The South Korean popular music phenomenon known as K-pop visits San Antonio in all its glittery glory on Thursday and Friday, with two concerts by popular boy band Seventeen at the Frost Bank Center.
San Antonio is one of only five U.S. cities to host Seventeen concerts on their [Right Here] World Tour. Seventeen was recently recognized for having the best-selling album of 2023 worldwide, taking the top spot over megastar Taylor Swift and other popular K-pop groups Stray Kids and NCT Dream.
Fans of Seventeen are called Carats, which, according to band member Vernon, are named for “Shining Diamond,” a pre-debut song included in the group’s first mini-album, 17 CARAT, in 2015.
Before San Antonio Carats “Aju Nice” into the night with the 13 members of Seventeen, they’ll gather at fan-organized events across town to snag fan-made swag and share the excitement with fellow devotees from near and far.
Cupsleeves, freebies and afterparties
K-pop fans commonly create events and swag surrounding concert visits by their favorite groups, and Carats are no different. A favorite are cupsleeves, custom-designed wraps for coffee and tea to-go cups.
Savannah Cavazos of TCF Events said she learned that the origin of cupsleeves as fan swag began with fans sending coffee trucks to groups before concerts.
“In South Korea, when these idols celebrate, whether it’s a song, a new album, music video, a big gesture that fans … do for them is they will send coffee trucks or food trucks” customized with images of the group.
Custom cupsleeves naturally followed, and the tradition caught on and now happens worldwide. “We want to be able to show fan love in whatever city we’re in,” Cavazos said.
And “the place to throw a K-pop event is a boba shop, anywhere that they play Korean music,” she said.
In San Antonio, Equal Sign Events will hold a two-day pre-concert event at BesTea Café, Our Shining Diamonds, Wednesday from noon to 7 p.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event will feature custom-designed swag including a commemorative cupsleeve, souvenir concert badges and photocards of each of the members: S.Coups, Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino. Attendees are asked to register in advance via a Google form.
Bunny Bear Events is holding a three-day cupsleeve event at Olla Express Café, Wednesday to Friday from noon to 5 p.m. The event will feature vendors, photocard trading and a lightstick and album raffle.
TCF Events is holding a two-day event, Slip Into the Diamond Life, before and after the concerts, in two locations: Wednesday at Premium Matcha Cafe Maiko and Saturday at Feng Cha bubble tea shop.
Concert day afterparties will be held by KPOP NEXT DOOR at Tank’s Pizza on Thursday and Friday from 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Identified as “an unofficial after party by fans for fans,” the “Spooktacular” Halloween-themed event will feature DJs spinning K-pop hits and a live dance performance by Mystic Dance Crew of San Marcos.
Friday at Cake Thieves Bakery, The Kpopverse and Mew Kpopper FL will host a cupsleeve event from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Owl Craft Events will host DÍA DE LOS SVT on Friday at Tank’s Pizza from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday at The Nest from noon to 4 p.m.
Fans have also been hard at work making freebies like photo cards and keychains to hand out at the concert venue. One meet-up spot for fans to trade freebies will be in front of the Spurs sign between parking lots 3 and 4 at the Frost Bank Center.
Carats who meet up there can also participate in a “random dance play” — in which fans test their knowledge of K-pop choreography by dancing to a mix of songs — on Thursday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Shine brightly
“Our carats shine brightly wherever they are,” declared vocalist Lee Seokmin, who goes by the stage name DK, in a 2020 video interview with Vanity Fair.
And one reason K-pop fans adore their idols so much is because group members share insights into their daily lives with frequent social media posts, Cavazos said.
“A lot of them give a lot to their community and do a lot for their country,” she said. “When you see that aspect of them, it starts to really make you love them even more, just because you see how great they are, not just how talented they are.”
The Frost Bank Center will shine brightly this week as fans wave their Carat bongs, the group’s official lightsticks as stated in the Vanity Fair video explaining a mix of Korean and English slang surrounding the group.
And as Seventeen takes the stage for their concerts, fans might be exhorted to “so-ri jil-luh,” which translates to “make some noise!”
As of publication, tickets are still available starting at $60.
