Cloud USA

— Cloud cover by: Stephe, Managing Editor ^@@^

Big thanks to Cloud USA community member pinkfashionninja, a new resident of Samcheok, South Korea and formerly of Kansas City, U.S.A., for letting us know about her Best Seoul fan account. (She’s the one with the Big Hair!) It is a pleasure to share a portion of it here. 🙂

Pinkfashionninja and her friend, exchange student Enesha, and another fan on Star Top News before Best Seoul. You can read her account in its entirety on her blogspot HERE.

RAIN The Best Show in Seoul 9/24 concert [partial]

By: April @pinkfashionninja blogspot, 9/26/2011

Images: pinkfashionninja

Videos: Star Top News, bimyman, golden rain, eye0rain

Definitely my favorite picture of the day. 😉

As I entered the venue my adrenaline began to rush but quickly diminished as I found my seat and it was not not up to my standards. I was in the freaking middle! What! I waited until 3 am American time for these tickets to go on sale and when they did, IT WASN’T IN ENGLISH. Not until 3 weeks later did someone finally say “Hey Rain has a ton of international fans, let’s give them language options!” So I was never able to buy the tickets at that time. (Someone ended up buying me a ticket later.) I also found out the browser I was using did not show me all the available tickets that were left. When all this soaked in as I sat in my seat in the middle of the arena and almost cried. I wanted to get up and leave, SERIOUSLY. I have wanted to see this man, this talented, extraordinary specimen for the last 2 YEARS and you tell me I get there and he LOOKS LIKE A FREAKING ANT BECAUSE I’M TOO FAR AWAY! Whoa. I’m glad I got that off my chest. Sorry about that. (Actually my seats weren’t that bad, I think I was just overly emotional that day. Why? IDK.) I believe that bad luck and good luck can only exist if the other does. You can’t have one without the other. So this was my bad luck moment. My friend Enesha bought her ticket just a week before and she got the standing section right in front of the stage. LIFE! uh!

So as I sat there depressed, I decided to take a few pictures. “Huh What? Why won’t my camera come on?” Oh I know why, MY PHONE BATTERY JUST DIED. There goes more bad luck pouring in on little April. As I wollowed in my sorrow Enesha called me and asked where I was. I expressed by pain to her but there was no medicine for this. I didn’t even think the concert would cheer me up. Nothing bad on Rain’s part, just the fact that I couldn’t see his expressions, or the flexing of his body as he danced, or the sweat flying off as he did a turn UP CLOSE. Call me a baby call me whatever. I just wanted to see my Rain.

*****

After they announced the delay of the concert [*Editor’s Note: Due to a traffic jam outside the venue created by most of the concert-goers arriving at the last minute, the concert started around 15-20 minutes late] I decided to chat with my neighbor. His name was Jesh from Thailand. He asked me how long I had been a fan to which I loudly answered 2 YEARS! He quickly guessed it stemmed from the Ninja Assassin movie. He was right. When I asked him the same question he stated 7 YEARS and had previously seen him at the Rain The Best Show in Thailand. I felt like crap. In no way was Jesh trying to put me down, he just simply answered my question. I blame my measly 2 years on me living in the country!! No access to other cultures! NONE! That’s why I left Kansas City! Nothing there.

Anywho, Jesh explained he had decided to take a vacation and this concert fell right within that time. I noticed the camera he was taking pictures with was quite good for how far back we were seated. LIGHT BULB! And it flickered brightly in my head. I asked if he could email me the video and pictures that he has taken. He gladly obliged and I gave him my email. I smell good luck brewing! (Still waiting for those pictures though.)

