AIA Festival 2014: Why Going to a YG Family Concert is a Must-Go

Would you stand for four and a half hours to listen to nothing but YG music?

Of course, you would! And that’s exactly what myself and thousands of others did at the AIA Festival 2014.

Concert goers start walking towards the entrance of the YG Family venue.

With more than 15,000 people crammed together in anticipation of their favorite YG idols, you could really feel the excitement, energy, and euphoric atmosphere within the crowd. I came ready for the massive hordes of YG Stans – the name for YG fans – as I brought coffee to provide enough caffine during the concert, as well as pack wet issues to fight off any sweat from the closed, crammed, sweaty confines I would soon find myself in.

A quick glance around me showed many in the audience decked out with Blackjack shirts — the fan name for 2NE1, and VIP yellow glow sticks — the fan name for Big Bang.

The event was truly international as well. The YG fans in the audience were not just Korean, as you can hear Chinese, Thai, Japanese, and English within earshot.

The four an a half YG concert was also a test of endurance. Standing at the YG concert was actually an hour longer than a Lord of the Rings movie, but instead of watching wizards, elves, and trolls, I saw K-pop stars of all variety. The long concert, however, was worth every bit of exhaustion, leg aches, and sweatiness. Hearing Big Bang, 2NE1, Epik High, Lee Hi, Akdong Musician, Winner, Team B, and PSY was a treat all in itself.

As the time inched closer to the 6:30 PM starting time, the cheering has already begun even before the first act. It was time to get the show started!

YG’s Famed Ladies – 2NE1

2NE1 opens up the concert to massive applause.

The 2NE1 Profile:

Overview:

Pronounced as “twenty one” (and less commonly said as “to anyone”), 2NE1 is a four girl group that drops down the house with electro, dance beats. As the sister group of Big Bang, the four ladies are one of the most popular K-pop groups today. The group already has massive success, winning two Song of the Year awards with I Don’t Care (2009) and I Am the Best (2011).

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Debut: 2009
Label: YG Entertainment
Genre(s): Pop, dance, electronica
Fan name:Blackjacks

The four ladies of 2NE1 were the first group to kick things off. Singing their iconic songs “Crush” and “Fire”, the fans were already in full swing, cheering and singing the song lyrics word-for-word. They later sang the addictive lyrics of “it ain’t over till it’s over” in “Gotta Be You” then got fans to chant “Come Back Home”.

The energy brought on by the four ladies was infectious, as their electronica, dance beats made it easy to become immersed in the concert. It was also surprising that YG decided to bring out 2NE1 as the opening act. Usually, in concerts they save their biggest, most popular groups towards the end. Yet, what better way to start things off right than with one of YG Family’s crowning jewels? 2NE1 is YG royalty and easily grabbed the audience’s attention from the start.

The queens of the Blackjack kingdom had a bit of everything in their performance: a skit that involved motorcycles, bad girl strutting, and sensual dancing. Speaking of dancing…

Minzy, Minzy, Minzy. I’ll say she was the highlight of the four bad girls of K-pop. With her red hair she memorized the audience with her crazy splits, booty dancing, showing utmost confidence, and displaying that sensual side of hers.

Seeing Park Bom live was also great to see. She was recently involved in a drug scandal, as she laid low after the incident went down. Fortunately, the fans, including myself, had her back, as shouts of “we missed you” and “we’ll always support you” echoed through the stadium.

It’s good to see the four ladies back, stronger than ever this year after a two-year hiatus from touring (their last tour until this year was the New Evolution Global Tour back in 2012). 2013 didn’t feel the same without them performing live. Welcome back 2NE1!

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