There were quite a few amusing tweets going around about the venue choice as well. Traditionally SM holds their showcases at SM Artium, however Jonghyun's showcase was held at SJ. Kunsthalle in Gangnam which is this small warehouse-like space with glass walls and elevated platforms around the outside of the room overlooking a bar and dance floor. Unfortunately for us the bar wasn't open because I kind of fancy the idea of jamming to Jonghyun's new song 'Cocktail' with a cocktail in hand....on second thought that's probably an awful idea. Anyway Artium can usually hold roughly 750 people from memory. Don't quote me on that, but that's the number that comes to mind. For Jonghyun's showcase only 250 people were getting tickets and SM decided to let 50 people in who designed and wore there own white t-shirts. This means SM essentially went from an already pretty small venue to an even smaller one so people were understandably a little grumpy on twitter about it.
As I understand it there were quite a few people who lined up from Sunday afternoon for the 50 t-shirt tickets. In my case, I have to be at work bright and early on Monday's so I couldn't attempt this even though I spent most of Sunday sewing together a shirt with 좋아 on the back. The requirement for the white t-shirt contest is that the shirt had the word 좋아 on it in honor of Jonghyun's album. As far as I know SM staff gave these people numbers at 11am ish so they could go and rest and come back for the event which was super nice and organized of them. Usually when the SM volunteer staff are in charge of things, shit gets done really well. Honestly I love going to Jonghyun events for this reason because I find the crowd he attracts are really chill and level headed as far as fangirls go. I say this just because Jonghyun only events are usually the most orderly and chill in my experience.
Long story short, I thought I had absolutely no chance of getting into this event. I went down there and wore my white shirt and hung around, but I thought the likelihood of getting in was nearly zero. I was with a few friends and we got shuffled into a line of people that didn't have tickets and they lined us up against the building and basically we had to wait and wait and wait. I didn't mind honestly because being acknowledged as non-ticket holders and shuffled into a line was more than I hoped for. I thought they would just shoo us away and that would be the end of that. Also I would like to make a note that I haven't worn a white t-shirt willingly in my life. I've always been a black kinda girl so the white t-shirt thing made me feel a lot weirder than it should have ^.^;;;;
They let the 50 t-shirt girls in. And then the 250 tickets holders. And then they waited around for any late comers of the 250 ticket holders. We could hear people screaming inside and I later found out it was because Jonghyun was standing on the elevated platforms and waving at fans and he threw down a white tshirt at one point I think. In any case there were about...30 fans roughly, waiting outside. They stamped us with the Jonghyun entry stamp, but still hadn't really said anything about whether we were getting in. They were handing us lightsticks and the little Jonghyun posters and still hadn't really said whether we were allowed in or not. And then we heard the girls inside going absolutely batshit and Jonghyun was on stage and they let us in!!!! My heart was beating like crazy from the uncertainty. The security guy was a really nice dude for security but I think he knew how much we were all freaking out because he was smirking at us the whole time.
Jonghyun had just started performing his Deja-boo remix when we came in and I don't know how well the noise from the crowd came out in the V app broadcast, but the fanchants were absolutely amazing from within the crowd. All the girls in that room were 100% Jonghyun fans so they were screaming out the extremely familiar Deja-boo fanchants and we were so scary close to Jonghyun. I couldn't see his lower body for the entire show because he was on an only slightly raised platform and we were all moshing basically, but his face was lit up like an angel. I love seeing Jonghyun when he's on his A-game because he's just so good on stage it's insane. He is so charismatic. He was smirking and moving with such confidence. He kept making eye contact with different people in the crowd and holding it while he sung a line and beckoned at them. There was so much noise and the atmosphere of being in what was essentially a night club all squished in together, the high of being able to go in and the hype around the new album was just so amazing.
This is where I'll make my only complaint about the event and I mentioned this on twitter last night. I really really wish they had banned photo taking. The showcase was broadcast live through the V app and so there really wasn't any reason for all the girls at the front to be holding their phones over their heads to take photos. It made it so that a lot of the time the only way you could see Jonghyun was through other people's phone screens. SM volunteer fan staff were doing their best to yell at people to keep their phone's down, but they couldn't really do anything about the crush of people at the front holding their phones up high. I dunno, maybe this is my own personal feeling, but I just wish we could have all engaged with him and jumped and danced and recreated a live gig feeling for Jonghyun. I think Jonghyun would have appreciated an engaged, jumping, dancing, smiling crowd over the stony faces of girls concentrating on keeping their phones steady. I really really passionately wish we could have had this lit, pumping night club-like crazy experience to go with Jonghyun's new songs instead of straining on tip-toes to see over phones.