After 15 minutes, the lights dimmed and a video started. It was superstar Rain sitting on his king throne seat in a matrix type setting. He then rose up and started to dance. My heart was pounding faster and faster. I didn’t think I’d be able to breath. A few more seconds went by and BAM! The man appeared high in the air. I started BAWLING LIKE SOMEONE DIED. Never in my life has that ever happened. I’ve liked Sisqo, B2k, Usher, Chris Brown and seen 2 out of the 4. NEVER have I felt overwhelmed with so much emotion over an artist. Rain inspires me SO much. He is a huge reason why I wanted to travel to an Asian country and open myself up to new things. (No not to find him and ask him to marry me lol) In the Midwest there’s a set equation to go by. Be born in your state + go to college in your state + get married in your state+ have children and be a soccer mom + die in your state. That’s it. Anything else is unheard of. That had never been my foreseen future but its easy to get swept into it unknowingly. Discovering Rain intensified me wanting more, seeing more, experiencing more. It put that extra spark under me to just do it. Whatever “It” was, I wasn’t sure but I was going to find out soon.

With my degree being in Fashion, its a simple fact that New York and London are the be all of fashion, but for some reason I was never drawn to either. I wondered where my fashion calling lay. Tokyo answered. Now I’ve always enjoyed Asia culture and movies but it stopped there. Everything to now has stemmed from broadening my perspective of the world. This situation was like finding out there was another door I could open, one I never knew was there. I am now living in Korea chasing after my dreams just as he did 11 or so years ago auditioning for JYP Ent. He did it all while having an extremely sick mother at home to worry about. After she died it made him stronger and more determined to make it and make his belated mother proud. He wanted to be able to take care of his family. He went after his dreams full force with a strong heart and HE made it. My family situation is very similar to his. I feel Rain made it through and so can I. (And you all thought I liked him just because of his golden abs! Ha, Tricked ya!)

(Opening scene. Please mark minute 1:50 as it is the exact moment I started bawling. lol)

So I was overcome with strong emotions. Seeing a person that I admire so much right there before my eyes. Though far, I could feel his presence from my row. I would like to add that Rain’s fan base in Korea is overwhelmingly Ajummas (the name for older Korean women). About 65% of the fans there were ages 35 and up. 35% were Japanese and the last 15% were under the age of 35. A Korean friend had already told me this so I wasn’t surprised but to see it with my own eyes was amazing. They came out in droves some with canes some without. It was very inspiring.

*Side Track moment*
Having an older fan base is much more stable than a younger one. Kpop now is very trendy and so are its fans. In the Fashion World the teen market is known to be fickle. That’s why there are fast fashion retailers like Forever 21 (cough, cough lol), H&M, and Zara.{And this section is where my Fashion Degree knowledge arises lol.}They want things now and tomorrow something else. It never stays the same. The older aged market is known to make expensive planned purchases like a car, house, or mink coat. Something that will last them a long time. This is why brands such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton have been out for so long. They established a consumer base who wanted quality over quantity. Rain’s Ajumma fans are that base. They aren’t going to throw him away like the teeny kpop fanatics who crush over their favorite Ukiss member and next week be on another group. (I like Ukiss’ music. I’m not bashing them.) The Ajummas buy his merchandise in bulk, they support any charitable actions going on, they go to every show. They are loyal. They invest in an artist whos light shines brighter than the rest. He’s like their son. They want him fed and healthy. And by the way Rain is the GodFather of Kpop so new kpop fans need to RECOGNIZE WHO PUT KPOP ON THE MAP and who’s the reason why their favorite group can travel the world and be recognized.
*And I’m done with that rant.”

Rice donated to the needy in honor of Rain from his Clouds (Rain's Fan Club name) from Hong Kong and all over the world.

Anywho, I had asked Jesh beside me if Asians stand up at concerts or not because I wasn’t sure. In America we stand up the entire time (or maybe that’s just black folks at concerts lol). But we stand the entire time. As this show went on everyone sat down. I didn’t want to though. I mean how could you sit at a Rain concert? Come on now. So whenever a fast jam came on my butt jumped up and others around me followed suit and before you knew it the whole stadium was up for a while. The Ajumma beside me said she had wanted to stand too. She danced the entire time. She had to be about 55 to 60 years old. She LOVED her some Rain. I had made a poster to mimic an American flag for the concert. I wanted to make sure Rain knew someone from the states loved him. When he sang “Love Story”, I was mezmerized. When he did “Escape the Sun” and it showed the footage from 2003 when he first released the song it was bittersweet. I yelled out funny things like “Dea Bak” which means incredible when they were filming him getting undressed in his dressing room and “Speak English Rain!” I don’t know why he doesn’t translate what he says for his international fans.

