iKON’s Debut Concert “SHOWTIME” was a Huge Success and Captured Hearts of 13,000 Fans
On October 3, iKON held their debut concert “SHOWTIME” at Olympic Gymnastics Stadium and met their fans who have waited for them for a long time. Press from Korea, China, and Japan came to report on the concert. Not only were there people from Youku – China’s biggest music-streaming site – but also reporters from Japan’s six major sports newspapers – Sports Hochi, Nikkan Sports, Sankei Sports, Junichi Sports, Sports Nippon, and Daily Sports.
It is rare for Chinese and Japanese press to come to Korea to report on a group that has just debuted. This shows that iKON has a huge fan base not only in Korea but also in China and Japan.
Nikkan Sports took note that iKON’s debut concert was held at the biggest concert hall in Korea-which is unprecedented for a rookie – and that iKON’s debut half album “WELCOME BACK” is sweeping the online charts. They wrote, “Upon release, iKON’s album became No.1 on the iTunes charts of 11 countries. This demonstrates how much fans wanted iKON’s debut. iKON has already shown a huge potential.”
13,000 people came to the concert and filled not only the standing area but also all the seats on the second and third floor. Many fans from Asian countries came to see iKON, reflecting iKON’s global popularity.
At the beginning of the concert, a video about how iKON started off being TEAM B of “WIN” and became the seven-member team of today was played. The concert hall of filled with tears and cheers. iKON sang a total of 15 songs with “WELCOME BACK” as the first song. Fans sang along with the members throughout the concert. After singing “CLIMAX”, iKON members burst into tears and fans cried with them. Those who were not able to come to the concert watched it broadcasted live on Naver’s V app. It posted more than 500, 0000 views.
iKON members thanked the fans and said, “We’ll remember every moment of this concert for the rest of our lives”, “I remember singing this song two years ago wanting this so badly” and “ We missed you a lot. We wanted to see you and we’re able to overcome difficulties because of you”.
Meanwhile, proving themselves once again as the “monster rookie” with their successful debut concert, iKON will make their first TV appearance on SBS’s Inkigayo on October 4.
2015. 10. 4.
