We at Relawan Konser believe that concert experience should be whole – from announcement and ticketing to the very end of the concert, beyond it if possible. Particularly in Indonesia, too often have concert-goers forgiven a badly managed concert just because they were able to see their idols on stage. As if just catching an eye-contact or even a mere glimpse of the stars is enough to erase all the mistakes and inconvenience caused by the organizers. “It’s worth it,” Indonesian fans often say, thinking that concert is a battle ground, not something that they have paid a lot to attend and enjoy.

Let us state this first: Fans, you are worth more than just living ATMs. The ticket you pay for does not only allow you entrance to a concert, but also of excellent service as a customer.

The next question is: Is such a comfortable concert/event offering whole experience in Indonesia possible? Our answer is definitely yes. We have attended many, although most are not of K-pop artists. How about K-pop concerts, then? Here we have one to tell you: VIXX fanmeeting in Jakarta, organized by MyMusicTaste.

The announcement of VIXX’s fanmeeting tour in Southeast Asian frankly caught us a bit off guard. People had been excited about other groups or artists holding a concert in Indonesia, so we were surprised to learn that VIXX is going to return to Indonesia, this time for a fanmeeting. As far as we remember, even from the very first announcement, MyMusicTaste had kept to-be-goers updated with clear information as soon as it was available. The information covered various things from prices and benefits for every ticket category to how to order goods including the ordering period. Later it extended to how and when to exchange the tickets. Early buyers were promised sweepstakes for bonuses such as rehearsal passes and signed posters—and the promises were delivered (with small notes, later). The ticketing website, Loket, was not too smartphone-friendly—it wouldn’t load correctly after we logged in. But when we switched to the desktop version, it all went fine. Confirmation was immediate if we paid using a credit card.

Tickets could be exchanged one day before the D-day or right before the concert. We arrived after the gate was opened, and found no difficulty exchanging our tickets. The staffers did not randomly pull a ticket of the right category after they checked our payment confirmation and ID; they looked for the ticket that had been assigned to us by the system. “There’s the queue number,” the staffer who served me pointed out a number on the wristband she handed to me.

The VIXX fanmeeting ticket was similar to that of SHINee SWC V in Jakarta (another event organized by MyMusicTaste, last year). It came as a wristband (real concert wristband) with a special holder where you could put the wristband back after the event for you to keep; but now the wristbands had queue number on them. Will these queue numbers work? We’ll see!

At first, the scene that greeted us in the lobby of Kasablanka Hall looked bleak. Fans crowded around the entrance gate. No lining up, no queueing. We began to get a bit worried. There seemed to be no order. But then we heard the voice of a staffer shouting (the staffers were not equipped with megaphones, bless them; and MyMusicTaste, please get them some megaphones): “VIP 1!”

Voices of some Starlights (VIXX’s fans) joined his, relaying the message to the people standing at the back. It turned out that attendees were called to enter the queueing area based on their ticket category. After they have gathered according to their ticket category, staffers would call people according to their queue number (so the numbers were really used!), ten by ten. They would then be asked to line up again before being allowed to enter one by one according to the number on their wristband. Here, again Starlights helped the staffers. No-one rushed to get in, they just waited for their turn, repeating the number being called so that everyone could hear, joking lightly with the staffers.

When waiting for our turn to enter the queueing arena, a girl asked a security officer whether she could bring her drink in, since she couldn’t finish it. The officer asked her politely to try drinking it all. “I can’t,” answered the girl. “Then please ask the staffers who check your bag. The decision is theirs, I’m just warning you.” We made a note: Apparently they had clear job descriptions.

We finally entered the hall without incident, and took our seats. (Despite the queue number, it was free seating. You can choose to sit anywhere, first come first served.) Again we looked around in doubt. This was an all-seated event, and we wondered… if everyone later stood up when the fanmeeting started, could we see anything from where we sat?

Now here’s another key to a successful event: awesome, orderly fans. We’ve told you how Starlights helped staffers getting people enter the hall according to their queue numbers. Now, when the fanmeeting started, Starlights stayed seated. Some did try to stand up, but quickly sat down again after seeing that nobody else around them stood up. Starlights were to continue sitting until later, in encore, VIXX themselves asked them to stand up. This way, everyone could enjoy the fanmeeting without their view being blocked by other people’s heads, or banners, cameras, and lightsticks. Starlights were amazing in keeping order among themselves, without no-one really telling them to.

It’s 6 pm, the scheduled time to start. But there’s an announcement, other than the safety guide: the show was to be delayed for 15 minutes to respect local prayer time. Audience nodded in understanding.

Announcement when the event has to be delayed. This is also important, because it keeps the audience calm. Another plus point for VIXX fanmeeting organizers.

Finally, at about 6:17 pm, the lights went out. Fans screamed, welcoming VIXX on stage. Dressed in black, the six members of VIXX – leader N, Leo, Ken, Ravi, Hyuk, and Hongbin – appeared on stage, clad in black, and directly began the onslaught with three songs that I personally like to call part of the repertoir that show VIXX’s darker side: On and On, Hyde, and Eternity. The audience erupted in cheers since the beginning, and welcome song after song with such enthusiasm that it’s only a good idea when VIXX took a break to greet their fans. They thanked the fans for having invited them through MyMusicTaste so that they could return to Indonesia.

