I forgot to mention! I’m going to LA this weekend! Friday morning to be exact. Waeo, you ask? After years of saying “Someday” with Cherry Cordial, I’m finally joining her at the Korea Times Music Festival, or for those in the know, KTMF! Yep, representatives of the Denver and LA chapters of the Kpop Nerd Herd are planning on meeting and enjoying some Korean entertainment at the Hollywood Bowl, and I’m sure whatever other Korean whatnots we can get into—I’m kidding—we have every minute planned, there is no ‘whatever’ going on here, we don’t like ‘whatever’, we are a very structured and rule-driven group. I know you wouldn’t expect this of a Kpop fandom, but trust me, fangirls work best with structure. It’s a thing. Look it up.
So, let’s get back to it!
This is the thing about KTMF, you actually have to buy tickets BEFORE you know the lineup, then they slowly make their reveal…think KCon but backward. This, of course, means you’re taking a huge gamble (especially for those who are traveling from, let’s say Denver to LA) that they are going to have anyone you are remotely interested in. Also, you need to know it’s not just KPop who performs at KTMF, but a variety of performers in all walks of music life. We buy our tickets because we know there will be at least someone from the collection you’re interested in. In previous years, Cherry Cordial has seen the likes of Shinee, MFBTY, FTIsland, Block B Bastarz, NCT 127, Red Velvet, and Wheesung.
I’ve always wanted to go but, as I was based in NY, it wasn’t super practical, not with KCon right around the KCorner. This year though? Well, this is the year I decided to move to Denver, which is a hop, skip, and a not toooo expensive jump to LA, so that effectively killed any excuse I had not to go. Count me in ladies! Completing our group is LizC and Molly! We all got tickets together…with the exception of Molly who decided to leave us schmoes in the dust, to take the chance and got stage-side seats. (Holy fudge. I’m not jelly at all….. >.> <.< )
We waited on baited breath for the collection of performers to be announced…. and we were in luck! There were some great ones in the mix.
Here’s who we’ve got:
RAIN (that’s right, mother fudging Rain will be there!)
Kim Bum Soo (Once I realized who he was I was very excited! I thought he was adorable in Barefoot Friends!)
Red Velvet (I’ve actually gotten to like a bunch of their music!)
NCT127 (SQUUUUUUUEEEEEEESQUEEEEEEEEEEE! Enough said)
Rose Motel (Like an indy ahjussi band?)
Jinjo Crew (Dancing?)
John Park (Singer, super cute video for Baby if that’s the same guy)
EXID (People love them! Not me, but people)
BtoB (I love the solo songs from that one guy, maybe he’ll get to perform one)
Baek Ji Young (Singer who is married to…yikes she can probably use our support right now. GO BAEK JI YOUNG!)
Chu Ga Yeol (His picture shows him and a guitar, so probably that)
Lee Eun Mi (singer)
Park Hyun Bin (From listening to his music I want to say trot singer, which will be fun)
LizC handily made us a playlist:
I really am very excited, not really just for the performances, but I can’t wait to see all my friends and see all my friends enjoying being friends with each other while we do vacationy friend things. On the books for this trip? First off, getting Cherry Cordial a bubble tea (yes, I still refuse to call it boba, she says with a sneer) for all her hard work the other week retrieving the site back when we were hacked. We’re going to Pasadena (because we want to, that’s why), the kpop shops and Koreatown, and then? Then we’re going to Santa Monica to go find all of the places that BTS went to on Burn the Stage. (We did it at Redlands for Lee Min Ho after Heirs, it’s only fair we do it with BTS since we love them SOOOOO much more.)
Plus there is the whole experience of the Hollywood bowl which I’ve never been to, but have wanted to since seeing an episode of Colombo set there when I was a kid (yeah, does it really surprise anyone I was a weird kid???) We get to pack coolers filled with K-Food and settle in for a good portion of the day sitting in grass, eating fried chicken and watching K-music. What could be better than that???
And if you said making out with a kpop idol, slow your roll. This is not that sort of weekend.
Yay, Friends!
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