The first KCon was held in October 2012 in California. It was a huge success with more than 20.000 K-Pop fans in attendance of the cultural event. KCON’s initial purpose was to break through the American market and export Korean pop culture. Due to the success, later events were held in East Asia, South East Asia, Europe, Australia, and South America. In 2017, KCON was held in Mexico, Japan, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Australia. In this article, Channel-Korea will provide you with a detailed explanation of everything about the 2017 K-Con Mexico in South America. So, stay tuned and keep scrolling down!
Announcement & Line-up
KCON Mexico was held on March 17-18, 2017 at the Mexico City Arena. Mexico City was the first location that was followed by Chiba, New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Sydney. It was the first major K-Wave event held in South America and South American fans were excited about the event. On the first day, March 17th, 2017, BTS, Eric Nam, EXID, NCT 127 performed at the Mexico City Arena, while on the following day, ASTRO, INFINITE H, MONSTA X, Red Velvet performed at the music and culture conference. The first announcement about Mexico as the first stop of the 2017 KCON was posted in January 2017. Beside music concerts, event organizers supported various booths with Korean products to promote and sell Korean merchandise. There were many products, mainly K-Pop merchandise, cosmetics, and Korean food. Before the main event, there was a Korean traditional dance show. The choreography and actual dance were prepared by Korean cultural staff in Mexico. On the preliminary event, Eric Nam hosted the event. Eric Nam is one of a few Korean artists that are able to speak Spanish since he used to be based in the United States.
Red Carpet
The 2017 Mexico KCON Red Carpet was held two hours before the actual concert. Each of the performers was given a short time to greet the fans. They either answered one simple question or simply stood and posed for photos. The interval between the Red Carpet and the actual concert was too short and fans complained to the event organizer for giving too little time for the artist to greet their fans.
BTS were the star of the KCON Mexico Red Carpet. The boys walked toward the stage with extreme confidence. They greeted the camera and amazed crowds with their smiles and charisma. They enjoyed being in the spotlight and the center of attention. On the Red Carpet, all of the members were dressed in matching black suits and white shirts. Each member greeted fans in his own style.
Red Velvet arrived at the KCON 2017 without their tallest member, Joy. The girls dressed very feminine and girly with simple make-up. As usual, Irene was the center of attention with her flawless look. Yerim and Seulgi stole the spot with their girly and lovely cream blue outfit.
The ASTRO boys looked comfortable and confident at the KCON 2017. They were dressed in a school suit look. ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo was the main attention for his handsome pretty boy appearance.
NCT 127 showed up wearing a very simple outfit. They wore a combination of black suits and red shirts. Their outfit seemed too simple and too normal for an event as big as KCON. However, they showed good confidence and greeted fans with a warm heart.
Eric Nam showed his usual trademark smile and greeted fans warmly. He showed up in a simple black suit and a white shirt. He was full of smiles and danced on the red carpet booth.
EXID appeared in a black outfit with a strong presence. They looked mature compared to other idols at the KCON Mexico. EXID’s Hani seemed slightly tense and could barely smile at all as she walked to the red carpet photo booth. Other EXID members greeted fans and cameras with huge smiles and gave heart signals to fans.
Hoya and Dongwoo appeared on the Red Carpet photo booth with manly looks. They looked dapper and handsome in black and white semi-tuxedos. Dongwoo was full of energy as he playfully walked and danced on the stage. On the stage, he couldn’t contain his energy and performed a short dance on the photo booth stage.
MONSTA X looked dapper and appeared like true gentlemen. All of them wore a black or dark blue suit or tuxedo. Most of them looked shy but greeted fans with a lot of enthusiasm.
Stage Performances
BTS
BTS performed three songs on the second day of KCON Mexico: “Not Today,” “Spring Day,” and “Blood Sweat and Tears.” BTS’ charisma was enough to give tears of joy to South American fans. The audience started screaming and jumping as soon as BTS appear on the stage. BTS performed “Not Today” as their first song and later performed “Spring Day” and “Blood Sweat and Tears.” The star of BTS was Rap Monster. He controlled the stage and impressed the audience with his rapping verses. Fans were singing and rapping along during his appearance. Other members also tried hard to entertain fans with energetic dancing. Female fans were thrilled, especially when they showed pelvic dance choreography. Earlier in 2017, BTS had released the repackage album of Wings. The album included the lead single “Spring Day” that topped the major music charts in Korea. “Spring Day” also entered the Billboard music chart at No. 15.
