Chastina ThamHow’d you like to be 3m away from your favourite K-Pop idol in a cosy showcase, and to pay only $50 for that privilege?
If you’re jumping over people to get in line for tickets, since a front row seat in a concert by Big Bang, BTS, VIXX and more, will cost easily $300, you may not have heard of K-Live Sentosa.
A first in Singapore, holographic K-pop concerts can be experienced in a hologram theatre, as Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) brings K-pop fans a cheaper alternative to see their idols on stage. Say goodbye to desperate money-saving just to catch a glimpse of your idols!
Launched earlier this year, K-live Sentosa offers a 40-minute-long hologram concert with the line up of Wonder Girls (‘I feel you’), 2PM (‘hands up’ and ‘my house’) and GOT7 (‘girls girls girls’ and ‘stop stop it”. Additionally there is a 5-minute hologram drum performance and a 5-minute behind-the-scenes footage of the idols filming for K-live. K-live will introduce new idols every 6 months based on what’s the hottest group in Hallyu, Vice President of RWS Estate Management, Serena Phua announced in a press release.
Just in case you think it’s just a holographic image of your idol singing, live performances of Korean traditional dance, Korean modern dance and a hip-hop dance, Krump, are also available if you opt for the full package.
Korean dancers who audition with K-live from Korea take the stage dancing behind a translucent screen that also projects visual effects, spicing up their act.
The hologram theatre can hold up to 100 people, which is so much more intimate than sitting with thousands of strangers. You can have your own private party or your fan group could book out a session and really let your hair down.
The screen is set 2m into the stage to create shadows that add depth to the impressive hologram projections, making the K-pop stars appear more real and 3D. Additionally, the stage is designed to mimic that of a concert stage – with screens on both sides to show a zoomed in view of the performance.
The light and sound systems add to the K-pop concert experience as speakers surround the audience, blasting music at the same volume level expected at most K-pop concerts, as coloured and strobe lights flash as they do in actual K-pop stages.
To assure us of quality, both the audio and visuals for the hologram concert have been recorded in Korea with idols performing in front of a green screen. A bonus that we fans appreciate is the talking interaction these idols give to you as they film with the knowledge that their footage is being used for K-live. Of course you don’t actually get to talk to them live, as most people won’t get to do even in a real concert, but common concert interactions like “Are you guys ready?” and “Can I hear you scream?” are used.
The only cringe-worthy part of K-live Sentosa is the graphics that accompany the holograms. Instead of cool fireworks and props we see from live K-pop concert videos, the graphics used in the hologram concert appear child-like, such as sparkle showers and dancing cartoons and diluted the ‘real’ K-pop experience slightly. Additionally, due to the nature of the theatre, the idols aren’t right in front of you but about 3m away – still, they are much, much closer to you than they’d be if you paid about $180 for the cheapest tickets for an actual concert and have to sit in the nosebleed section.
Even diehard K-pop fans who shell out top dollar for the concerts will enjoy a different encore experience in K-live. Other than the inferior graphics, almost everything else is like the real deal. You can dance and rock out to your idols with fellow fans, be loud and sing along to the songs and ogle at your idols any day of your own choosing and all without having to fork out a large sum of cash.
Information:
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday, with shows at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 7pm and 8pm.
Location: 26 Sentosa Gateway #01-37/38/39 – RWS, Waterfront Station (near trick eye museum)
Tickets: Full package: $48 (adults), $38 (students) and $24 (children and seniors) / Hologram concert only: $39 (adults), $32(students) and $19 (children and seniors)