I am going to attempt to do my 1st post with a review of SM Town NYC!! Sorry it is so long but I wanted to give as much information as possible : ). On October 24, 2011, K-Pop invaded New York for the unbelievable event that is called SM Town. This was our 2nd SM Town show, and I have to say, it was one of the most enjoyable concerts that I have been to in a long time. We stayed at the W Hotel, which was the same hotel that the SM artists stayed. The day of the show, we were given backstage passes. The 1st meeting was with Changmin of DBSK. We were warned that Changmin can be a little “temperamental”, so my expectations were low. When he walked into the dressing room, he had a “scowl” on his face, but our daughter Mika screamed “OMG, its Changminnie” and he immediately started to smile, walked towards her and gave her a hug. He is very nice. Not much of a talker but listens intently. He is also VERY tall and so skinny. You could see his ribs through his shirt. Changmin has a beautiful smile and the most gorgeous lips that I have ever seen!
The 2nd meeting was with Shinee (again) and things were very different this time around. Jonghyun apologized to Mika for the incident during the 1st meeting in LA, which made her happy. Onew was kind as usual and I get a vibe from him that he “appreciates” women of color. Something about the way he kept staring. Key ran over to Mika and gave her a hug. Minho was his usual polite self and more talkative this time. And then, there was Taeminnie! For those who remember my daughter’s meeting with Taemin in LA, things did not go very well since she broke down sobbing when he approached her. Well, what a difference a year makes. When Taemin approached Mika, she was calm (thankfully) and actually managed to have a very lengthy conversation with him. Taemin is an absolute doll, and just so handsome in person. After meeting Shinee, we were rushed from backstage to the pit area. On the way out to the arena, we saw (and briefly spoke to) Kyuhyun and Donghae from Suju, a few members of F(x) and some members of Girls’ Generation. Approximately 15 minutes later, they let in the crowd.
DBSK Changmin and Yunho
The show started at 7:20 pm. When the lights dimmed, the screaming became deafening! The 1st artists to perform were F(x) who sang La Cha Ta. Amber elicited the most screams and every time she rapped, the crowd went crazy. Next up to perform was Jessica from Girls Generation and her sister Krystal from F(x), who sang Tik Tok, which got the crowd really going. F(x) came back out and sang Chu and then Kangta came out to perform. Kangta is a former member of H.O.T. and he has a beautiful voice. During a duet with Kantga and Sulli from F(x), Onew made a surprise appearance as a pizza delivery man. The crowd (including this Noona), went CRAZY.
Ahhhh, and then there was Shinee! The lights dimmed again and you could hear the beginning of Stand By Me. Taemin and Minho were standing at the front of the stage (Taemin was directly in front of me and waved). Onew was standing in the middle of the runway and Jonghyun and Key to the left and right sides of the runway. Shinee sang 3 more songs (Replay, Get Down and Juliette) and then left the stage.
Super Junior Donghae and Yesung
The next performance was hands down the absolute best singing of the night. KRY (Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung from SUJU) sat on stools in the middle of the runway. They performed Sorry, Sorry Answer, which was absolutely AMAZING. Their voices are so beautiful and soulful. Key from Shinee came out and sang a very cute duet My First Kiss with Krystal.
Girls Generation then sang a medley of songs (Run Devil Run, Kissing You and Oh!). The fan boys for Girls Generation are absolutely crazy! I think they screamed more than the girls at MSG. Super Junior came out and sang a few songs including Bonamona, U, Sorry, Sorry, Don’t Don. Shinee came back out and sang Ring Ding Dong (my fave).
The highlight of the show for me besides Shinee was DBSK. Wow!! They had the best entrance of the night dropping down from the ceiling to the stage like kings. In fact, they were the only artists who were announced and were introduced as the “Kings of SM”. How fitting! DBSK performed The Way You Are, Mirotic, Maximum, and an ultra-sexy version of Before You Go and ended with Keep Your Head Down. It was during DBSK’s performance that I started to lose my voice from screaming. Yunho is so sexy in person! Unfortunately, I missed BOA’s performance since my 6 year old needed a potty break, so I do not have a review of her performance : ).
As the concert was coming to an end, each artist came out and sang their most popular songs: Shinee- Lucifer; Girls Generation-Gee; Super Junior-U, DBSK- Rising Sun, and BOA-Hurricane. The concert ended with all of the artists coming out and singing Hope and interacting with the fans. Mika got her camera taken by both Taemin and Kyuhyun and they each took personal selcas. Very sweet!
SHINee Taemin
Highlight performances were: Shinee-Lucifer, Amigo and Reply; Onew –Nessun Dorma (BEAUTIFUL); F(x)-Nu Abo; Super Junior-Sorry, Sorry-Answer, Mr. Simple, Don’t Don, Bonamana and Miracle; Girls Generation-Gee, Kissing You, and the Boys (which was sung in English).
On a last and very embarrassing note, as the concert was ending with the artists singing Hope, Ryeowook from Suju was standing in front of the stage waving to everyone. Since I loooovvve Wookie, I started jumping up and down screaming out his name (with what little voice I had) and made a “heart sign”. Wookie pointed, waved, gave the heart sign back and touched his heart! As I jumped up and down screaming hysterically with my sister-in-law, my husband embarrassedly walked away. But it was the perfect ending, to a perfect night!
Angelface
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