PLT make fans Go Holic in NJ
White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, NJ was once again packed with K-pop fans. This time, it was for PLT. A group consisting of five solo artists ranging in different genres of music, like R&B, rap, and pop made NJ their kick off stop in their US tour. Fans lined up around the block, even in the chilled windy air, to wait to get in and get the best spot to see, Gaho, Moti, Jung Jinwoo, Villain, and June perform not only their solo songs, but also their combined music as PLT.
A little background on PLT. The five members, like stated above, are all solo artists under the label Planetarium Records. They have mixtapes, solo albums, singles, etc. singularly and then together to mix their genres to make music as a group, named PLT (a play on their record label name).
As we entered the venue, which we have been to many times, it never ceases to amaze us how gorgeous the place is with it’s stained glass ceiling windows, the large open space for fans to clamor into and the stage in the far back awaiting the presence of the artists who are waiting in the wings to perform.
The lights cut out, a screen dropped to promote the company that was able to make the concert possible, My Music Taste, and as the screen raised, the curtain opened and out walked Gaho. Dressed in a sleek black suit that, when he turned around, had pieces of printed cloth on the back, Gaho grabbed the mic and kicked off his set. He nervously explained her was jet lagged, but hearing the fans cheers gave him all the energy he needed to perform. The fans swooned as he sang his dulcet tracks like, “Going On”, followed by the soul crushing, heart breaking, ‘WHO HURT YOU?!’ song called, “있어줘 (eessojyo- stay here)”, and his most recent single, “Pink Walk,” which we still have stuck in our heads.
After thanking the crowd for coming, and letting him perform his music, Gaho walked off the stage to make way for the next artist. Jung Jinwoo, with his fluffy curls, oversized suit jacket and pants, stepped out to kick off his set with “위성 –weeseong – satellite) He was so nervous and excited, and the crowd was so happy he was on stage he missed his cue and asked for them to restart, letting the crowd enjoy his melodic entrance once more. He was sweet as he grabbed the hands of the fans as he walked across stage singing “She’s Got Everything,” a yet to be released song, and also “문제 (munjae – problem)” Jung Jinwoo had everyone begging for more and when he walked off stage, it was June’s turn to make the crowd lose their minds.
June kicked of his set rather calmly. Sitting relaxed on a stool, dressed in a green and black flannel, with the new version of UFO pants (which we didn’t think would ever make a come back and have and we’re here for it), and a voice like Jay Park, he slayed the R&B game with his songs, “Gas Station,” and “Serenade.” The chill vibes of his set didn’t stop the fans from screaming for him to continue. When he wrapped up a few songs he spoke about how excited he was to be there and how he wanted to share some new unreleased music. Honestly, most of the members announced and performed an unreleased song and mentioned that new music was coming soon. It not only was exciting for them, but it made the fans crave more. After “오늘 밤은 (onul bamun- tonight)” he concluded his set and asked the crowd if they were ready for the next performer.
We don’t believe they were and neither were we. As the music started, the fans went absolutely bat sh*t crazy and Villain, in his white denim jacket, spray painted jeans, blue hair with a center part and round Harry Potter like lenses, took the stage to start singing “Fairy.” Now we have never seen PLT perform live, we had heard that all their stages are amazing and we had seen some videos from previous shows but Villain came to kill. His overtly sexual motions as his hands ran up and down the mic stand caused us to hear squeals and even some straight moans from the crowd as he continued. He knew what he was doing and it fueled his entire performance. He finished the song and went into a personal story about how people are essentially shitty, and realized as he went to start his next song he had forgotten his set list. With a laugh and a smile he continued on and performed his hits “마니또 (Manitto),” and “Luhvin It” before also announcing he would be coming out with new music soon.