Red Velvet
Red Velvet missed Joy very much. Their dance choreography was lacking somebody with excellent dancing energy. Red Velvet performed only 2 songs: “Rookie” and “Dumb Dumb.” In February 2017, Red Velvet released their fourth mini-album Rookie. It included the title single, “Rookie.” The album peaked at the Gaon Album chart and recorded a peak position on the Billboard World Album chart as well. Red Velvet looked fresh and girly in a combination of red, white, and pink outfits. As the group’s face, Irene wore an eye-catching all pink outfit.
NCT 127
NCT 127 performed two songs: “Fire Truck” and “Limitless.” NCT 127 made one standout performance due to their energetic and eye-catching choreography. They showed several power dance moves and ended with a stylish finish. Though their performance was satisfying and entertaining, NCT 127 should invest more in their style and stage outfit. Their stage outfits seemed too simple and less eye-catching compared to other performers.
EXID
EXID captivated the concert audience with their sexy choreography and signature pelvic dance. Before the actual performance, each member was given a solo dance time. Hani led the other members with her singing while other members contributed with their singing and dancing. Sometimes LE stole the spotlight with her intense rap and on-stage charisma. Earlier in January, EXID released their second Chinese single “Up & Down.” The group was criticized by some netizens for dancing in the famous and sacred Chinese landmark, The Forbidden City.
ASTRO
ASTRO was one of the rising stars in the K-Pop wave. They charmed fans with their pretty boy image and easy listening music. ASTRO members chose normal and casual outfits that suit their music and appearance. Compared to NCT 127, ASTRO’s choreography was simple. They didn’t perform any powerful dance moves or any break-dance moves. South American fans must remember ASTRO as the K-Pop idol group with a cute image. Cha Eun-woo stole the spotlight whenever he performed his central part. As the face of ASTRO, he did an excellent job of hypnotizing the audience with his genius-face visual.
Monsta X
Monsta X performed “Fighter” and “Beautiful” at the KCON Mexico. Jooheon of Monsta X captivated the audience with his solo performance. His rap was intense and his stage outfit emphasized his charisma. During the performance of “Fighter,” each member appeared on stage one by one while singing their part. Monsta X members looked handsome wearing a black and gold outfit. Before deciding to appear on KCON Mexico 2017, earlier in January, Monsta X broadcast their own variety show Monsta X-Ray in jTBC. In March 2017, Monsta X released their full studio album, The Clan pt. 2.5: The Final Chapter. The album peaked at the No. 1 position on Billboard’s World album chart. The title single from the album was “Beautiful.” Apparently, Monsta X went to KCON Mexico to promote their latest album.
INFINITE H
Hoya and Dongwoo of Infinite H showed that they are the senior among other K-Pop idols. Their duet captivated the audience with the opposite character. Each member of Infinite H was given a solo choreography. Hoya did a freestyle choreography that emphasized more on emotion and feelings. His moves were rhythmic following the music and complementing the background. Contrary to Hoya, Dongwoo’s choreography emphasized more on strength and energy. His dance moves were explosive and energetic. After the solo freestyle dances, Infinite H performed their hit song “Pretty.” Hoya and Dongwoo looked handsome in a patterned suit. Infinite H is a subunit of Infinite, a boy band group formed by Woolim Entertainment. The group consists of six members: Sungkyu, Dongwoo, Woohyun, Sungyeol, L, and Sungjong.
Eric Nam
Eric Nam was the busiest performer at KCON Mexico 2017. Aside from hosting, he also performed two of his hit singles, “Can’t Help Myself” and “Spring Love.” For the performance of “Can’t Help Myself,” he drew inspiration from Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” music video. Eric Nam wore a very casual, summer style outfit. Most of the crowds were singing along when he performed on the stage. Eric Nam and Wendy of Red Velvet performed a duet. Both of them looked shy and nervous as they sang together at the center of the stage. That was all the information about the 2017 KCON in Mexico City. It was a memorable event and an excellent present for K-Pop fans in South America. In the future, KCON is expected to connect and promote Korean Wave to many countries. Don’t forget to share your opinion about K-Pop idols’ and K-Pop artists’ performances in the comment section below!
