My Experience at VAV’s Concert

Ashley Kumar, Delhi

I have been a K-pop enthusiast for years, but I had never dreamt that I would see K-pop artists perform live in my country. But this dream came true when VAV came to India for a series of concerts and fan meets starting May 31, 2019.

VAV, which originally had 10 members, is a K-pop boy group that debuted on November 2, 2015, under the label A Team Entertainment. Their first extended play, Under The Moonlight, was appreciated by the audience. At present, they have seven members, namely Lee Geum-hyuk, Choi Chung-hyeop, Jang Woo-young, Noh Yoon-ho, Jang Peng, Kim Ho-sung, and Park Hee-jun, who are better known by their stage names St. Van, Baron, Ace, Ayno, Jacob, Lou, and Ziu, respectively.

The group announced their tour to India after their successful comeback in 2019 with their fourth extended play Thrilla Killa which currently boasts of 25 million views on YouTube. I was glad that the dates of their concert did not overlap with my college exams. In fact, the concert was a treat as it began right when my exams ended!

I had heard VAV’s songs before, and the news of their concert in India added to my interest. I was eager to hear them live, and the excitement grew with each passing day.

The group was to visit two places in India – Delhi and Imphal. I had booked two tickets for the concert in Delhi which was to take place on May 31, 2019, at the Siri Fort Auditorium. The concert took place after the fan meet, but unfortunately, I was unable to attend the latter. I had reached the venue with my friend, and we waited in line for almost 3 hours before we could enter. Although the VAV merchandise was available right outside the auditorium, we were too eager to meet the group that we did not even think of buying them. While waiting in line, everyone busied themselves by singing VAV’s songs, and they did not miss the fan chants. It was wonderful to see everyone supporting the group. And, many of us bonded over songs and our mutual love and appreciation for the group while we waited for the doors of the auditorium to open.

Finally, it was time to enter the venue. We were given banners with the member’s name by the volunteers, and I got Jacob and Baron. The view was perfect, and there was a screen where they played VAV’s songs. We waited and took pictures until it was announced that VAV would be entering the stage. On hearing the news, everyone screamed at the top of their voices, and the concert started with a boom with their song ‘Thrilla Killa‘. Everyone sang along and the fan chants were amazing. The amount of support was unbelievable!

After this song, they introduced themselves in Hindi – “Namaste, hum VAV hain.” It was a rare, euphoric experience. They played games with the fans in between songs, and they even made us laugh. Lou was the one doing all the translations, and they even sang Hindi songs for us. We were excited to join them.

Soon, we had to call it a day but, we left with beautiful memories. At times it feels that it wasn’t real, but then I look at the videos I took, and it all comes back to me. I will always treasure that day. I really hope VAV gains more fans in the future because their songs are simply wonderful.

Have you heard VAV’s songs? What do you think of the group? Share your thoughts in the comment section.