I had only heard of this newly debuted group while I was still in Japan. I saw that they were coming close by, but it was the day after I’d be getting home, so I decided to be a little responsible and skip. They ended up running into some visa issues, meaning they could only hold a fan meet and two of the members couldn’t perform. With that, they declared they were coming back soon, and I made it a priority to secure a ticket.
What I really like about these smaller, less established/newer groups is that since the fan base is also smaller, they have these shows at some tiny ass venues! As a person who likes to be as close to the action, and famous people, as possible, this is an ideal situation for me. Because let’s be real, a lot of these groups have bigger futures ahead of them. I’m also a hipster and like to say I was with a group since the start. And since I only just got myself into K-Pop a couple of years ago, that stuff will never happen with the bigger groups that pulled me in. Plus, these guys are so sweet and silly that I want to see them succeed, so every body in the venue counts for something!
Now, 1VERSE only just debuted in July of this past year, so their original music is limited. Like, I’m talking three songs. It’s kind of crazy to me that they don’t have more out yet, but I’m hopeful that it’s coming. To be fair, the songs are 3/3 – no misses yet! But, that did have me curious to how they were going to fill an evening. Like previous K-Pop shows, I shelled out for one of the VIP tickets, so getting there early means I got to experience soundcheck, a group photo (with ten of my closest friends hahaha), as well as get a Polaroid selfies with the guys (taller than you’d expect!).
This venue was tiny and the place was packed! Luckily, I secured a decent viewing spot. Surely they’d never be able to see me, but I could see them and that’s all that matters. Their three singles were spaced well throughout the hour and half, and they were all incredible. The rest of the show was filled with cover songs, whether that was as a group, in pairs, or solo. All of them were pretty low key, but in the final chunk they slayed with ATEEZ covers of “Halazia” and “Guerilla,” as well as Stray Kids’ “Lalala!” After the evening, Aito has proven himself as my bias, and I was too geeked to actually even touch their hands for the exiting hi-touch. Oh, well! I have confidence they will be back soon.
All in all, it was a fun night making friends and supporting a new group with a promising future. I know there are still several more stops, so if you can make it out, you should!
