Potato Train Trips : HIGH4 SHOWCASE IN MALAYSIA

Hi everyone!

It's Lou typing here. And today I have some great news to deliver! WOOHOO
Yours truly, *eherm* myself, have finally been able to snap out of this horrid act that I call procrastination and put my mind to starting this personal corner of the LouBriTri blog. After weeks of Tri's constant nagging and her display of enthusiasm towards the production of this concept, I had no way of escaping this certain fate.

So what will Lou's Potato Train Trip's be about?
Anything that comes to my mind, basically. They could be experiences, discussions, random thoughts or the occasional k-pop fangirl corner. As long as something grabs my interest, I will write it here! Hopefully you guys will be able to enjoy the stuff I post each week. And that's it for the Potato Train Trips' introduction.

Now let's move on to today's topic.

HIGH4 SHOWCASE IN MALAYSIA

How typical of me to start the first official post of Potato Train Trips with a Kpop related post.

The stage thingy

Anyway:
Not too long ago, on the 5th of September, I had the chance to attend the showcase by a Korean rookie Kpop group, HIGH4, held in Summit Shopping Mall. The group has been active since 2014, their first single being Not Spring, Love or Cherry Blossoms, which was a collaborated song with the famous actor and singer, IU. I must say this was quite a good thing because the involvement of a famous artist right from the start definitely managed to slightly make people aware of their existence. (SLIGHTLY. *cough* they aren't very well known even a year after, unfortunately)
But to get to the point, they aren't very well-known and so, there weren't that many people present at the showcase even though you didn't even have to pay for it. However, if you wished to have a vip (seated) place reserved for you, it would cost you RM40, which is very cheap compared to other showcases.
This explaining is getting boring, so let's move on to the actual story! WHEEEEEEE

Vip seating area

I had planned to go to the event with my friend just a week before it was to take place. Ahhh last minute decisions as usual, but everything turned out quite well. My friend and her dad drove to my house to pick me up so we could go to the venue together, which would be much easier compared to if we were to take our own transport there. Several minutes later, we had arrived at our destination.

I had never been to Summit before this and the friend that I went with hadn't been there for months so we were quite surprised when we saw the newly renovated interior of the place. The lower floors, to be honest, were rather sad and gloomy to look at. It was already dark as the ceilings were lined with dim, yellow lights but what made it darker were the walls that had been painted black. It made the whole place look older and more miserable than it had been before.  RENOVATION JOB YOU HAVE FAILED ME!!!

HIGH4 performing Day By Day

After collecting our tickets at the counter, we proceeded to another counter where they sold albums of the band. We had been told that if an album/single was purchased, you would have the chance to go for a signing after the showcase was over. My friend, who had already planned to get some albums, immediately got out her money and bought their first single (Not Spring, Love or Cherry Blossoms), their mini album (Hi High) and photobook.

I, on the other hand, hadn't planned to buy any singles or albums but once again, I made a last minute decision to get their third single (Baby Boy) because I decided, "Wouldn't wanna miss out on that".

Later, we decided to venture into a bookstore to see if my friend would find what she wanted to buy there. However, we soon exited the bookstore again as the book we sought for was not found.

Since we had arrived early, the next 2 hours -ish were spend sitting cross legged/stretched out on the floor while randomly talking nonsense as we were waiting for the staff to let us enter into the venue.

I wouldn't want to flood you guys with rambles of how each person looked or how everything was performed, but here's the gist of it:

Don't remember what they were doing here but yeah...

The four member group performed about 5 to 6 songs during the course of the showcase, and I must say, their live singing was very impressive, especially with all that strenuous dancing. No major accidents happened; no falls or anything. But one memorable moment was when the leader, Sunggu, accidentally flung is microphone to the floor as he was singing. The music continued playing in the background as he smiled with embarrassment and went down the stage to pick it up again. Well it was a good thing it didn't hit a human head! Might have caused some serious damage hahahah.

HIGH4 on stage with lucky fans

The amount of fan service given was CRAZY. (Perks of rookie groups?) Unlike other groups, the members would go down the stage and walk around the are where the audience was seated, probably giving all the fangirls sitting in the first few rows multiple heart attacks.

I can't express it in any other way than say that it was an amazing experience. Of course, it's always something memorable to see a bunch of people that you've been admiring on a screen for so long and finally being able to witness them in real life, skin and bones and all (not just pixelated images).

PLAYING CHARADESSSS

In the blink of an eye, all the performances were over and it was time for the photo session with HIGH4.

Gosh, can we rename that day "The Day of Last Minute Decisions" because once again, my friend and I rushed to buy tickets for the photo pass just before the photo session ended. And we hadn't even planned to be taking part in that! With shaking hands, we signed our names and wrote our phone numbers in the list, paid the money and got the stickers to be allowed in for a photo.

Having bought the pass later than everyone else, we were among the last people to get out photos with the four members, myself being the second last.

When my turn finally came, my hands were shaking and I walked across the stage to stand beside the members. I greeted the member who was standing the closest to me with a timid,"Hello" and received one back with a wide smile. Since I'm much shorter than him, I had to crane my neck up while talking to him. Then, let's just say that my hands were still shaking after walking down the stage.

with the hostess

Next was the album signing.

We were told to bring our albums up with us and let each member sign it. While they were signing, we could also pass them gifts or just say whatever you wanted to them (if they understand you or not... well that's another matter). At this point I was freaking out because I had no idea about what I should say so I was fidgeting nonstop. Without realizing it, it was already my turn.

The first member in line was the youngest of the four (or the maknae), Youngjun. The only thing I managed to squeak out was a weird "hello" and "thank you for coming", the latter of which he either did not hear or couldn't understand because in response, I got a confused stare.

Second in line, was the vocalist, Myunghan whose "I-can-act-cute" skills go through the roof. (BOY CAN HE DO AEGYO) 

I think he might have done a 'almost kiss' on the album.

Signed by the four members

Yup.

Let's just say he did.

Then, was the leader, Sunggu. My greetings came out terribly wrong and I sounded like a dying squirrel, but no matter. I scooted to the left to the final member after saying a dragged "thank youuuuuu".

Lastly, was the English speaking member, Alex. When I remember what I said to him, I really feel like smacking myself. What did I say, you might ask.

Me: "Hi, it's nice to meet you!"

Him: "Nice to meet you too!"

*facepalms*

*whispers* how much more formal can I get?

Smooth, girl. Real smooth.

All in all, it was an unforgettable set of events that replayed in my mind days after the actual event happened. There were quite a lot of things I regretted ie. saying the wrong things, what I should have said etc. but now that it's over, I can still think back and smile about it.

As I said earlier in this lengthy post, HIGH4 aren't very famous yet and after seeing them in the flesh, I can tell that they are very hardworking and kind people, and hopefully, they'll have a bright future in the industry.

하이포 화이팅!

Thank you everyone for reading and I'll see you in another Train Trip. 

BYE!!!

** more than half of these photos were taken by my friend, Weilo. Credits to her!