Music Core [15th June]

First off, excellent directions/hints/tips for MBC Music Core can be found at Korean Codex, here.

Warnings; extremely long post and lots of fangirling.

I'd decided to buy CD's for MBLAQ's fansign in Ilsan and as a friend was going to MuCore anyway there on Saturday, I decided to join him and see them at the music show as well. I went up to Ilsan on Friday night and crashed a friends place for a few hours before getting up at stupid-o'clock in time to get to MBC around 6am. They just started taking names for the list, and I ended up being 18; Corey came a few mins later and got 22.

Took me a minute to work out that this was actually an "18"...

We just sat there talking until it got to 8.30 or so, when we lined up again to take our actual numbers and for fan staff to check our things. Luckily, Corey had told me what I needed and I'd spent an hour on Friday night  trying to deal with iTunes and my friends glacially-paced laptop in order to print things. We had to have;

1) Photo ID - I used my ARC (Alien Registration Card) but I saw others used their passports.

2) A physical copy of the Sexy Beat album.

3) printed proof of the bank transaction when I sent them money to become an official member (the 3rd season A+ membership cards haven't been sent out yet).

and 4) printed proof of an online purchase of Smoky Girl song (I used iTunes which was fine, usually you have to buy from a Korean music site like Soribada or Melon, and I have absolutely no idea how to use them).

Most international fans would be able to sort out 3 of these (especially with being able to buy the single on iTunes), but I think not having official membership will put you way down the list, after official fan members (but I don't know for sure).

The MBC studio building is actually quite pretty!

Our time for pre-recording meant we actually queued up almost straight away and we were inside around 9.30 even though MBLAQ's pre-rec wasn't scheduled until 10.30. Sistar were currently filming, and we also saw Rainbow too. As the girl groups finished, all the fanboys in front swapped over with us in the standing area - it was a mad rush for no reason, and my bag got caught between other people, which was a bit nuts. Corey managed to go straight over to the side in the corner, and there was loads of room at that side. The fans next to us were there for Shinhwa, so they let us come right to the front in that corner and there was room for everyone and I could put my bag down too.

Next up after Rainbow was BTS (Bangtan Boys/방탄소년단)'s debut stage. They had B T S on big boards at the back and awesome orange siren lights scattered around the edges of the floor. They really impressed me and I've seen a lot of people talking about them on Twitter. It's always nice to see a group with an edgier style, even if I think their rapper's chosen names are ridiculous ("Suga" I can deal with but "Rap Monster" ...really?? ...really?? *headdesk* ).

After Bangtan was MBLAQ and.... well. For my first experience of seeing them live, it was awesome to be so close to the stage. They were maybe 6 feet away, with only the cameraman going back and forth in front of the standing barriers. It really was surreal to see them and of course, I cheered and waved at them. They didn't really acknowledge particular fans in the crowd (or it didn't feel like it) but then, not many groups did anyway. Mir was jumping up and down at a few points in breaks and seemed very relaxed. Thunder seemed really focussed and concentrating on the song and choreography. Joon had such a different persona during the two performances as opposed to the first run-through (rehearsal one), he became even more intense. G.O. was cute when he was the only person starting and the music cut out a couple of times and he had to start again. He just trailed off singing/dancing but because it was so sudden, it ended up being pretty funny. Seungho also seemed quite relaxed and concentrated a lot; he licks his lips so much, now I understand why I see so many fansite-taken photo's of him like that, haha~

We got given balloons whilst waiting for the live show~

It was all over far too soon but then we also were able to see Vixx perform hyde; I loved the choreography for that. Corey was also fanboying out at all these groups and was teaching me the members during their sets; he knows all the fanchants too. He was unsuccessfully trying to hide from members of Vixx because he didn't want them to spot him - he went to a fan sign of theirs - because we were there for MBLAQ. (Sometimes, Korean fans don't really get the concept that you can like and even be a hardcore fan of more than one group.... it's just not how things run here.)

Next up was EXO with Wolf and again, awesome choreography but honestly, the song doesn't really grab me. I think it's a shame after they had such a long break and I was looking forward to seeing what they would do next. I liked their outfits though, and decided that one had a serious Edward Cullen look going on, which considering they're portraying wolves, was pretty funny. He looked like he'd just dropped off a catwalk. Luhan also had a bit of a hilarious wardrobe malfunction on the first rehearsal run with his top flying up into his face from the chorus moves but luckily managed to fix it for the proper run-throughs. I also really liked a camouflage-patterned blazer another was wearing - I'd love one of them!

Last up during our pre-record session was Shinhwa with This Love and man, that song is catchy. Their outfits though were a whole world of pain. As an older group, I'd really rather see them in plainer suits and not some bizarre tie-dye pastel pattern suits with powder blue/lilac trousers for some of them. It was as awful as that sounds. Please, co-ordi's, just burn that fabric and never buy it again. They'd look so hot in all-black suits as well, or maybe that's just me. Even the dancers' outfits were a bit eurgh, with ripped white skinny jeans that had really come apart... but the song is still in my head, 3 days later.

Corey and me, waiting in the queue for the live show

We came out of our pre-record not too long after 12, and had time to grab some lunch and wander around Ilsan for a bit which was lovely. We queued back up for the live show (again, in number order) and waited to see if we would get in. There seemed to be no system at all to that, and Corey was telling me about how it really was a toss-up whether you get in. Some started going in for EXO but then the line was stopped for ages until even more were let in.... then the time was running out until the live broadcast started so suddenly it became a bit ridiculous. They let a certain number from each group, usually 20 or 30 depending on the size of the fanclub, but they only let 10 A+ in, and I was the 11th person....! So close but by then, the show was soon to start and that was it. I didn't mind too much really because I'd seen most of the groups I would have wanted to see earlier in pre-record but I hadn't realised Nell were there - would have liked to see them! They were the only group I felt I missed really~

Kintex is an exhibition centre in Ilsan

After all this crazy, we went to a bubble tea place to cool down after being in the sun for a few hours queuing with some girls Corey knew who had been there for 2PM. I still couldn't find the name list for the fan sign, so went up to Kintex to see if I had been successful but I hadn't. :'(

View of the mountains from the subway on the way back to Seoul

I ended up getting back on the subway to Seoul and meeting up with Steph for dinner, some drinks and to crash out at her's. Then, on Sunday... I went to Gangnam to buy even more albums for another MBLAQ fansign as well as Vixx's, Bangtan's and Nell's albums too before finally lugging it all back home.

The albums I bought over the weekend. Yes, that IS 18 copies of MBLAQ's "Sexy Beat"

Turns out, that buying session was also in vain because I didn't get into the Gangnam fan sign either and nor did Corey - I asked in the store and they said about 1,400 albums had been sold. *sigh*