Dubai: 'Meet' these famous K-pop idols, discover new meaning of concerts

See 'Tomorrow X Together' up close until January 29 in a unique, one-of-a-kind experience

Meher Dhanjal

Published: Sun 22 Dec 2024, 8:00 AM

Last updated: Sun 22 Dec 2024, 7:00 PM

Every K-pop fan dreams of one day meeting their favourite idols and seeing them up close.

What if I told you that you could be close enough to see every separate eyelash on their eyes. Sounds unreal, right?

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Well, that's what I did this weekend. At Dubai Mall, for a limited time, you too can catch Tomorrow X Together (TXT) in a unique concert-like virtual reality experience called 'Hyperfocus'. The group performs some of their top hits and every single viewer gets a front-row view, regardless of their actual seat in the theatre.

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Dubai's first-ever Virtual Reality concert offers viewers a unique experience, allowing them to watch TXT perform up close in an approximately 60-minute-long show through VR headsets that even have the boyband's logo on it.

The VR concert experience began under a sky with hundreds of stars as the viewer was taken through a forest, only to see Choi Soobin – the leader of TXT – standing and looking right at them. If it wasn't for the piercing screams and loud gasps I heard in the theatre, I would've thought it was just the both of us in a forest.

The leader of the group then leads the viewer to a different setting, where all other members also appear and begin performing.

The group performs five different songs, with the group occasionally addressing the viewer. At one point the viewer even receives a lightstick so that they can enjoy the experience, and liken it to an actual concert.

KT Photo: Meher Dhanjal

The group performs five different songs across different locations – from a dense forest to a street side. Every single one of them so engaging that I often found myself at the edge of my seat (spoiler alert: I was no closer to them).

Throughout the concert, the viewer is taken on an extensive journey with TXT as they perform some of their greatest hits. Their setlist included: 'Magic Island', 'Deja Vu', 'Tinnitus', Good Boy Gone Bad' and 'Sugar Rush Ride'.

While performing 'Good Girl Gone Bad' – which, in fact, opens with a helicopter landing in the middle of a street – Beomgyu throws a burning rose towards the viewer. These power-packed performances looked so realistic that I physically ducked away from the rose.

This wasn't just about their performances, though. The members would occasionally speak to the viewer and address them directly, in between songs. On one such instance, Soobin softly 'touches' the chin of the viewer – leaving many emotional – as he is on hiatus from activities. Just last month, record label BigHit Music announced that Soobin would be going on hiatus after he displayed signs of being unwell and visited a hospital.

Viewers are also given photocards on attending the show. (KT Photo: Meher Dhanjal)

As their performances began to come to an end, the members stood in front of the viewer, talking to them directly as they asked if 'MOAs' liked their performances. When they said that this was going to be the last song they perform – the entire hall collectively groaned.

However, to everyone's delight, the last song did not mean that the concert experience had come to an end. The viewer was then taken to their set, where they witnessed first-hand how the concert was produced. Despite knowing that I wasn't physically present with them, it felt like the fourth wall had broken as I watched them rehearse and shoot the concert I just watched in front of a green screen.

The members also candidly spoke about the experience of shooting a Virtual Reality concert. While it was an enjoyable experience, they also mentioned how it was very different from anything they had ever shot, with Beomgyu even saying he was afraid that the burning rose he was supposed to throw in the same direction would hit the camera.

Towards the end of the VR show, MOAs are in for a surprise. Right when you think 'it's definitely over now', TXT reappears and performs a surprise song. The show came to an end and left fans in a daze, unable to move on from the iconic experience.

Knowing that I may never get to see any member of TXT this closely in reality, this one-of-a-kind event has redefined what a 'concert' could mean to me.

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