"KARA" A homey stage
「ＫＡＲＡ」のアットホームなステージ
KARA has successfully completed their first solo concert overseas, showing off their strong ticket power in Japan, with all generations in attendance.
KARA kicked off their Asia tour "KARASIA" at Yokohama Arena on the 14th and 15th.
"KARASIA" began in February at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, and this was their first time in Japan, where KARA enjoys the highest level of popularity.
This tour was KARA's first solo concert in Japan, since they entered the Japanese market in August 2010.
KARA's stage, which has maintained its "number one" status as a K-pop girl group, including being the first overseas girl group to reach No. 1 on the Oricon weekly chart (Jet Coaster Love), attracted more attention from people involved than any other performance.
KARA attracted an audience of 10,000 people for one performance. Tickets, priced at 8,400 yen, sold out quickly. The audience at this performance was of both genders and ages, which made it completely different from a regular K-pop concert.
Until now, the main customers of Korean concerts in Japan have been middle-aged women in their 30s and 40s, and idol group concerts are also characterized by an overwhelming number of female audiences.
At KARA's concert, the gender ratio was reversed. Far more than half the audience were men, and there were many families with young children.
It was a scene that confirmed that K-pop has taken root among all generations, not just the "middle-aged" crowd.
The performance, in which KARA's signature orange glow sticks waved nonstop for two and a half hours, began with "Speed Up."
As soon as KARA appeared on stage, the low-pitched screams of the male audience filled the venue, and KARA became one with the audience with their Japanese hits such as "Jumping" and "Honey."
In particular, KARA rode a specially made float through the audience while singing "Pretty Girl," making eye contact with the audience.
When they sang "Honey," they also brought male audience members up on stage to play games with the members, which was a noticeable event to increase intimacy with the audience.
When the final song "Mister" started, the entire audience imitated the hip dance, and the atmosphere reached its peak. KARA came back on stage for a double encore and finished the performance with "Girls Be Ambitious," "SOS," "Rock U," and other songs.
"KARASIA" began in Yokohama and will continue to Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Tokyo, and Saitama. 130,000 tickets have already been sold out.
(From K-POP News)
KARA's Asia tour "KARASIA" kicked off with a performance at Yokohama Arena.
The tickets are sold out, but KARA's true worth is yet to be tested.
Even if they can liven up a small stage on TV, it will take time for them to be able to handle a tour on the scale of Girls' Generation.
I have thought that this day may never come.
The reason for this is as follows.
KARA's fan base is deep in the living rooms of living rooms. The main force is young fathers and mothers with small children.
It is hard to imagine that these people will flock to exciting places like arena tours.
When asked who their favorite K-POP group is, many people will vaguely answer "KARA."
However, I felt more strongly that there weren't many fans who were passionate enough to follow them around to see their performances.
Learning about the type of audience that had flocked to Yokohama Arena that day, I felt like I'd solved a real mystery.
I wanted to laugh at my own misguided view.
They're popular among the general public, so they certainly have a lot of child fans.
But these kids don't have the money to buy tickets.
They're not at the level where they can buy and eat sweet bread.
Their parents probably don't have the time for that either, as they probably have too many other things to get their kids to do.
There are some young female fans, too.
But I don't think there are particularly many.
What about male fans? Most of those families are into AKB.
That said, I did feel that KARA probably had its fair share of passionate male fans.
But there was one other aspect of KARA's male fans that I couldn't quite imagine.
It was hard to imagine these people growing into a large group, but before we knew it, a unique fanbase attracted to KARA had developed.
--The audience at this KARA concert was balanced in gender and age, and it seemed completely different from a normal K-pop concert.
Come to think of it, the KARA boom is a unique phenomenon that does not remain within the bounds of K-pop.
It seems I had overlooked that.
I came home from work today and enjoyed KARA's music.
I watched this performance while thinking in my mind of their fan meeting at Yokohama Arena on Saturday, August 6th, 2011, this time's "KARASIA" at Yokohama Arena, and various other stages.
An hour and a half passed in the blink of an eye.
It seemed that the success of the fan meeting at Yokohama Arena on Saturday, August 6th, 2011 had given them the confidence to embark on an Asian tour.
What was strange was that the atmosphere at the fan meeting at Yokohama Arena on Saturday, August 6th, 2011 and this time at KARASIA's stage was completely different.
At the fan meeting at Yokohama Arena on Saturday, August 6th, 2011, there were an overwhelming number of children.
However, this time at Yokohama Arena, it was packed with adult men.
Of course, there were families as well, and young female fans as well...
Videos of this performance are already circulating on YouTube.
At first glance, the audience seemed more like some kind of event venue than a music stage.
It was striking to see children held by their parents staring intently at KARA's stage.
I wonder if we'll see a scene like this at their next stage...
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