K pop star troopers Astro make friends with fans, aka Arohas, during their dazzling Hong Kong debut [Review]
After performing in Mongkok, the K pop quintet spent time meeting fans.
"Wanna be your star! Hello, we are Astro!” shouted K pop rookie boy band, Astro, at their first-ever Hong Kong concert last Friday night at Macpherson Stadium, Despite the chilly weather on a Friday night, many fans (or "Arohas", as they're known) unfurled home-made banners and sang Astro songs, heating up Mongkok's Macpherson stadium before the band was even onstage.
The six-member group consists of lead singer JinJin, plus MJ, the visual Eunwoo, Moonbin, Rocky, and youngest member, Sanha. They rose to fame on the web drama series To Be Continued, before starring in their own reality show Astro OK! Ready, which premiered early last year. Since then, the boys have been the talk of the K pop world with their cute hairstyles and “sunshine boy” personalities.
As soon as the glamorous band walked onstage, Astro caused fans to scream at the top of their lungs through opening tracks Hide and Seek and Pull in Boots. Then, after introducing themselves in Cantonese, the gang began interacting with the crowd.
Six lucky fans were chosen to play a “guess the Cantonese song” with each member. All of them were given a signed album, and the winner got an extra group Polaroid picture! As per fan requests, Rocky did a funky dance, while Eunwoo used a phrase picked at random to compose a spontaneous poem.
The fans squealed with excitement as Astro picked up the music where they left off by singing Jay Chou’s famous track, Love Confession, in flawless Mandarin. Continuing the medley of ballads, they delivered another sentimental piece, Should Have Held Onto You.
The second highlight came when a fan-made video was shown on the big screen. The boys sat down, clearly bowled over by the love and gratitude expressed by fans during the three-minute clip.
While each member brushed the tears from their cheeks, a birthday cake appeared in front of them. This was to celebrate the birthdays of Sanha, MJ, JinJin and Eunwoo, all born in March! During this surprise party segment, the other members teased the four that if they revealed their birthday wishes, they wouldn’t come true.
Fireworks, You & Me marked the end of the show. Fans prepared a special banner with the slogan “Let’s walk on together forever”, making a promise to Astro that the Arohas will always be by their side.
Fans sang along to the very last song Confession, and many even shouted “Please don’t go!” The band went out on a high, dancing until the music stopped.
After the guys stepped off stage, there was an announcement telling fans not to leave their seats just yet, as Astro was preparing a high-five session for everyone. Though everyone lined up and waited patiently, the fans’ screaming mode was enabled again when Astro reappeared.
Though it was over far too soon, this meet and greet session was a chance for fans to look into their eyes and confess their love and support. A fun-packed 90-minute concert and a bonus high-five gave both Astro and their Arohas sweet memories from what was hopefully the first of many concerts in Hong Kong.
Follow @ypotg on Instagram to see more photos and videos from the night.