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shadowetienne · 6 months ago

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Reflecting on seeing OnlyOneOf for Things I Can't Say LOve tour stop in San Francisco (2024/05/03)

I meant to type this up sooner, but I've had several hectic weeks (leading up to going down to SF to see OnlyOneOf and since). Mostly good hectic, but hectic nonetheless. It was incredible getting to see OnlyOneOf again though, and I want to write up the experience before it fades in my memory.

This was a much less whirlwind trip than last year (where we drove down the night before and back up the next day), but it was still an adventure. We started very early in the morning on Wednesday, May 1st, with @redeim and his partner picking me up around 6 am just north of Seattle, and then us going to pick up another friend who was roadtripping down to CA with us to see relatives but not to see the concert. We had two drivers this time (Redeim and his partner) which was already an improvement on last trip. Redeim was coming off a knee and ankle injury, which will come up again, but was a bit of an impediment. The trip was, as expected, long. We didn't actually make it to where we were staying (with Redeim's partner's family over across the Bay from SF) until something like 1 am. I did knit an entire cowl on the trip down though, and it was nice to get to see a lot of the trip in daylight this time. Thursday (all day) and Friday (morning) were spent visiting with people we know in the Bay Area.

We went up fairly early for when we needed to be there for VVIP check in, but not absolutely as early as we could have (here we are before we headed out: https://shadowetienne.tumblr.com/post/749535185571315712). It was easy enough getting in and getting checked in, getting our lanyards for VVIP and our premium snapshot tickets. We didn't take that long in and out which was nice because Redeim's partner hadn't gotten VVIP so was waiting for us outside while we did the check in. We then went to get caffeinated beverages and some food (and a silver sharpie from the art store a few blocks down because we'd forgotten ours in Washington and we wanted to have it for people to be able to sign the flag).

But soon enough, we were back to the venue area, and during the time we'd done our little wander, the lines had started to properly gather (even though it was technically early for the VVIP line to have started to form). We wandered the VVIP+ line side for a while trying to get as many signatures on the flag and getting a fair number of freebies in exchange. There were also a good number of people with GA tickets around who we were able to get a chance to sign the flag. But after a bit of this, people were herded into the VVIP line for not blocking the sidewalk reasons. Redeim and I were still getting a pretty steady stream of people to sign the flag because we had it out and people were wandering along the line with freebies, or walking around if they were in VIP or GA and didn't have a line up area yet. At some point in here we got the delightful chance to see @jungwookjins and @tolkpopfan who swung by to sign the flag and say hi! (Standing in line and getting the flag signed: https://shadowetienne.tumblr.com/post/749535784683667456)

We also got to chat with the people around us in line, and as always lyOns are delightful. I got so many compliments on my outfit, and so many people who remembered me/us from last year. Handed out a few of the little pride flags that we'd brought for people who didn't have lightsticks (or just wanted a pride flag). There was a lot of commiseration about how much of a menace Rie can be (was last year, and it turns out would continue to be this year).

Eventually, after a good long while of waiting, it was VVIP's turn to go in for fansign. I liked the set up for this better than last year because where we were queued up let us watch the members for a while before we actually went up to get the posters signed. I got to watch the tail end of the fanchat before they took the chairs away, and then a chunk of VVIP that came before us. Some fun observations from that time: Nine continues to move constantly in his seat. I was very entertained watching him kicking his heels together with his feet resting on the cross bar of his chair and just being incredibly wiggly. Junji was very very smiley, and he seemed to be really enjoying being there. Also his hair was so good. KB projects the most of all of them in terms of being able to hear his voice when I was standing in line. I definitely spent most of this time watching Rie though (I suspect no one is shocked). He looked incredible, and I was so curious how the interactions would go this time.

At last, it was our turn to go up for the fansign. I believe it went Yoojung, Mill, Junji, Rie, Nine, KB, but the middle could be out of order there. Yoojung and Mill were both quick for me, they signed, they said thank you/love you, it wasn't a big interaction. Junji did a repeat of last year's interaction a little bit. He looked up at me, gave two thumbs up and said "shirt!" with a big smile again, and then said "thank you for coming again." At this point, I suspected that he might remember me from last year, or at least my shirt. Rie was, unsurprisingly but somehow still surprisingly, a menace. He looked up, definitely remembered me because the first thing out of his mouth was "thank you for coming back bestie" (he kept using bestie, it was somehow very charming). I told him he was my favorite, and he said, "I love you," and at this point he's trying to be handed Redeim's poster and I'm only freaking out a little bit. I got passed along to the rest of the members to sign, but I've got to tell you, I don't remember as much about what they did because Rie had just done his Rie thing.

This is where Redeim being in the process of recovering from an injury comes back into play. He was using a cane, and after the fansign, they were going to herd us down into a room downstairs for waiting until the high touch and group photo, down the steep stairs in an old building. One of the staff noticed Redeim using the cane, asked if he was OK with the stairs, and then herded us over into ADA (I was like "can I stay with him" which they were chill about). This was the first bit of venue weirdness, and it turned out ADA wasn't very well placed. It was sort of off to a side and too far back, especially for a standing venue. People sitting in ADA were going to have a very hard time seeing the stage. We had to wait for a while, and they ended up having the ADA area folks all go up together for the group photos (because they forgot to tell us how they wanted us to join the line until it was getting into VIP, and there were a mix of VVIP+, VVIP, and VIP folks in the ADA section at this point). This did mean that I got to watch most of the high touch and group photo process from over at the ADA section. They are so sweet and friendly and good at fan interaction. They're very clearly happy to see all the fans!