VIXX continued their performance with last year’s funky single, Dynamite, coupled with an old favourite, B.O.D.Y. After that, stools were brought to the stage for VIXX to sit, along with the board where fans had put sticky notes with their requests before the show. VIXX members took turn choosing and reading one note, doing or answering whatever request written on it. The first one to do it was Hyuk, who was asked to sing Ed Sheeran’s Photograph – a task he completed without difficulties. But the first question helped giving birth to one of the funniest incidents during the fanmeeting – the interpreter translated ‘Hyuk-oppa’ as ‘Kakak Hyuk’. VIXX members quickly picked up the word, repeating it again and again. Ken especially seemed to like the word ‘kakak’  very much.

Next was Hongbin, who was asked to order the members according to the hotness level of their bodies. He quickly chose Ravi as the member with the hottest body, since, according to Hongbin, the rapper liked to exercise. He put himself on the second position, because he usually accompanies Ravi exercising. Next he chose Hyuk, Ken, N, and Leo as the last. Accused of always postponing his diet program, Leo promised that he would start dieting on August 1. As of today, we cannot confirm whether he keeps his promise or not.

Leo’s turn was next. He picked a note written in English, which he read with a sweet voice. It turned out the writer was having her birthday and she asked Leo to say happy birthday to her. VIXX searched for her among the audience; a girl stood up and other Starlights helped pointing her out to the members. Leo said happy birthday to her, and VIXX thanked her for coming even though it’s her birthday. We’re sure she got one of the sweetest birthday presents ever!

After Leo, Ken was asked to sing a piece from Hamlet, which he expectedly did beautifully. Then, for some reason, N took a note asking Ravi to explain what N meant to him. N then turned his stool to face Ravi, sitting with a smug smile, demanding an answer. Ravi had to think for a while before answering that “N-hyung is precious to me.” N wouldn’t take an answer that short and asked for more. Ravi thought up ‘unique’, ‘funny’, and ‘often saying inappropriate things’… especially the latter.

The funny Q&A session was brought to the end by Ravi choosing a note requesting N to sing a song, the lyrics of which none of them remembered correctly. They then took it slow building up rhythm again, settling to slower songs of Someday and Now We. Afterwards, they disappeared backstage to change outfits, and while waiting, the audience was shown a VCR of each member representing an MV of their previous singles. The single giant backdrop screen showed crisp, high-definition images, with the lights switching colours and intensity accordingly. The stage might seem simple, but they’re very well prepared.

VIXX returned and mercilessly slew the audience with their sensual performance of Shangri-la (yup, the one with hand fan dance). They maintained the tension with Black Out, displaying a rather unhealthy amount of hip thrusts.

VIXX still had a surprise up their sleeve. On tables that were quickly set up on the stage, they each decorated a hand fan that they would give away to six lucky fans. Ravi, for instance, wrote his name in Chinese characters on his fan, while Ken drew Spongebob. Hongbin said he drew an apple, but his drawing was so bad. We caught N looking at Hongbin as if saying “Well, you tried!”

To determine the winners, one by one VIXX members drew a piece of paper with a random queue number. Fans cheered when they found out that the lucky draw was not for VIP attendees only, but for all ticket categories. N, showing his quality as a leader and a mature idol, upon seeing that some fans gave a thumb down when a fan from another ticket category won, quickly told them that Starlights should not be giving thumbs down like that. Instead, they should keep their thumbs up – he raised his own as an example.

Done with the surprise lucky draw, VIXX returned to performing, this time Fantasy and Desperate. It’s time to say goodbye; they again thanked Indonesian Starlights for having invited them to Jakarta, and told Starlights to get home safely and always take good care of their health. They bring their main set to the end with Love Me Do, Chained Up, and Voodoo Doll, not forgetting the walking stick that’s part of the choreography for the last song.

Another thing that made us lift our hats for Starlights was when VIXX asked to have pictures taken with the audience as the background. We didn’t know if there’s anyone giving instruction, or whether it’s just spontaneous, but the fans in the central columns sat down so that fans at the back could get in the frame too. It’s a very nice and polite gesture!

Not long after leaving the stage, VIXX re-appeared for encore, now sporting dark blue T-shirts bearing their names. Ravi asked fans to stand and jump now, enjoying the last two songs. Only now fans lifted their banners, while VIXX members running and strolling here and there on the stage, waving and smiling at the audience. Ken walked around screaming “Let’s go!”, making members and audience alike laugh. Heaven and Love Equation served as the real closing songs of the night. VIXX said goodbye and promised to return again soon (a promise we really look forward to!).

The main part of the fanmeeting was over. Slowly, not rushing, fans who were not joining the photo group session and the high-touch session left the hall. Those who had won presents, either from sweepstakes for ticket purchasers or the lucky draw for hand fans decorated by VIXX, went to the counter to collect their goods. Present collection, as far as we observed, went smoothly. Some fans wished though that presents for ticket purchasers would be given to a certain ticket number, not order number. There’s a potential conflict there about who should take the present because one order might consist of more than one ticket.

As an after service, ticket buyers were also sent an e-mail with a link to a questionnaire about the fanmeeting, with questions like whether we found difficulties in buying tickets and what can be done to make next events better. All in all, we’re very satisfied with VIXX’s fanmeeting in Jakarta, and we hope MyMusicTaste would keep up their good job in organizing events. And thumbs up for Starlights too!

How about you? Were you there? If you had experience in VIXX’s fanmeeting in Jakarta that you would like to share, don’t hesitate to leave your comment!

VIXX setlist 29072017

1.On and On
2.Hyde
3.Eternity
4.Dynamite
5.B.O.D.Y
6.Someday
7.Now We
8.Shangri-La
9.Black Out
10.Fantasy
11.Desperate
12.Love Me Do
15.Chained Up
16.Voodoo Doll
17.Heaven
18.Love Equation