Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the Wonder Girls concert at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA. The lights, the glitz, the crowd! My friend Victor and I drove 2 hours in Los Angeles traffic (and if you know anything about the 101 Freeway, you know that it’s brutal!) and made it to the venue around 6:00PM. There was already a huge line snaking out onto Sunset Blvd. Over 300 people were already in line just waiting to get in when the show didn’t even start until 8:00PM!

I was absolutely thrilled that 2PM was going to be opening for the Wonder Girls because, well, I am a hot blooded female (what more can you ask?) My friend, on the other hand, is a heterosexual guy and also a self-proclaimed huge Big Bang fan. It was going to be an uphill battle to turn Victor into a 2PM fan, but I was ready for the challenge.

Here’s a rundown of what went down at the Wonder Girls/2PM concert.

8:04PM – JYP comes out and the crowd cheers. The fans know that wherever JYP is, 2PM and the Wonder Girls are also close by!

JYP starts out by asking us if there are Asian cars on the roads in America – Uh, yes…? JYP then asks us if there are Asian companies with a strong presence in America – sure, like LG and Samsung; Where are you going with this, JYP? JYP then asks, “Are there Asian movie stars in American movies? – Uh, yeah, Rain! Don’t you remember your former protégé who recently won the MTV Movie Award for being a bad ass? Then JYP asks, “Are there any Asian stars in the American music industry?” – Ahhhh, I see where you’re going with this, JYP.

JYP pumps up the crowd and says, “Let’s make the first big Asian star in America!” Yes, I truly believe that the Wonder Girls have the drive, the beauty and the talent to break the American market. I’m motivated, I’m pumped, I’m moved, I’m ready! Let’s do this, JYP!

But before we can even get there, JYP asks the crowd, “What time is it?” Oh baby! I know what time it is…

8:07PM – 2PM flashes on the screen behind the stage and it’s absolute pandemonium. My adrenaline is skyrocketing because of all the fangirling around me. The band starts off with “Without U.” I do a quick headcount and make sure all 6 members are there! Yes! Junsu recovered from his injury and was able to rejoin the group. Junsu refrains from dancing but it’s totally ok – the sexy sleeveless shirt makes up for it.

8:11PM – The boys go straight into “I Hate You” (니가 밉다) and hearing this song makes me miss the 7 member 2PM. The boys doing their version of the Rainism “wipe the sweat off my forehead, lick my hand, touch my body” dance. Sorry boys, I’ve seen Rain in concert and nobody beats the king.

8:13PM – 2PM takes a break from the singing and dancing to practice their English and introduce themselves. Junsu exclaims, “I finally made it to LA!” This show marks Junsu’s first day of the American tour following his knee injury.

8:14PM – “Heartbeat” I start dancing and my friend leans over and whispers, “Uh, they’re no Big Bang.” Shut up, Victor! Can’t you see I’m dancing here?! And holy hell, I love Junho’s singing! The fangirl in me is spazzing. Oh, and then I realize, I’m the only fangirl dancing too. What? Like everybody here doesn’t know the zombie dance?! Come on!

8:17PM – “Again & Again” Again, and again, I sort of miss the 7 member 2PM. Now everyone’s dancing and singing along – even my hater friend. You cannot resist. If you can’t beat ‘em, dance along! Khun shows off his sexy dance, good times!

8:22PM – More talking in English! Wooyoung tells me, uhhh, I mean the crowd that we’re amazing. Taecyeon invites me, uhhh, I mean the crowd to watch tonight’s South Korea vs. Greece World Cup Games with them but conveniently doesn’t tell us where they are partying after the concert. Boo! Don’t tease me, Taec, it’s not good for my health or yours!

8:23PM – “10 pts. out of 10” Hello sexy caterpillar dance (where they line up and dance sexily in a row). Ok, 2PM can do anything and I will still say it’s sexy. Also, Junho will now be “Junho sweet buns” to me. The song ends with an impressive back flip from Junho. I’m totally crushing this kid, don’t tell my boyfriend.

8:26PM – More talk. Okay, so some of the boys in 2PM have limited English skills, but if they keep on repeating “I love you” and “You’re amazing” they might just have to marry me. The boys say good bye and they promise to be back soon.

8:28PM – The 2PM set ends and they roll a video promoting travel to Seoul. While we wait for the Wonder Girls, Victor and I debate about what is the best Kpop song for this year’s World Cup. We agree on Big Bang & Kim Yuna’s “Shouting Korea.”

8:41PM – The stage curtain opens and reveals a white sheet. One by one, we see dancing silhouettes of each of the girls. Let’s get the party started! The girls open with “I Wanna.” First impression, Yubin is so fierce! Lim definitely feels very green and maybe she’s still finding her place in the group. Yenny and Sun bring the house down with their heartfelt singing. Sohee, well, she’s absolutely adorable but she’s hit with mic problems which is unfortunate. I barely hear her singing on the recorded tracks and it’s impossible to hear her on this opening number.

The girls are wearing chic and playful black outfits. Everyone is in a mini-dress or mini-skirt except for Lim who is in black leggings. They look great and I love that you get a feel of their individual style with their outfits, they aren’t all wearing the same thing (e.g. the “Nobody” costumes).

8:44PM – The girls put on some shades because…the sun never sets on cool! They perform “Good bye” and Yubin’s rap is amazing. I worship at the Haus of Yubin (a la Haus of Gaga). Homegirl can do no wrong in my eyes.

8:47PM – The Wonder Girls goes straight into a cover of the Pussycat Doll favorite, “Don’t Cha.” Wow, they can really turn the sexy on. Perhaps they focused too much on the dancing because they stumble with the lyrics for a little bit and there’s some nasty feedback on the sound system. Come on House of Blues! This is the Wonder Girls we’re working with!

