Come watch BOYNEXTDOOR perform on Inkigayo and catch their end-stage release and special MC moments!
Andrea
4 days ago
My first time attending a live music show broadcast in Korea! I came for BOYNEXTDOOR’s final week of promotions for their first full album, and as soon as the official announcement said they’d promote for one more week, I bought a ticket that same day. A few days later, it was even announced one after another that Woonhak and Taesan would be special MCs together, a totally unexpected bonus, I was so happy!
Since my friend and I didn’t join the morning half day tour, we went to the TV station and gathered on our own at the designated time (you’ll receive a detailed email guide a few days before the event). That day we took the subway to Gayang Station, and after exiting from Exit 10, it’s only a 3 minute walk! After picking up our number tag, we still had a bit of time to get ready and use the restroom (there are free restrooms nearby you can use first, because there are no restrooms available inside the TV station!). We rested at a cafe next door, then returned to the meeting point before lineup time.
The recording venue was pretty small. Entry order followed the number on the lanyard tag. Our number was somewhere in the middle to back, but we ended up sitting right in the center of the very last row, the view was even better than most concert seats (a friend with experience said the order of seating sections is randomized each time, so just use this as a reference). The only downside was that the small stage at the MC area had cue cards and camera equipment set up, so the view was a bit blocked. But that probably affects every section more or less. Not long after entering, the program recording officially begins, and since it’s a live TV broadcast, you need to be careful not to interrupt filming when interacting with the artists. From the moment you enter, you can’t record audio or video at all, and staff patrol very carefully back and forth the whole time.
At first I thought our seats were a bit far from the stage, but because the MC standby area is at the lower right of the audience section, during stage performances they’re seated facing left, and there’s a monitor in front of their chairs. So maybe because of some blind spots, the very front row and the area closest to the MC section can actually get a bit blocked. When they look up toward the audience, the first area they notice is the upper middle section, and when other artists are performing or when it goes to commercials, they’ll interact with the audience!
Whenever Taesan and Woonhak looked toward the audience, we waved our light sticks at them. Since we were in the last row and wouldn’t block anyone, we could wave without holding back. Halfway through, Taesan’s gaze stopped on the Woon baby doll in my hand, and then he suddenly gave me a big thumbs up. I was so excited I almost screamed. Kim Woonhak next to him also made a heart over his head toward us, so cute. After that, we waved and interacted a few more times. Thank you, Taesan and Woonhak, for my first ever fan service moment!
The lineup that day was great, besides BND there were also RIIZE/TREASURE/H2H/MEOVV/izna, etc. But not every artist group performs on stage. Artists who already recorded a pre-recorded stage might not come on (a pre-recorded video will play on the screen), or they might only come out and dance to half a song for the live audience. This time, BND came out in the same school uniforms as the pre-recording and danced about half of ADIOS!. Taesan and Woonhak interacted remotely with the other members from the small MC stage, then left the stage so the next live-broadcast artist could come up and standby. In the end, it was a shame they didn’t get first place for the final broadcast, but RIIZE’s encore stage was also really good. Overall, it was still an amazing experience!
Even though there are free ways to get into pre-recordings or live broadcasts, the difficulty is much higher. Buying a ticket is the easiest option. Total recording time is about 1.5 to 2 hours. In terms of interaction, view, and value for money (with lots of artist groups), it’s just as good as a concert. And simply being able to enter a studio you’ve watched since you were young and take part in the recording is a really special experience. I highly recommend coming to Korea for comeback activities when your favorite artist returns. Besides music show promotions, there are all kinds of offline events, pop up stores, and LUCKY DRAWs you can join in person, and there are lots of comeback promo displays around the streets too. Walking around Seoul during comeback season feels so happy!
