Hey loves :)

As you may or may not have known, I went to EXO's Vancouver concert a couple days ago. This was my first ever concert...I can't say I didn't have high or low expectations, but I know I just wanted to go into it with an open heart and have a good time. I'll go chronologically, so it might get a little boring up until the actual performing starts, but bear with me!

Let's start.

Outfit:
Being a concert , I automatically took to the internet to read about how I should dress. Basically, the gist is to wear what's comfortable. Most of what the articles online were saying was to wear clothes that would fit the music genre (flowery prints for outdoor festivals, graphic tees and/or black for rock concerts, cute-sy for pop, etc), loose tops to avoid visible sweat stains, comfortable shoes/shoes you would be comfortable wearing for a long period of time. (I'm not going to explain my clothes, so if you want to see for yourself, check Instagram: @paulajaey.)
Personally, shoes-wise, I decided to wear wedge boots. I'm not really a heels girl, but with the outfit I wore, the shoes I tried before I left my place didn't look as good as with the wedges...I regret it a little since my feet still hurt from wearing them, and I walked around a lot before actually getting to the concert venue. If you're new to the concert scene, I would suggest wearing flat shoes (runners, high tops, Converse, flats, boots without a heel) since it was a bit painful walking around in heels. If you can it up, like I did, go for it, but I've learned from my mistake and I don't think I will be doing it again. Unless I get really comfortable in heels by the next time I go to a concert.

Before the concert:
I was going to the concert with a friend, so I met up with her a couple hours before the concert was supposed to start, to catch up (I hadn't seen her since before Christmas) and eat dinner. We decided to meet about an hour's bus ride from Thunderbird Arena, the venue. It was a bit unfortunate, but when it was time to make our way to the arena, I didn't know where the bus stop was to take the bus we were supposed to get on...We found it eventually, after circling a block, which made me feel really foolish, but then we were on our way.
Now, the concert venue was at a stadium in UBC (University of British Columbia), and the university's campus is a city on its own. I knew the general area of where we were supposed to go, but I didn't know how to get there for sure. We got off at a stop on the campus and had to walk the rest of the way, which only turned out to be about 10-15 minutes; at the time, we thought it was going to take at least 20.
We finally get to the stadium...And we see a giant line to get into the building. And by giant line, I literally mean wrapped around the entire block (when we finally got to the end of the line). It's 7:30 when we see this line, the time when the concert is supposed to start, even though the email I got from the ticket seller was that the doors would open at 6. Clearly, it wasn't going to start any time soon. My friend and I both had to go to the bathroom really bad, so we went into one of the smaller buildings nearby, which happened to be a gymnasium. As we wait for the toilets (there were only two in the change room), we strike conversations with the people we're waiting with. One of the ladies had her phone out and was checking SNS: the reason for the long lines was that the rehearsals were going late. Anyway, my friend and I go out from the bathroom, and eventually find the end of the line. It's about 8 now, which is when the line gets moving. When we get into the arena, it's about 8:15. The concert starts at 8:30.

Actual concert:
It was a really good time. I don't know how else to explain it. I would go through every detail, but then this post would be very long and it would be a spoiler for the people who go to their upcoming concerts. I will say that I was very impressed with them. They basically went for 2.5 hours straight, with extremely short breaks. My favourite parts were probably the middle section of the concert (which was Chanyeol "DJ'ing" <- dunno if he was actually turning the tables, but it was awesome because it was like a giant dance party. I loved it), as well as the videos that were short at the beginning, short breaks, and end...Lay was in the videos as well, which was the best. Lots of sceams for him when he came up on the screens. He's my bias, so I missed him a lot. The end video was especially touching, since it subtitled a bit of how they were feeling throughout the whole losing members ordeal. After their "encore" performance, they just said a few words about how they liked Vancouver and how much they want to come back to the city for a longer period of time, just to look around more and possibly vacation here...

And then my friend and I had to leave. We actually left our seats after the "last" performance, since we didn't want to fight the crowds to get outside. We also took transit to the venue, and we had to take transit out, so we didn't want to have to wait a long time for a bus: it was 11 by the time we got out of the arena, and there was a good chance I would miss my last bus to get home. EXO definitely performed one last song after they finished talking, but my friend and I didn't get to hear what it was. I still don't even know what the last song was.

In any case, I had a really good time. I kept it would be awesome to just see them on the streets of Vancouver, being...normal people. Because they are, they're normal. They've just been put on a pedestal by their agency and their fans, which is (not to be mean but) a little disconcerting. I think some days they would just like to go outside and not be mobbed by people. Meeting them by chance would be a fantasy...Any fan's fantasy I'm sure ^^ I would like to think I wouldn't freak out. If it ever happens to me (meeting a famous Korean person), I will let you know how I react XD

Back to my review of the concert, I loved the atmosphere. I wish I had gotten to talk to more people while I was there, but I didn't. I love my friend, but she's a bit self-conscious and timid when it comes to talking to and being with strangers. During the dance party part, I kept jumping up and down, bobbing my head to the beat, raising my hands, and singing along with the songs, but she didn't. She was pretty stiff the entire time...I think I'll want to go to the next kpop concert on my own, just so I can really let loose and get to know and talk to more people. I'll also wear better footwear ;)

If you have any other questions, leave a comment below, and I'll be sure to answer it! <3