[K-EVENT REVIEW] K-EXPO IN NYC w/ The Rose, A.C.E, Astro & L!

It seems unreal that Kim Myungsoo (L) of Infinite, The Rose, A.C.E, and ASTRO performed on one stage in New York. K-Expo had a rough start with a few unexpected conflicts, but these groups did their best to make the attendees happy.

With a last minute venue change, there had to be minor schedule and event changes throughout the convention. The event took place at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, New York.

The convention started with K-Expo’s very own red carpet which is hosted by Jeff Benjamin. Fans had the opportunity to capture the moment of their favorite artist as they walked down the carpet. To make it feel more like a Red Carpet event, the artists showed off their outfits and explained their attire to the media. The Rose was the first to be presented and they showed up wearing all black to give off a calm look.

Up and rising boy group, A.C.E were next. A.C.E’s concept was more of “rockish/casual style”, while ASTRO, as they put it,  wore a,  “dandy, gentleman style”, and L went for a very simple and clean look. We can all agree that they looked stunning.

Jeff Benjamin had a few questions prepared for the artists; to The Rose, he asked about their new album that would be released in a few days. The Rose sang a line of their new title track “She’s In The Rain.” The band had previously been in New York for their “Paint It Rose Tour”, and mentioned how they didn’t have time to go sightseeing, but they were happy to be back and to eat their favorite New York dish, pizza!

For A.C.E, it was their first time in New York. They told us to look forward to their performance that they prepared especially for K-Expo. Like The Rose, boy group ASTRO had been in New York before. They were really excited to be back in The States and happy to see more people who were interested in Korean Culture. L mentioned it was his first time without his Infinite members and a while since he has been to NYC. The popular idol was really excited for this trip and was looking forward to the concert.

K-Expo continued with a few special performances and workshops for fans to participate in. With special performances by Woorigarak Korean Cultural Arts Center (WKCAC) and dance academy I LOVE DANCE.

WKCAC wowed everyone with their traditional Korean Drum Dance of famous K-POP songs; the audience accompanied them by singing the songs while the girls performed. Before I LOVE DANCE dance workshop, units from the dance academy delivered outstanding cover performances of Blackpink’s “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” and NCT U’s “Boss”.

For the workshops, I LOVE DANCE taught the crowd BTS’s “IDOL” choreography and later picked a few audience members to join them on stage to dance the key points of the choreography. Another great workshop was the famous Random Play Dance hosted by Vivien Valz.

Between intermissions, fans who had bought Meet and Greet with their favorite artist were called to lineup.

Also, what is a convention without vendors? Fans had the chance to get their hands on some of the best K-Beauty products plus official merchandise from The Rose was available for purchase (thanks to ATL Local Events Team).

The best part of the event was no doubt, the concert. Each artist performed some of their hit songs and engaged with fans through a mini fan meeting. They each had a chance to answer questions sent by the fans through SNS and interact with fans by playing games with them on stage. The fan service from each artist was impeccable, I say this because I, myself got smitten for L, laughed too many times because of The Rose, A.C.E, and ASTRO, and I happened to forget here and there that I was at K-Expo as a member of the media.

The event may have had some unforeseen situations but thanks to All That Group, K-EXPO’s special guests, Jeff Benjamin, I LOVE DANCE, VIVIEN VALZ, and David Lee, they ended their first convention. As for the concert, L, The Rose, A.C.E., and ASTRO were truly incredible; they definitely made it a night to remember.