82 Major(ly Amazing)

I have been a fan of 82 Major since their debut- as I was really excited to see what Yechan was going to be like as an idol. He is the younger brother of P1Harmony’s leader, Keeho. I’m a big P1 fan and I think Keeho is hysterical and talented and I was excited to see what little brother Yechan had to offer. I was really impressed since the get go, and even happier to see how different the two brothers are. 82Major has a distinct sound, harping back to 90’s American hip hop and I absolutely LOVE it. I always loved the sound and vibe of hip hop and rap but never loved the lyrical messages- and that one of the main reasons I switched to Kpop in general. I can now get those same sounds but with a much better meaning behind the lyrics. 82Major has yet to release a song I don’t love so when I saw that VIP packages would be affordable I convinced my friends to join.

Before the concert even started the leader Sungil came out and handed out free water to everyone, which was super sweet of him (and I was very thankful because boy was it hot!). Sadly the venue left a lot to be desired- the PhilMOCA in Philly is small, and I don’t think it could handle the insane humidity and heat plus all of us fans- I was dripping with sweat and happy to have brought a handheld fan but even then someone did pass out (thankfully they are ok!). I know it’s their first tour but I think they could have been in slightly bigger venues (here’s to next year boys!) so the stage was as plain as it comes. I don’t mind that with the younger groups because it really gives more focus on them and can weed out talent vs those who rely on back tracking. Outfits were very much just black streetwear but it fits with their vibe and I thought everyone looked great.

No shocker- they are funny, outgoing and interacted a lot with the crowd. While not the leader of the group, Yechan is fluent in English (he’s from Canada) so he spent a lot of time talking to the crowd. We made some Philly specific jokes about cheeesteaks and getting them to scream GO BIRDS.

Setlist- fire. The mics were ON and the dancing was great. The energy was palpable and I’m super excited for their first tour and hope the rest of the stops were as much fun as ours. I will always try to go see them, and if 90’s hip hop is your vibe you REALLY need to check them out!

Now…. I did have an outfit planned from one of their music videos. I based it off of the striped PJs they wear in the Takeover video. Not concerned with what I looked like because it’s not like they are going to see me… WELL I did forget I opted for the VVIP package. They got to see my hot and sweaty self up close and personal not once, not twice, not thrice but FOUR times! We got to do a high touch, signing, group photos, and then I got a selfie with each of the group members. I got flustered immediately and mumbled my way through most of it. During the selfies I got the courage to ask them to pick a pose since all I could think of was a peace sign, and that helped take pressure off of me. Yechan however did not hesitate to mock me for how old and small my phone was. I told him I spent all of my money on Kpop and he told me to join the 21st century (ouch) and before I could stop myself I told him to be respectful to his elders since I was almost old enough to be his mother- to which none of them believed me but all of them turned towards me and then my ability to speak was gone. Thankfully the last 2 members were not as fluent with English so we just nodded out an agreement to a pose and that was it.

Overall, amazing. Great energy and I think I’ve been pretty obvious I like their sound/vibe. I will always try to go see them again and hope for nothing but great things for them to come! And Yechan- I did upgrade my phone about a week after the concert. (Also totally unrelated to the talent of the group but their manager is one fine looking man).

For videos I’m still debating if I’ll add one on here or if I’ll just put a bunch on my Instagram- so if not here check there!