When we got to do our high touch and group photo it went pretty fast, I did get to confirm that the shoes that I wore this time made me about Junji's height, which was fun. Mill only startled a tiny bit at my tiny hands this time. Rie continued to be a menace. Got a smirk and a hand squeeze again this year. Then for the group photo, I was standing behind in a sort of in between way Rie and Nine, which was nice (hopefully group photo turns out OK, haven't seen it yet).

Then it was back to ADA to wait for a bit while stuff got set up and it was time for them to start letting people in. It ended up being a standing only venue other than the ADA section because they'd closed off the balcony (Redeim's partner had originally been expecting to sit up in the balcony for GA). I'd decided that I was going to go stand as close as I could to be able to get the flag up to the stage, but Redeim also decided that he would come stand up there with me, so once VVIP started coming in, we made our way up to stand as close as we could (they gave us little stickers that meant that we had in and out options for ADA). Redeim's partner got a great photo of us while we were standing waiting for things to start because he was just a little behind us: https://shadowetienne.tumblr.com/post/749583294468849664

I'm tall enough that I could see the stage quite well (or well, as well as I can see anything), Redeim was struggling a little bit more, and would at a point end up going back to ADA for a while, and then standing a bit further back with his partner while I stayed as far forward as I could. This is wild for me because with any other crowd, there would be absolutely no way I'd be comfortable standing away from my people. I generally feel really comfortable around lyOns though, and so many people had recognized me from last year, and had said nice things about my outfit. As we were settling in waiting for the show to actually start, we passed out all the rest of our little pride flags to people who had been standing with Redeim's partner in GA or who were clustered near us and didn't have something to wave. It was lovely how excited people were about them.

Eventually the concert started, and all my focus was on the stage. OnlyOneOf are incredible performers. I couldn't tell you the set order, or exactly what they performed off the top of my head for the most part (Redeim has videos), but every single stage was so good. I was definitely the most focused on watching Rie, but all of them had pretty good coverage of the stage when they were doing talking bits or songs that didn't have choreo and they wandered around. There were some moments that stood out to me a lot because of who I was watching: so many cute JunRie moments sort of scattered through out. Rie was having trouble with either his microphone or something on his outfit, and during one of the first ments, he and Junji sort of dropped back to the back of the stage and Junji helped him fix it. There were several hugs scattered through. The entire wonderful nonsense of Junji doing the challenge dance with the belt, and KB stealing Yoojung's belt for him to do it with, and Rie joining in on the choreo (and then KB also joining in and being very silly). And the ui medley stage, which was incredible. We didn't get one of the most exciting JunRie endings of the entire tour so far, but they made hearts together and then walked off holding hands which was sweet. But then after the ui medley, we got the treat of all of the members messing around trying to show Nine and Mill that they could clearly do the ending choreo of beyOnd better.

As we were approaching the end of the show, I got the flag out and was holding it up at times (I was trying not to block anyone's view, but I wanted to make sure that the guys got a chance to see it in the audience). Flag definitely got a few of their attention! I got reactions (pointing to it with a big smile, hand hearts, some combination there of) from everyone but Mill (he didn't make it over in the area during one of the times it was more visible). I also may have hidden behind the flag a little bit when they sprayed us with water because I did not entirely enjoy that sensory experience. I actually tried to send the flag up at two different points, but the first one ended up coming back to me because for some reason it didn't keep getting passed forward, but after another flag had gone up successfully, I managed to send the flag up on stage: https://shadowetienne.tumblr.com/post/749535481042272256

Mill is the one who ended up with the flag, and it was around his shoulders for a good long while. I wish that they'd gotten more chance to look at all the messages that people left for them, but I'm glad that it made it up on stage and all the members interacted with it at least a little. They had to send all the things back into the audience this year (sadly, we really wanted to have the flag be a gift to them). Redeim and I are plotting ways that we might be able to get it to them as a gift if they come back next year/in the future.

I already talked about the premium snapshot experience (and my confirmation that both Rie and Junji remembered me from last year) here: https://shadowetienne.tumblr.com/post/749574999788109824/got-premium-snapshots-with-both-rie-and-junji-it

It had started drizzling a little bit by the time I got out of the venue, but we were able to make our bus and train connections back to where we'd parked just fine, and then back to where we were staying. I'd originally been hoping to go into SF the next day for a bit, but between weather (pouring rain) and being exhausted, we ended up having a rest day, and then we drove back up on Sunday (again leaving very early). Got home just before midnight, and I'm definitely still just rotating the experience in my mind.

I hope they are able to come back again next year, and maybe also come to Seattle next year (though I'm going to be so very very tempted to try to see them at multiple stops if I can manage it). They are so incredible, and while I think that last year is still my very favorite concert I've ever been to, this year was amazing, minor venue issues and all.

Also, I'm just going to be reeling for a while over Rie and Junji both remembering me. I'm not sure how I feel about being perceived, but overall it was a nice feeling, they seemed so happy that people were coming back to see them again. Also Rie is an absolute menace and flirt, but it's charming.

#OnlyOneOf #personal #Things I Can't Say LOve tour #SF stop #it was so very good #Rie is a menace but he's also wonderful

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