That said, I wouldn't let my experience be ruined by all the phones. When Jonghyun started performing the medley there was a tonne of girls around me making dying animal noises every time Jonghyun did something flirty or mischievous. There were still girls throwing up their lightsticks and pumping their arms to the beat. When Jonghyun wanted us to clap, we clapped and when he started the segment in the medley with Dress Up people finally started to jump and the crowd was pulsing to the beat. It was amazing. So much fun and I was smiling so wide I thought my face would split.
So Minho came out next and I almost thought the reaction to Minho was bigger than to Jonghyun. Of course that's just because I wasn't in the room when Jonghyun came out ^.^;;;; We missed his entrance by just a few seconds I think, so the noise was dimmed by the glass. I really love shawols reaction to Minho though, it always makes me smile. Like the room was completely Jonghyun biased but everyone, doesn't matter your age, race or gender, bows to Choi Minho. My grade 4 boys even whisper grudgingly to each other that Minho is really cool and handsome. I guess if you watched the V broadcast none of this is new to you, but really the atmosphere and energy when Jonghyun and Minho were on stage was no joke.
I keep talking about atmosphere, but it's seriously just like floating being at these huge live events. So much joy and adrenaline and happiness and energy coursing through your body.
Minho didn't wait too long before he started teasing us about a present for Jonghyun at his showcase. Honestly I was straining so much to try and see them that I wasn't really processing what was being said. I was on the far left near the stage and so when Minho gestured I basically looked straight up into Taemin's face. He and Key appeared on the platform directly above me and holy shit people freaked completely out. I think people weren't really expecting the other members, or everyone was hoping and it was like a dream come true. In any case I don't remember much about there faces or expressions. What I do remember is that they walked past me to get to the stage and I was watching Minho at the front who was encouraging everyone to calm down and not push or crush anyone. I'm not sure if this came out on the V app but this is something I always appreciate about SHINee. They always show concern for fans safety. We're a self-destructive breed of people at times so I guess someone's got to stop us acting crazy when we get too overwhelmed and excited. I like that SHINee aren't so scared of displeasing fans that they aren't afraid to tell them to settle down when they need do. Jonghyun's been really stern with fans in the past and Key recently calling out all those insane idiots contacting him via kakao is a strong point of admiration for me.
I guess the only thing that wasn't captured by the V app broadcast was kind of how adorable all the SHINee boys were being with each other. Taemin was holding Key's shoulder a lot, Minho, Taemin and Key spent a lot of time talking and teasing each other and Jonghyun was just grinning at them fondly, all his adorable little brothers come to support him. I was smiling my face off, I was so excited to see all of them together and so up close. I really liked that they mentioned Onew and talked about how he regretted not being able to come. It was such a warm, friendly atmosphere. Really peaceful and full of adrenaline in this strange, pleasant way.
When they showed Jonghyun's behind the scenes filming for the MV, Minho, Key and Taemin were hanging out next to the fans. I was like....freakishly close to Taemin. Key retreated a little towards the corner since the girls on the side were all holding up their phones and taking photos instead of watching the bts video. It was kind of dark so they wouldn't have gotten any good photos anyway, so I kind of wish they'd stop being so creepy ^.^;;; apparently I have a lot to say about people constantly taking photos with their phone. Anyway, Minho was immediately studying his MC notes and reading over the schedule as soon as he got off stage and Taemin was edging closer to the fans so he could tip toe and see the bts video of Jonghyun. He was really interested in watching it, so much so that he got really really close to us and didn't really notice. As always shawols showed their good behavior and didn't touch him. I guess the staff were getting annoyed with all the girls shoving their phones in SHINee's faces so they herded them through a door until the video was finished and they came out again.
