The Boundless Creativity Of K-Pop Stans Going To Concerts

Nothing like a K-pop concert like SEVENTEEN’s FOLLOW To Bulacan to bring out the creativity, dedication, and generosity in K-pop stans.

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There’s something so uniquely alive about concerts lately—and it’s not just because more and more people are attending more and more live shows. The concert experience is not just about listening to the music live, but rather also about experiencing love and appreciation for music and artists with other people. And sometimes, that love and appreciation comes in the form of items that could serve to make a concert much more memorable—and they don’t do it as some kind of effort to get noticed by idols.

From making their own outfits to organizing fan projects, designing their own banners to giving away keychains, trading photocards and friendship bracelets, the material aspect of concerts shows much creativity and generosity from fans who didn’t have to do all that at all.

For instance, in anticipation of SEVENTEEN’s FOLLOW To Bulacan concert, arguably one of the most-anticipated concerts of the year—and not just because the K-pop group is the first musical act to ever perform at the Philippine Sports Stadium—CARATs are expressing their creativity in a variety of ways. Such practices in concerts, of course, are not exclusive to the Filipino CARAT fandom, but are widespread across the globe and done by fans of almost every single musical act. I mean, we’ve all seen plenty of TikToks where people painstakingly handcraft their stunning Eras Tour outfits, right? Everybody is so creative, and all that adds up to an enriched core memory.

GOING ALL-OUT FOR OUTFITS

We don’t know for sure when people started to go all-out and design and create their own themed outfits for concerts, but we know for sure it’s a popular thing to do these days. From bedazzled Taylor Swift Eras Tour outfits to recreations of K-pop idols music video garments, DIY clothing pieces worn at concerts is like a badge of honor that not only shows how much a fan loves an artist, but also shows how creative, skilled, and dedicated they are. A fan hand-painted her shoes to match the design of SEVENTEEN’s newest album Seventeenth Heaven, and another one crocheted a similar vest to the one Jeonghan wore in the comeback. Peak crafting diligence and dedication.

MARRYING FUNCTION WITH CREATIVITY

Besides outfits, K-pop stans also try and excel at making items with functional use, such as lightstick holders and straps in the cutest of designs, bags, hats (perfect for an outdoor concert), and so much more. They either sell their hard work prior to the concert or give them away on D-Day, and there’s always new things popping up that we couldn’t even dream of making in association with our favorite idols, like witty stickers or these vinyl coasters, and yet they work so well.

FREEBIE GALORE

Many of the items fans lovingly created, they often give out as freebies. Whether you simply stand beside them in line or seek them out after seeing their posts on social media, K-pop stans will hand over freebies during concert days left and right. From stickers to art prints, banners to bracelets, even if you don’t have a ticket, you can come home with armfuls of goodies and merch to keep as mementos of the experience.

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