The boys performed at the NYCB Theater in Westbury. At first, I was a little worried because it would be hard to get to for fans who couldn't drive, but of course fans wouldn't let something like that bother them. I saw fans taking taxis, getting dropped off by parents, and even walking from public transportation stations to the venue.
Look at that line! It went all around the huge parking lot. The security guard kept mentioning that he'd NEVER seen something like this before at the venue. He also revealed how amazing it was for the performers to bring so many people that would wait in line for so long. You go, BBC!
With press passes in hand, fellow writer starsung and I went inside to see the rehearsal. The seats were empty, of course, but the boys were in full makeup and had on their suits sans jacket. We sat down in the first row to watch.
Here's where I should mention: the stage was unlike any other K-pop concert I've been to before. The stage was at center with seats in circles around them. Since they were on a circular platform with seats surrounding them, there was no standing area and thus, no opportunity for the boys to either take a break or go backstage for outfit changes without going through the crowd. It was a little weird, but also unique with its own charm - just like Block B.
They only practiced a few songs like "Very Good", "Romantically", and "Be the Light" during the rehearsal, checking sound systems and stage formation. Zico requested that the staff put out water around the stage, and they also started putting out towels. This was the point I waved to B-Bomb, who looked confused as to why a reporter was waving at him, but smiled and nodded back anyway. B-Bomb, I'm not just a reporter... I'm a fan, too...
The boys kickstarted the concert with "Very Good", driving the crowd wild. They continued straight into "Freeze" and "Wanna B", and it didn't matter that most of the lyrics were in Korean - everyone in the audience sang along anyway.
Because of the way the concert was set up and the fact that they couldn't go backstage to rest, the boys took breaks in forms of long talks and fan events. Kyung, for example, took the time to re-tie his laces during their opening talk, and the others took the time to hydrate or wipe themselves down. For some reason or another, the MC kept calling them 'B Block'? Am I missing a joke here?
In any case, at the end of their talk, the boys drew 7 lucky fans from a raffle box. There was some confusion because of seats and rows that didn't exist, but in the end 7 lucky fans got to sit on stage with the members behind them to sing... You guessed it - what else could it be but "Romantically"?
The lucky girls not only got to see their boys up front, but they also got roses from the boys during the song! After the girls were escorted off stage at the end of the song, the boys got into "Synchronization 100%", another fun song for the audience to jump up and down to.
At the end of "Synchronization 100%", the boys had another game segment with fans. This time, 6 fans were chosen from the crowd to play charades with the boys! They split into two teams had to explain 'Spiderman' and 'Weightlifting'. At one point, one of the girls were so touched by Block B that she ultimately had to step off the stage, but the winning team got signed t-shirts and the losing team still got hugs and high fives from the boys.
After the game segment came "Be the Light" and "Did You or Did You Not", two of my favorite Block B songs. I couldn't help it at this point - I decided I was going to juggle taking notes, taking pictures, and waving my Block B banner at them all at once. How'd I manage? Don't underestimate the powers of a fangirl....
The boys then had an interview segment again, and then performed "Mental Breaker". Right after came their closing talk with all the members thanking everyone for coming. Kyung spoke in English, and Taeil, who came right after, burst out in flustered laughter when it was his turn. He explained he was embarrassed because Kyung spoke in such fluent English right before him. So instead he sang his solo song "Where Are You" from their 'Blockbuster' album.
The closing song was none other than "NalinA" with everyone following the gorilla dance for the chorus. The boys stepped out after "Nanrina", but everyone stayed and screamed for an encore. Did fans get one? Of course! The boys came running back to perform "Nice Day" and a rock version of "Very Good", leaving thrills running down fans' spines.
One thing I noticed that was different with Block B than other artists I've seen is that Block B really doesn't let anything limit them. Everyone was laughing at everything, jumping and rolling around on the floor, and they weren't limited to just regular choreography. The boys really made a show for everyone by stepping over the boundaries, and perhaps that was even more possible because of how the stage was set up and how close everyone could be to the group.
For those of you who went to the concert - did you enjoy it?
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