When Jonghyun came out to perform 'She is', I spent the whole time clutching my friend's hand. I really love moments like this. The first time seeing Jonghyun perform a song and he just....I can't get over how joyous Jonghyun seemed last night. Being in his presence there was literally just this radiating joy. I could feel it, it was infectious and I was just grinning from ear to ear the whole time.
I think rather than saying Jonghyun is happier to do solo activities away from the other SHINee members...I think it's more accurate to say that it's a humbling experience for them to feel the support they get as individuals. In my experience there's always an air of awe around the various members of SHINee were they're being confronted by huge support for them as individuals. I think it's easy for them to just assume that fans are around to see other members when they do OT5 activities. It's not a strange assumption in a way because you occasionally hear accounts of fans ignoring one member for another. Jonghyun clearly remembers that one fan that pushed his hand away because she was more interested in Taemin. There was that one fan Minho met overseas who said she liked Taemin. There was an infamous fansign overseas where fans were only allowed to approach one member and there were incidents where they were crying because they couldn't have their favorite member or were ignoring the person that was signing for them. So while I adore all 5 members of SHINee with every fiber of my being and can't understand for a moment why any of them would feel like the fans liked others more than them, I feel like all of them have been confronted with moments where they've been told someone likes another member of SHINee more than them.
Keeping all this in mind, I think this is why the members have this extra glow around them when they're doing individual events. There's this reinforcement that the love and support is for them and they are popular and supported. Maybe on a subconscious level, but I think showing support for solo activities is like a moral boost for them as an individual. Jonghyun also mentioned in his interviews that he thinks his flaws and shortcomings are concealed by the other members of SHINee, so I think that reveals a certain vulnerability or insecurity he has about himself as an individual. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but I will swear on my grave that Jonghyun and Taemin have always had a certain extra little sparkle at their solo events, Minho has always been extra tender and sweet to fans at his solo sporting events and Key seems both flattered and overwhelmed by the turn out of fans at his musicals still to this day. There was a mini fanmeet after his last stage of Chess and he was so so overwhelmed by all the fans. Also, in my opinion, the sweetest I have ever seen Key be to fans was at his To Heart fansigns. Disclaimer though, this definitely isn't to say that they're not very kind and sweet to fans at OT5 events. They're just a little less sappy about it....probably because they're in front of their bros kekekekekekeke.
Anyway, Jonghyun left after finishing with: 'Until now, this has been shining SHINee' and we all just wandered around the venue in a deliriously happy daze. The fan staff held a raffle and gave out 좋아 shirts, I think 8 of them were signed. I didn't have a ticket so I wasn't in the running for one, but I didn't really care. The girl behind me in line was actually the last person to get a light stick so I feel like I was just completely blessed to have been able to get in and be given the light stick and photo poster thing.
I guess I'll write a bit more about Jonghyun promotions as they go on. I'm really excited to see more of the fashion and concept and to see more of Jonghyun. We have a really packed schedule this week already as it is. Tomorrow is SHINee's 8th Anniversary. Key will perform in Save the Green Planet and Jonghyun will have a live radio session at Garden Studio. Thursday Jonghyun will comeback on Mnet Countdown with Key as MC, Friday Jonghyun will do Music Bank and SHINee will perform at Olympic Stadium as ot5. Then Saturday and Sunday should be the usual Music Core and Inkigayo for Jonghyun.
Huge thank you to Jonghyun for a fantastic night. Life's been kind of shitty lately. My job sucks a little even if I am settling into it. So thanks to Jonghyun who...always seems to appear when I'm feeling pretty down. Last year during Jonghyun's solo Base promotions I was looking for a new job and freaking the fuck out because nothing was working out. He actually said something encouraging to me when I told him about it at a fansign and wrote a tiny message to me on my album and I swear it's the only thing that made me keep going to interviews even though I felt like just giving up at one point. Jonghyun's timing is the best bbb
The smile on Jonghyun's face last night was all the encouragement I need to work my butt of streaming for the next few weeks. I want to see Key handing him a trophy at Mnet Countdown if it's the last thing I do!!!!!!!! So...please download She Is on Melon, Itunes, Soribada and Genie and let's hit those youtube views hard shawols~~!
I always love your fanaccounts the most! You are literally always doing the most and I'm so happy for you and I'm happy that you can go to all of these events! Thanks and I hope life gets better! I hope this comeback is really successful!
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