves. The crowd screamed when all the members moved their hips following the rhythm. As usual, Cha Eun Woo took center stage and hypnotized the audience with his stunning visual.
INFINITE H
Pretty
Hoya of INFINITE H started the performance with “7 Years.” Hoya did freestyle dance alone accompanied by the vocals and music of “7 Years.” His dance moves were rhythmic with the music tune. With the visual background of stars in the sky, Hoya danced as if he was reaching to the stars in the sky. His performance was touching and the audience enjoyed his solo dance for about 2 minutes.
Dong Woo’s performance was the total opposite of Hoya’s performance. Hoya did freestyle dance performance accompanied by a funky song. His dance moves were energetic and explosive. However, his dance moves were repetitive and seemed without any specific theme. Hoya’s performance was much better than Dong Woo’s performance.
INFINITE H started their performance with a song titled “Pretty.” Hoya took the lead with his excellent voice and Dong Woo perfected their performance with his rap vocals. They wore a nice pattern suit which complimented their performance.
NCT 127
Fire Truck
For their stage intro, NCT 127 chose choral music. One of their members danced along the choral music. After the solo dance performance, another member took the stage with a DJ performance. He brought a night club atmosphere into the stadium with his performance.
NCT 127 performed “Fire Truck” as their first song performance. Their dance moves were strong and energetic. They also included several breakdance power moves into their dance choreography. NCT 127 ended their performance stylishly.
Limitless
As a new idol group, NCT were able to perform well and shared the stage with senior idol groups. They wore matching casual black suits. Their dance choreography was well executed and they sang very well. However, they looked very much like a new idol group. They could have done a better job with their stage costumes because their costumes were too simple and random. There were 8 members of NCT 127 but they were flocked at the center of the stage and did not expand their formation. The stage seemed too big for them.
There was an unfavorable incident for NCT 127 fans. BTS’ fandom, ARMY, shouted BTS’ name during NCT 127’s performance. It seemed that Mexican ARMY didn’t know that NCT 127 were preparing for their last performance. BTS ARMY in Mexico released an apology to NCT 127 fans and other ARMY.
Eric Nam
Can’t Help Myself
Eric Nam performed his most popular single “Can’t Help Myself.” The intro/performance started in the hallway before the stage entrance. He started singing while his back-up dancers showed one by one as the song went and the camera brought them towards the stage entrance. The intro, music style and dance performance gave a slight resemblance to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.” The stage costume for Eric Nam’s performance was working clothes theme with back-up dancers wearing pulled up overalls in different colors while Eric Nam wore a working uniform. The audience enjoyed his sweet voice and danced along to his song.
Spring Love
Eric Nam and Red Velvet’s Wendy had a duet performance, singing “Spring Love.” They both started at different ends of the stage and as the song’s intro was played both Wendy and Eric Nam walked towards the center of the stage. Both of them looked visibly shy, especially Wendy, she smiled brightly as she was walking toward Eric Nam. She started the song and looked at her duet partner with a huge smile. Wendy looked super cute with a girly outfit while Eric Nam looked casual but stylish in a striped shirt. Both singers wowed the audience with their lovely duet performance.
EXID
EXID’s stage performance started with an intro video. EXID members were kept inside a fence and “No Exit” sign appeared while the video showed all the members. Somehow, they managed to take down their guard, escape from captivity and walk into the light.
Lie
The lighting of the stadium was turned off and EXID was hoisted from under the stage up into the main stage while the lighting was directed at them. Accompanied by the sound of a marching band, one by one, each EXID member started the performance by their signature hip dancing. The intro, setting, and lighting was well planned and executed. Before their actual performance, about one minute, each member performed a solo dance. Their sexy dance brought the fans to their feet and they screamed wildly. Hani started the performance by singing the opening lyrics of their single “LIE.” Each member has their own charm. Hani sang with her lovely voice and cuteness, Jonghwa with her beautiful face and body, Hyerin with her excellent voice, and LE with her rap vocal. Their signature hip dance was able to captivate the audience. EXID was without their lead vocal Solji who was under treatment for a thyroid problem.
Echoes of Love
Hani was given a special stage for a solo performance at K-Con Mexico. She sang “Echoes of Love,” or “Ecos de Amor,” a song performed by Mexican Group Jesse y Joy in its original language. Hani looked stunningly beautiful in skin color mini dress. She was able to make the entire stadium breathless by watching her visual appearance and listening to her angelic voice. It was a short performance by Hani. She did very well performing a song in its original version.
Red Velvet
Red Velvet’s video intro was very cute. A package was sent from Korea all the way to Mexico. Inside the package, 4 life-size dolls were transferred from inside the box into the Mexican house. Magically, the dolls became alive and played with everything inside the Mexican house. The dolls were Seulgi, Yeri, Wendy, and Irene.
Rookie
Red Velvet performed “Rookie” as their first song. Their costumes were chic but seemed too normal and not special. As usual, Irene took much of the attention because her outfit was different from the rest of the members. “Rookie” is a catchy song with easy to listen lyrics. Red Velvet’s performance was cute and entertaining.
Dumb Dumb
As usual, Seulgi is Red Velvet’s best dancer. Her dance moves were fluent and energetic. During the performance in K-Con Mexico 2017, Red Velvet was without Joy. Her stage performance was terribly missed because, without her, only Seulgi was able to energize the audience with her dance moves.
K-Con Mexico was an inaugural K-Pop Conference in South America and it was a huge success. That was all the information about K-Con Mexico 2017.
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