Review: "2023 TEEN TOP We Gonna Rock It Drop It Top It Hey Don't Stop It Pop It" Concert

"An unforgettable experience" is the most suitable description for the "2023 TEEN TOP we gonna rock it drop it top it hey don't stop it pop it" concert. It was still 11AM in my country (5PM KST) when I logged into hellolive.tv to watch the second day of TEEN TOP's first offline concert after four years. I did not have a deep knowledge of the specific group's music when I got the ticket, however I believed this concert would be the perfect way to get to know yet another K-Pop group. Having heard a couple of TEEN TOP's songs on K-Pop playlists, I decided to grab the opportunity and I certainly do not regret it!

At first, I had my hesitations about watching an online concert. Being an international fan, I rarely have the chance to see K-Pop idols performing offline, but I still avoid connecting to online concerts, for the fear that I might miss one of my favourite parts: the enthusiasm of the audience. It is staggering: a bright sea of lightsticks paired with the roaring waves of avid voices singing along with the artists and blaring supportive chants. However, my fears were proved to be baseless since, as soon as I entered the live, I was met with hellolive's chat, in which fans, affectionately known as ANGELs, were cheering for the idols and sharing their excitement for the event. We also got a few clips of the audience holding the lightsticks. It was an astounding image!

TEEN TOP opened the event with 'Rocking', the lyrics of which were used as the concert's name, in all-white outfits, that contrasted the black attires of the back-up dancers. This well-chosen detail also made the group stand out under the limelights that illuminated the scene, changing colours according to the style of the song. The well-designed, color-coordinated CGI effects only added to the lighting's effort to create an individual aura for each track and assist the performers in setting up a lively atmosphere for their upbeat songs and a more intimate for the slow ones.

Many were the tracks that held my attention. Ostensively, I will mention a few of their old songs: 'Crazy', 'Miss Right' and 'No more perfume on you'. Regarding their recent releases, I absolutely loved 'HWEEK', the title track of their album '4SHO', which came out on July 4, 2023. I was especially impressed by the performances of the members' solo tracks: Ricky's engaging cover of SHINee TaeMin's 'Move', Niel's precise dance moves in 'A to Z', ChunJi's strong vocals in 'too late' and ChangJo's powerful rap in 'omg'. For the solo stages, the members put on ensembles that matched the ambience of the respective songs, making the set even more astonishing.

As the concert was heading towards its end, TEEN TOP hyped up the audience by performing five dance songs ('Hot Like Fire', 'Your Man', 'Swag', 'Oh! Good' and 'Call Me') in a row. Later, this time in suits adorned with harnesses and various accessories, the members sat on the stage and took pictures with their ANGELs supporting them with signs and lightsticks that emitted a purple glow.

Despite being a group that was formed back in 2010, from which two members have departed since then, TEEN TOP maintain their youthful energy and did a great job in keeping the audience invested in the event. For the endshow, they dressed up in plain t-shirts that displayed a stamp with vibrant tones and the word 'live'. They sang 'Rocking' for a second time, giving Ricky the opportunity to show off his impeccable dance skills.

Overall, it was a wonderful performance. I was a bit disappointed that there were no subtitles on the video shown during the intermission that featured TEEN TOP cooking. The video was a little laggy on the live, too, but since there was the 'REPLAY' option later, I rewatched the parts I missed there.

Aside from these minor problems, it was an incredible experience and I would recommend to anyone who likes K-Pop to join an online concert anytime! A few days after the cocnert, the viewers who had purchased the digital pack also received digital goods, more precisely four adorable GIFs of each member of the group! I can't wait to watch TEEN TOP unfold their extraordinary talents and years of experience once again! 

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