8:50PM – “So Hot” Oh my God, they are non-stop! Lim is definitely shining in this performance. I personally think she’s a great addition to the group especially with her command with the English lyrics, but she’s a bit inconsistent. Sometimes she’s exuding confidence and fun and other times she looks nervous and lost.

8:54PM – The girls finally take a break and introduce themselves to the crowd. Lim does most of the talking in English and chairs are brought out. Sit down, ladies! You’ve been working your bums off!

8:56PM – Just when I think they are going to take a seat and relax, they go straight into a sultry version of “Nobody.” It’s refreshing to hear a variation of the song, plus it really highlights the girls’ amazing singing voices. Oh, and hell yeah! New Yubin rap!

8:59PM – “This Time” Finally some relaxation time with a slow song.

9:03PM – All girls exit the stage except for Lim who starts talking about the individual members. Sun is a great leader, Yenny is the go-getter, Yubin is the diva on stage (in a good way), and Sohee is (of course) cute and adorable. As for Lim? She asks the crowd, “WHAT CHOO KNOW BOUT ME” and goes into the cutest, fiercest rendition of Lil Mama’s “Lip gloss.” We might not know much about you yet, Lim, but you are growing on me girl!!! She is a little queen of sassy whose dancing would make Lil Mama jealous!

9:05PM – “Boom Boom Pow” All hail the Queen! Long live the Queen! Yubin rocks the house with her solo of Black Eyed Peas’ infectious “Boom Boom Pow.” Yubin changed into a sporty mini-dress and it’s fun and flirty and totally her style.

9:07PM – Power vocalist Yenny gets the audience clapping and cheering as she belts through Duffy’s soulful song “Mercy.” She hits the note at the “you got me, you got me, you got meeeeeee beggggggging!” and I get chills!

9:09PM – Sohee enters the stage and does a little dance. The music starts up and what else can it be but Beyonce’s “Single Ladies.” She’s even got a gold ring glove (the accessory rocked by Sasha Fierce, herself). The performance is cute, the same way it’s cute when my 5 year old dances it, but is it fierce like Sasha Fierce? Sohee is having so much fun on stage, I can’t hate on it.

9:12PM – Now, time for the leader herself! Sun goes straight into Lady Gaga’s “Papparazzi” and she commands the attention of everyone in the room. I totally admire everything about her! Her stage presence, her style, her dancing, and most impressive, her voice. Love, love, love.

9:14PM – All the girls join Sun on stage and they go into Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor” but add a Latin spin to it. They are wearing beautiful, flowing red skirts and go into some unique tango-esqe choreography. There is a power vocal sing-off between Yenny and Sun, and man, I could have them riff back and forth all day with me in the same room and never get sick of it.

9:17PM – The girls ditch the skirts and reveal cute white dresses that suit their individual style, e.g. Yubin’s in a funky, tight mini and Lim’s in a babydoll dress. Sun addresses the crowd in Korean and I’ve watched enough Korean dramas to understand what saranghae means. I’m definitely feeling the love in the room. A white piano is wheeled out and Yenny takes her seat in front of it and starts playing. The fog machine is started up and there’s even snow! Or at least the bubbly fake snow. I feel like I’m at a Disneyland’s Winter Wonderland! After the song, the girls reveal that “Saying I Love You” was written and composed by Yenny and the song is that much more meaningful and beautiful.

9:23PM – Yenny asks the crowd, “Will you still love us when we get older? When we become Wonder Women? Or even grandmas?” The answer is a resounding yes. The girls go into another cover of the Pussycat Doll’s “Stickwitu” and the lyrics are displayed in the background. It’s like being at a noraebang with 1,200 of my closest friends!

9:27PM – The girls get a phone call from no other than JYP himself. Video of the Austin Powers version of the music mogul is flashed on the screen and the music video of “2 Different Tears” is played. Please tell me that Bobby Lee is going to be here!

After the music video is completed, they girls reenter the stage wearing the denim outfits they rocked during their Korean promotions for “2 Different Tears” and go into a live performance of the song. It was a little weird to hear the same song back to back.

9:36PM – The Wonder Girls break the sad news that “Tell Me” is going to be the last song of the night so they ask for audience participation. Everybody complies!

9:42PM – The crowd chants “ENCORE ENCORE ENCORE!” And I chant “WONDER GIRLS ENCORE WITH 2PM, WONDER GIRLS ENCORE WITH 2PM!”

9:44PM – The girls come back, this time wearing their shiny but familiar “Nobody” costumes. Lim doesn’t look natural while performing this with the group and I imagine it must be hard to come into a group after Mimi’s departure. Nonetheless, the girls look radiant and beautiful during this performance. If they are tired of performing this song or if they are bored with the song, you wouldn’t be able to tell with how they work the stage. They’ve been promoting with this song for a while now so I’m sure they’ve mastered every part to it.

All in all, it was a great show. The Wonder Girls seem to be more seasoned and more “together” of performers compared to 2PM. The girls definitely gave the crowd what they wanted: an entertaining show that showcased their talents. 2PM might be new to the American market (despite some touring last year and their recent performance at the Korean Music Festival) but I felt recent injuries definitely affected their choreography and energy. Both groups promised to return to LA and I look forward to what they will bring to the stage in the future.

As for Victor, as we walked to the car after the show he admitted to be me that he was pretty impressed with 2PM. My job is done, I knew he’d cave.

Here are some pictures we took from the event last night:

Written by Vanessa Nguyen of Compassion in My Fingertips.

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