(One of my favorite songs he sings live. “Only You”.)

(And the very sexy “One.” Brace yourself. I had to. lol)

I’d like to add that when I tried to get up after Rain said “Everybody on your feet” my legs wouldn’t work? Does Rain just have that effect on women or was it because I was wearing 5 inch heels? Or both? I was sitting for the most part of the beginning so I’m not clear on how my legs literally gave out but if its for Rain its worth it!!!! Rain always cares so much for his fans. So that everyone could get see him up close he drove around in a cart around all the sections. OMG He was even closer than before! I could feel his aura from where I was sitting. DAMN YOU CAMERA PHONE!

After it was done (or so I thought. After he had waved goodbye and the stage door closed, people stood there for like 2 minutes waiting.) Come to find out there was an encore! I guess I’m not in the loop. After that fest where we all jumped to 90’s duo group Kriss Kross’ song “Jump”, it was over. As I checked the time it was 7:50 pm and I knew there was a possibility I could catch that last 8 pm bus back to Samcheok and save on a motel for the night. The station was only about 5 minutes away from the venue. A taxi drove past me into the parking lot and I yelled for it to stop. He waved and said “No” and some other inaudible things in couldn’t understand in Korean. Come to find out he was waiting for people who had reserved the taxi.

THANK GOD HE SAID NOOOOO! This is where my good luck comes in. As I huffed and tried to figure out what my next plan of action was (and where I was going to sleep that night) I saw some fans waiting behind a barricade. I quickly went over to see what it was about. They were waiting for Rain to depart the venue. OMG! I get the chance to be a FANGIRL in Asia! How exciting! I found a place with a good view and waited with the others. The Ajummas were in full force. It was only me and like a few other young chicks in the mist of the small crowd. As the hour went by MBlaq departed and some other random people too.

Finally 1 hour and some seconds later THE MAN came out. Now I thought he was going to head straight to the car and leave. NO. He came down where we were and started from the beggining of the line to the end waving, smiling, saying thank you to everyone! I grabbed my poster really quick to make sure he saw it. He smiled and his face turned to mine and he waved. RAIN SAW ME. I SAW HIM BUT MUCH MORE IMPORTANT: HE SAW ME. I wanted him to know, even if for a brief second that a young bushy haired black girl from America loved him. And for that second he knew. Seeing him was magical. His skin was the color of butter cream. His black cardigan and white t-shirt fit his slender, tall, shape so well. From his head to his toes. PERFECT. TV nor photos do him justice. He looked like he had 0 body fat. I felt like a short fat Oompa Loompa being next to him. lol

(Footage of Rain leaving the concert that night.)

I think around the :19 or :22 second marker was when he went past me. I think he was attempting to read my poster but word to the wise: glitter doesn’t show up well in the dark. But at least he saw the red, white, and blue.

So after my string of bad luck I was able to see the man, the world star, the model, the philanthropist, the actor, the ambassador, the sex symbol, the humble man from meager beginnings, from only 3 ft away.

I love you Rain and please be safe in the military. We will be waiting for your return.

BY: pinkfashionninja

~ by Cloud USA on September 28, 2011.

Posted in Bi Rain, Bi Rain News, Cloud USA, Jung Ji Hoon, Rain fan account, Rain Topics, Rain's Best Concert Tour 2011
Tags: Bi Rain concert clips, bi rain fan cams, Jung Ji Hoon, Korean pop, rain bi, Rain entertainment/news report, Rain fan account, Rain The Best Show 2011 Korea Tour, RAIN The Best Show Seoul