I went to Block B's DC Concert last night on June 24^th, 2014 at Warner Theater. While my friends were going to their 6^th KPOP concert after Big Bang, CNBlue, Infinite, UKISS, and BAP, this was my first due to the fact that all the other concerts they had been to featured artists I did not know very well or was scheduled during the school year. I'd like to thank Jazzy Group for being smart enough to plan the Block B concert tour in the summer. Even though the location was closer than NYC, my parents probably would still not have let me go on a school night. Can someone relate to my problems? Also, in the past KPOP artists generally only visited the West Coast. It was funny to see the West Coast people complain when Jazzy Group announced the locations of the Block B tour-all of which were in the East Coast. It sounded almost exactly us East Coast people when SMTOWN in LA was announced back in 2011. Too bad the USA is such a big country.

This concert was the most important of all the KPOP concerts that have occurred in the East Coast. If you asked me what is one thing I think of when I think of riding with my friends, it's Block B. My friend Logan always blasts Block B in her car when we drive back and forth to orchestra practice, which is how I learned that Mental Breaker is one of my favorite jam songs and that it's possible to have a sad and slow song that still has a catchy beat: Movie's Over. And while Block B is not one of those groups that's known for their dancing skills or style such as 2PM or SHINee, their choreography is one of my favorites. I spent two weeks learning the chorus of Very Good, and still it is one of my favorite quirky party moves. (If anyone has a decent fancam of Block B dancing to Mental Breaker without backup dancers, HIT ME UP) They are slick with coordination, which is probably a standard in KPOP, but are relaxed enough to have opportunities to have fun. So when it was time to buy the tickets, there was no doubt that we had to get the VVIP tickets.

Before we set foot inside, there were already cracks to our expectations of the concert. My friend Lydia had brought a gift for a Zico: A wonderfully painted portrait of him with mostly white, blue, and black with a letter on the back (Hey, that rhymed!) There were boxes for gifts for Block B outside the theater-plain, brown, and cardboard. It almost looked like trash waiting to be picked up. Other fans at the fan meeting in the park had told us that Jazzy Group had thrown away the gifts in those boxes at the Boyfriend Showcase in Chicago, so Lydia was better off handing the gift to Zico personally during the poster signing. Also, my friends were that at the Infinite concert to see people being trampled in the pit. While there was no pit in the Warner theater, injuries among fans were possible. The NYC concert was only a few days ago, and some fan accounts had reported that some VVIP fans didn't get their signed posters. The signing had apparently been canceled after some fans tried to sneak back into the line and get another poster. There's nothing like a rotten egg to spoil the rest.

But the concert was amazing.

None of the fans at DC pushed the limits set by the organizers and ushers. It almost seemed like a massive dance party with everyone standing and jumping up and down during the songs. People even copied the gorilla arms and the oompa loompa moves in Nalina in the seats. While the fans that were serenaded and played charades with Block B got the ultimate experience, the interactions were still fun for everyone else to watch. (Team Turn Up and Team Bumblebee!) And they played Mental Breaker and Nalina for the encore-the two songs that would have disappointed me if they weren't included. It was a shame they didn't go all of Nillili Mambo (only the intro) and they didn't perform Jackpot, but still it was a very fulfilling night. The fans often chanted the choruses or English words in the lyrics. Even when Block B was not performing and just high-fiving or signing, the fans often chanted the choruses of the Block B songs playing in the background. The way Block B smiled and even sang along could only mean that the BBC fandom was nothing but awesome. We were united as a group of people who didn't mind being quirky as long as we were having fun. The only complaint I have were the complaining and of the people behind me. “Ugh, if I only brought my phone, I could have gotten a picture with Block B!” was the one I remember the most clearly in mind as Block B took fans' phones and captured selfies with them, and handed them back. Chill, BBC. None of this is going to last forever anyway.

I must warn you that I am a skeptical, realistic fan. I knew that I could not be the fan who left an impression in Block B's mind, and I did not try. While I enjoy Block B's music, they are not my world and I will never be a fundamental part in their lives as a person, only as a consumer. So at the fan signing, I did nothing to catch their attention besides to ask for a fist bump instead of shaking their hands. Hygiene and comfort are what I had in mind- less germs from everyone else's hands, their hands were one handshake less sore, and less chances of messing up. I felt through this change I could better see how the members reacted. While Jaehyo, U-Kwon, B-Bomb seemed to be more amused as a result (B-Bomb offered Lydia, who was right behind me, a fist as a result and she, expecting a handshake, grasped it with her palm. YES B-BOMB, THANK YOU FOR MAKING MY NIGHT THAT WAS HILARIOUS) Kyung, Taeil, and P.O seemed stuck with their smiles and politeness. I couldn't see Zico's because he was last and I was quickly ushered away once he was done with his signature, barely getting in the fist. Or perhaps I didn't notice as well because I was subconsciously starstruck. Lydia managed to show her painting of Zico to him, to which he gazed on with surprise and replied with a “Oh, awesome!” before the poster was taken by a Jazzy Group coordinator to put behind Zico so that it wouldn't obstruct the signing line.

Because I interacted with them signing and fist bumping, a process that was like an assembly line so that time was not wasted, the experience left me with an impression that they were a bit like robots. Obviously this is not true. They had been fooling around in the concerts with random and spontaneous dance jams. They were genuine people, not just some printers of Block B signatures. And yet, the numbness I have from the lack of interaction still holds. And of course their English was limited, which to an ignorant viewer made them seem off-putting or lacking. This was, after all, a quick signing after a concert-not some blind date or even a fanparty with the group. (Logan is still mad she missed Jaehyo when he went to Starbucks and interacted with fans-perhaps if we were there to experience that, my impression would be altered.) Their smiles were polite and forced-which is actually an amazing feat after dancing and singing for a few hours and high fiving a thousand people who do not speak the same language as you. It was an honor to be one of the glimpses of people they saw that they would relate to whenever they thought of their fans, but I was only a glimpse. They had their lives back in Korea, where the faces of their friends and managers belonged and will always be more prominent in their minds. The fanfic idea that one of them would sweep us away into our fantasies would never come true. One would not expect less.

This concert, however, did reassure me that there was a realness to the visions and entertainment I usually watch on a liquid crystal display. It was amazing to share the happiness and delight with not only other BBCs, but Block B too. If they come back to the US for some more concerts, I'm not sure if I would go. I'm still too overwhelmed over the emotional yet short experience of last night. To have the Block B Concert as my first KPOP concert is a decision I will never regret or forget. Do you wanna B? ^_^