It has been eight
days since SMTown, and by now I am sure all of you have read more
than your fair share of fan accounts about the show, so as I sit down
to write this editorial, I decided to go with a different approach.
Since my return from Anaheim back to Calgary Canada, I have heard one
question about the show significantly more than any other one. What
question is it you ask?Its not “How was SNSD?” not “How
was the show? The crowd?”. Instead I have been asked by everyone
“Was SMTown really worth it?” I can’t say that I am surprised
by it, although I am not necessarily happy about it.
Being an international K-Pop fan, no
matter what your fandom or what country you are from can be an
interesting experience at times. When I first tell people I listen to
K-Pop I am more often greeted with a look of confusion and a snide
comment about why I would be listening to something I don’t
understand, rather than encouragement or acceptance. That being said,
acceptance is not something I seek from others; that’s something I
learned a long time ago. Since I began actively following K-Pop and
being an active member in the community I have only found a handful
of people I know in person that are totally supportive of this, but
that just comes with the territory.
My answer to everyone who has asked me
whether or not making the trip to SMTown was worth it was more of a
defensive reaction then anything else. I always told them that it was
an incredible show, and it was definitely something I would do again,
but I just left it at that. Its not that I was lying when I told
people that, it was an ‘easy way out’ and a way of avoiding going
really in-depth about every detail that makes SMTown such an
incredible experience. My goal with this article is to finally
elaborate on all the thoughts that have been milling around in my
head, and to give an answer to everyone who might be asking
themselves the same question I have been hearing all week. (continued after the break)
