Being the headliner of the festival, TAN was only the tip of the iceberg

regarding what the Korean Festival had to offer. They had a full schedule

planned including a talent show on the main stage that was open to anyone no

matter what their age. Multiple types of vendors and informational booths were

available with various options for food and entertainment (Author’s note: the pork

bulgogi was to die for). Before TAN was scheduled to perform, the Sae Han

Taekwondo group graced the stage with an amazing performance of various

forms from the marital art and coordinated board breaking. Following taekwondo,

there was a performance of samulnori, which is a genre of percussion music that

originated in Korea. The performance had the audience enamored and when

they finished a musical piece, they would erupt into applause for the young

musicians. On the mainstage, K-pop performances were prepared by local dance

cover groups that hyped the audience up for the penultimate performance of

TAN. The last cover group performed TAN’s DU DU DU and, to everyone’s

surprise, Sunghyuk joined the group during the last chorus. As TAN approached

the stage and readied themselves to start with their first song, the crowd was

excitedly awaiting their performance, cheering for the 6 members. They started

their setlist with one of their best hype songs, Louder, a song that makes

everyone move with its driving beat and electronic feel. After a short introduction,

they sang one of the upbeat, happy songs they made for their fans, My Heart,

and was followed by their newest title track, Heartbeat. Between songs,

Changsun, the leader of the group, thanked everyone who attended the festival,

remarking on how grateful they all were that people were interested in their

heritage and how they were amazed at the number of people attending the

festival. The 6 members finished their set with another of their new songs, New

Days, which is a fun song with light drums and a cheery guitar riff that makes

everyone want to get up and dance. They ended the night with information about

their concert the following day, encouraging any new fans to attend with high

hopes of an electric performance.

The day of their solo concert had come and there were a few hiccups with

check-in and the perks that were offered on-site, but despite this, the show itself

was unforgettable. The staff at check-in surprised fans with poses to choose from

for the SODA pix, and that slowed the process slightly. The theater was seated

which made the concert experience much smoother and allowed fans to interact

with each other without having to worry about losing their place. One of the perks

for VVIP and VIP ticketholders was soundcheck where part of the audience was

present while the artists checked their mics. They tested the sound with DU DU

DU and Heartbeat, singing full force and interacting with fans while making

adjustments as needed. There was an intermission while TAN prepared

backstage and then the concert was in full swing. The crowd favorite, and

admittedly TAN’s favorite, Walking on the Moon was the kick-off for the night,

filling the stage with sweet high notes and sharp choreography. Immediately

after, Beautiful Lie started playing and while it has a similar feel to Walking on the

Moon, it is distinctly more bright and fun. As the concert continued, the members

introduced themselves and also answered questions that were written by SODA

while standing in line. The most memorable was the question that Jooan picked

which was, “Do you guys believe in aliens?” and the overwhelming response was

yes. First Jiseong, and then Jaejun confirmed their belief and Jaejun mentioned

that, based on their debut and the music video for Beautiful Lie, TAN are aliens.

Throughout the rest of their performance, they burned the stage with their

amazing dance cover medley, the debut of all of the new songs from their recent

album, and the surprise of a “wardrobe malfunction” by Jooan during the encore.

SODA was so energetic and sang their songs back to them and made all of TAN

smile.

One of the most intriguing things that they talked about during the concert

was the fact that every member had a hand in creating their newest album, TAN

MADE, and they made it with SODA in mind. The unit songs were written and

choreographed by the members respectively and Jiseong and Jaejun are both

credited at least once in each song on the album. The live performances of each

song were greatly anticipated by the fans and TAN did not disappoint. Each song

had its own color and energy that was astounding to witness. The concert ended

with New Days as the encore and the energy was so wild that Jooan decided to

take his shirt off and continue to dance and run around the stage, hyping SODA

up as he went. Later, in a live, Taehoon revealed that he had discussed taking

his shirt off with Jooan and Sunghyuk, but Jooan was the only one who followed

through. The concert ended and the 6 Wild Idols said their goodbyes but the

night was not over because of the perks offered with the tickets and as add-ons.

Almost everything that was offered at the festival was offered after the concert, a

fan sign, hi touch, and individual group photos. There was also a group photo

offered for VVIP ticket holders where 10 SODA were seated in front of TAN and

an additional 2 exclusive photocards were handed out. The highlight of the night,

however, was the SODA pix, where you buy a ticket for a single member and

they take a selfie with you using your phone. Though there were hiccups at the

festival and at check-in, the execution of the perks after the concert flowed very

smoothly and went off without a hitch.

Changsun, throughout the concert, was very attentive to SODA and was

alone onstage at a point because the other members were preparing for the unit

stages. He played a trivia game with SODA and expressed that even though the

group was missing Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving, they were so

happy to be able to see SODA. Jooan was very intense with his body

movements and did everything he could to get a reaction out of SODA. He is the

main vocalist of TAN and his sweet vocals live are an experience all by

themselves. SODA and TAN wished him an early happy birthday as it was a few

days after the concert. Jaejun was fairly reserved, but he was smiling a lot with

SODA and feeling the energy given by the fans. He seemed to have the most fun

with the dance cover medley and when they performed Heartbeat, the song he is

most proud of. Sunghyuk seemed to be having the time of his life performing for

SODA and his personality and improvements as an artist really shone through.

He wrote lyrics for the first time with his unit song, Jekyll & Hyde, which also

features Jooan and Jaejun. He mentioned that he was nervous, but he was

happy with how it came out and that he was praised by his members. Taehoon

exuded intensity when performing, but turned into a marshmallow in between

songs and during the perks. Jiseong was very vocal and energetic, always trying

to hype up SODA and jumping around. Overall, TAN really brought the energy of

10 K-pop groups to every performance. Their attention to detail when it comes to

choreography is unlike any other and their live vocals are almost too crystal clear

to believe. Though they are a smaller group and not as well known in the realm

of K-pop, their performance is not something anyone should miss, with amazing

talent that is unmatched.

**Author’s note**

I would like to take this section to express the amazing time I had with TAN and what my personal experience was like interacting with them. Firstly, I had attended the last tour they had in Atlanta and the cafe event, so they had seen me quite a bit up to that point. Then in August, I was lucky enough to see them again with a fan call so we really got to know each other. I mention this because, when I approached them for the hi-touch at the festival, each and every one of them knew me and a couple of them said my name. It was a surreal experience and they all continued to let me know they recognized me and it made me feel so seen and appreciated as a fan. They did the same thing at the concert, giving me knowing looks and saying my name during the perks. Nothing I have experienced to date has come close to this and I will forever treasure the knowledge that TAN knows me by name, knows my face and my voice.

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