It was then time for the final solo act. Moti. Once again, a man rocking a black suit, white shirt, but this time he added his own flare by having some pretty sick diamond chains. He kicked his set off with, “겸손 (kyeom seon- humble/modesty)” and when he moved away from his mic stand all hell broke loose. We’ve been crushed by fans before while taking photos. ASTRO at K-expo was probably the most insane. That was until this show. While we were crowded and pressed against the stage for all the other performers, when Moti came out is was a whole different ball game. The dude was running from side to side and seemed to always stop right in front of us. See crotch shot below for proof. He had the crowd who had already been at a 10 shoot up to a damn 20 as he performed, “Blue,” “GO,” and a new track set to hit the rest of the worlds ears next month.
Did you think after he performed it was over? Oh no. They still had their group act to perform. Remember how the crowd had bounced up to a 20? Yeah at the point they were over 100 and climbing to flipping infinity fast. PLT came out and it was like we entered Coachella with how loud and chaotic the crowd went. As they sang their group tracks like, “Igoholic,” “Blah,” and “Hocus Pocus,” they began showering the fans in water. As we were crushed in the front we got a solid shot to the face a few times. And while we were hype on how excited it made the fans we weren’t hype on it getting our camera wet. But such is the life of a concert photographer.
All in all this concert over shot our expectations. We knew PLT were coming for us but not as savagely as they did. Every solo performance brought new waves of excitement, and when PLT came together there was no stopping the tsunami of hype. If you’re interested in seeing them and are in the US. Their up coming stops are Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago so hopefully you can make your way over to any of those locations. We highly suggest experiencing “We Go Holic” for yourselves.
Travel NYC like a K-pop Idol
Ever wonder where your idol is when they are in a town or city near you? Or even, in a place you’ve always wanted to go? We have. And when they come to our city, New York City, and post pictures of places we see daily, or have heard about, we always feel the need to go and check out said places ourselves just to say “We were there too!”
That’s when we wondered…” Are we the only ones who do this?”
The answer we found was no! People are dying to see what idols see and be in an idols shoes even for that sliver of a second. Friends of ours, who are not familiar with NYC had reached out to us a few times with pictures of their bias standing at a street corner, sitting in a park, or eating in a restaurant, and asked us if we knew where they were. The crazy part was…we did. Having a mother who worked in Manhattan for all her young adult, and adult life, Sammie was bound to get the NYC bug as well. For as long as she could remember hopping on a train with her mother, walking up to the Chrysler Building where her mother worked, going out to lunch at different, fun, and unique spots, and once a month, for almost two or three years, going to see a Broadway show, was the norm. Her mother knew the city like the back of her hand, and unbeknownst to either of them, she was passing that trait down to her daughter.
Whenever we saw a celebrity post a photo of New York, we would run to her mother with the photo asking where it was. And like Rain Man, she knew exactly what street they were on and other stores and such around it. Sammie, while well versed in certain areas of the city, went on a different path for awhile and the city seemed like a distant past she would most likely forget. But when she got a job working in Manhattan, she found she would meet up with her mother to continue their adventures of unexplored areas of NY. And that’s when the genetics kicked in.
We will never forget the day we knew we had a series on our hands. A friend had reached out, fangirling over a photo ASTRO(아스트로) had posted on their Instagram, and Sammie laughed while saying, “Oh I haven’t been there in ages!”
We looked at her in awe. It was a picture of a hamburger. As we stared between her and the photo, the friend who had texted the image in the first place responded with the emoji that perfectly fit our faces :0 . This friend continued to send photos in which Sammie quickly identified where the members were. It soon became an ongoing thing. The second an artist came to NY, this friend sent a picture and within minutes Sammie had identified where it was.
And so Travel NYC like _____ was born.
We will be watching videos that the bands post, looking through their Instagram’s, and Twitter’s to find all their travels in NYC so that when one journeys here they will be able to follow the path of their kpop counterparts. So come and travel like an idol.
TRAILER:
MAJOR DISCLAIMER: We do not condone the act of stalking. We go to these places well after the idols have posted the videos, pictures, etc. DO NOT STALK!