KCON 2018 LA presented by Toyota returns veterans in SEVENTEEN, TWICE and NU'EST W while showcasing new faces in Pentagon, Dreamcatcher, and more > K-POP

​courtesy of CJ E&M 

KCON 2018 LA presented by Toyota. It came. It saw. It conquered. This year saw a record number of attendees for the three-day affair, with 94,000 attending KCON LA and a total of 147,000 attendees for NY and LA. Fans saw their favorite artists more often and closer than in previous years, with over 20 chances to interact with them. Not only that, but each night’s concert brought forth crazy energy from the fans. Though there were many performers and oftentimes whiplash due to the speed of performances coming out, it was not enough to distract many from the fun to be had. Here are the highlights from both nights:

Reality/survival show groups reign supreme

That’s right. Did you know that quite a few of the groups present during the two nights were formed either through reality shows or survival shows? Ranging from veteran groups TWICE and SEVENTEEN to darlings Wanna One, Momoland, and fromis_9, each group brought out their best performances to screaming fans. TWICE showed their summery side for recent song ‘Dance the Night Away’ and glowed in their beautiful beach dresses, MOMOLAND filled the stadium with their infectious and catchy song in ‘BBOOM BBOOM’, and fromis_9 displayed their pure, innocent look and captured hearts with ‘DKDK’. SEVENTEEN got gasps of ‘Oh My’ with their intricate and sharp choreography and dance moves while Wanna One went all out to show the ‘Light’ to all of those in attendance.

 ​courtesy of CJ E&M​

Covers and collaborations are life, but we need more

Concerts with different groups are just the perfect place for different covers and collaborations to take place. Though TWICE treated fans to Beyonce’s ‘End of Time’, straight from their TWICELAND concert, and fromis_9, Dreamcatcher, and Chungha performed covers of ‘Havana’, ‘WTF’, ‘God is a Woman’, and ‘Hand Clap’, no boy group shared their own renditions of popular songs, which would’ve made the stadium roar in delight. Disappointing was also the lack of collaborations, with only one featuring Chungha alongside Dynamic Duo. The biggest loss was perhaps no group stage between NU’EST W and SEVENTEEN as both groups are managed by Pledis Entertainment. The MAMA stage of ‘Heaven’ would have been quite lit and fans would have fainted.

Soloist Ailee shows how it’s done

One of the biggest and most memorable moments belonged to none other than Ailee, who performed at KCON LA for the first time and was quite comfortable on homegrown soil. Her stage presence was felt to the upper echelons of the stadium and she had the time of her life performing on stage. Cries and screams of adoration filled the stadium as she performed ‘I Will Show You’ and ‘You and I’. Queen Ailee indeed!

A familiar face in the crowd

Performers from recent KCON events included TWICE, Wanna One, Davichi and SEVENTEEN. However, there was one very old face that received many cheers when it came time to perform. That was none other than NU’EST W, a KPOP Cinderella story if there ever was one. The group was part of the inaugural KCON held in 2012 back at the Verizon Amphitheatre in Irvine and was touted as one of hottest rookies of 2012. Unfortunately, the group failed to gain much traction outside its core fanbase after its debut year and almost disbanded had it not been timing, lucky, and skills shown through Produce 101 Season 2 last year. Since then, the group has enjoyed a surge in popularity, finally winning #1 and receiving love calls for CFs and variety shows alike. Despite waiting for member Minhyun to return from Wanna One after the end of this year, the quartet has remained humble and thankful for all the love that they have received in the past year alone.

New groups shine bright in LA

LA has been called the City of Stars and that moniker is definitely not a reach as the idols performing for the first time in LA shone brightly on stage. From the likes of Dreamcatcher, who mesmerized fans with their goth-like, rock sound in ‘U & I’, and Pentagon, who pumped up the crowd with their surprise summer hit ‘Shine’, to Jun, who became performed an official stage for the first time after years of guesting, Roy Kim whose voice stole the hearts of many in attendance, and Golden Child, who spread joy and infectious cheer, Staples Center was ready to burst after being filled with such memorable performances.

 ​courtesy of CJ E&M​

All in all, it was another two nights to remember. We can’t wait to see what KCON brings to LA next year!

 ​courtesy of CJ E&M​

 ​courtesy of CJ E&M​

written by Korea.com’s Emily

Special thanks to The Lippin Group for providing Korea.com with access to the concert and an opportunity to cover KCON 2018 LA Presented by Toyota.