Last fall Jack performed in the pit orchestra for "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." It was unusual for the director to choose a fall musical instead of a play. This production was especially fun for him because the pit got to be on stage. They created a very small orchestra and he got to wear costume and make-up. He said it was great fun to get to watch the show at the same time - a lot less than boring than the dark black pit.

I got Jack's permission to share some photos he took during the show's run. His POV is fun.

The far kitchen cabinet had been a little crooked for a long time, but in November if suddenly sagged farther. I guess I overloaded the cabinet for what a drywall anchor can handle, because it started ripping off the wall. Ben and I disassembled a few cabinets. I decided to repair it by cutting down the cabinet so it will fit entirely on the support bracket. I learned about drywall patching and did my own paint matching to cover the tears. I took the Ikea cabinet apart and built it up again as a single cabinet and a shelving unit using the old parts. Had to trim the soffit and do other annoying tweaks too. It turned out pretty good in the end, but what a headache!

Here's some daily life pics from Nov-Dec 2025. Somehow they got mixed up in order, so never mind that! I'm trying to catch up on a lot of journalling and I can't be bothered!

My assigned winter holiday shift was Thanksgiving this year. I decided to celebrate at home the day prior, so we had a traditional full dinner on Wednesday!

It totally warmed my heart at work to received this video and picture of the Christmas tree being set up.

Once again Ben found a feed of the Japanese New Year's program Kōhaku Uta Gassen. It has musical performances from K-pop and J-pop groups as well as kooky cultural traditions and shout-outs from different regions of the country. Sam got to hang out with us while Jack went to a sleepover.

The next day was a simple celebration at home for Ben's 45th birthday. I tried to make Miyeok-guk, the traditional Korean birthday seaweed soup. It was not great. Not sure if I messed it up or it's more of an acquired taste. Ben has really gotten into cooking over the past couple years and his skills with Asian flavors and techniques surpasses mine. I don't have a picture, but I think I made his usual Italian Cream cake for dessert. It was a pleasant, relaxed day at home together.

I wanted a no-stress easy birthday this year. My regular massage therapist had to reschedule, but Ben whipped up a full spa treatment at home that soothed my muscles and made me laugh at his commitment to the bit. We had lunch out at a local chinese restaurant. For dinner I ordered a generous amount of meats from my favorite barbecue joint. The kids were big fans of this dinner, I might make it a tradition. I made lemon squares for dessert and they didn't turn out good. I don't know what I did wrong! The base was squidgy and the curd was too tart and not flavorful. Ah well, most of my other bakes turn out great and I've been a baking a lot this year.

Jack got his driver's permit in January and has been doing great! The first few weeks were a little wobbly, but now he has a good feel for driving around our neighborhood. We're slowly adding in driving on the freeway and working on endurance and focus. Ben is a great teacher! He seemed to really enjoy being a driving instructor. The pictures are of his first time behind the wheel, and the first time I rode with him.

Sam participated in his school's Science Fair as a seventh grader. He wanted to study the best regions to pet cats. We solicited many friends and family to gather data for his research. I helped with with the study design and Ben help with the graphs. He put together a fantastic project board and did a great job presenting at the fair. The science teachers gave him great feedback during the fair. Days later he was surprised to receive an award for "winning" the fair! Way to go, Sam!!

It feels like there's always something breaking or something I want improved about the house. At least this toilet leak was a one-day job. Then I opened up our bathroom exhaust fan. There's a flapper valve that taps whenever wind blows over the top and the noise was driving me crazy all year. It took a long time to figure out how to gain access to the flapper, then it was fairly easy fix to add padding. Another long time to wrestle everything back in place, and ta-da! Silent bathroom!

The last project here was a longtime dream. Our living room is so dark, even with 5 lamps illuminating it. I can't embroider or knit at night because I can't see! I had an electrician install LED wafer lights and I LOVE it. I planned to do the drywall repair myself, having learned some basics after our basement repair and the kitchen wall disaster. I didn't do a very good job. I should have spent time leveling all the pieces, instead of assuming I could mud and paper them to blend in. I'm fairly unhappy with it and might scrape it off one day if it for a do-over. But after two days of work (mostly waiting for things to dry between layers) I wanted to move on. Good enough.

Here's some day-to-day photos from the first quarter of the year. (Yeah, as you can tell I've been super slacked about posting. My shift put me on day call so I'm trying to use this bonus time to catch-up).

For the SECOND musical of the year, Jack performed in the pit orchestra for Big Fish. He was bummed to be back in the "black pit" but he still had a great time.

Jack went on a school trip to California over spring break. The performing arts (theater, choir, orchestra, band) were all invited for a trip to Hollywood to see Beetlejuice with a Q&A session, to Universal Studios, and to Disneyland, including a learning session at the Disney Academy. He had a total blast. I don't have much to say, I'm just going to dump in some of his photos. Sorry these are in reverse order!

And here are Jack's instagram posts (some overlap in photos):

Jack is a busy dude! At the same time as Big Fish he had a concert for Chamber orchestra. Here are some pictures from that show and unwinding afterward.

Then he also performed twice with the school's choir at a special concert downtown. I didn't attend, but a friend kindly sent video, and the school insta shared some photos:

Betty turned 80 years old this year! We came over for the weekend to celebrate. We had great food and a chocolate cake. She and the boys played the newest engrossing game, Pokopia. Of course, we got to visit with the Waterhouses and Sulei too.

I was flabbergasted when Twice announced their world tour stops and Denver was on the list! We never get big-name groups! Ben is a total Twice fan, a "Once" and I told him we HAVE to go. Not only that, our friends the Walkers have daughter who is also a Once. We tempted them with a Denver visit and they took the bait! We had a great time catching up - our kids have grown so much! The concert was fantastic. Daehyun and Chaeyoung were out on health leave, but the other seven delivered. Of course Jihyo stole the show! She's sincerely the best. I'm glad Momo was there too, since she is Opal's favorite member.

I had a total blast. It was so fun to see our old friends and hear about life nowadays. It was so weird seeing a concert in my own town - no uber or hotel! Staying up way too late on a Tuesday night! 😂 Totally worth it.

Those pokemon are back in vogue at the Mason household. I briefly played Pokopia (too immersive and work-like for me). Jack is back into card collecting. He practices driving by going to different stores checking stock. He was super psyched when he got two packs from Barnes & Noble. I had to wait for him to calm down so he could focus on driving on I70 for the first time afterward. Then at home he had Sam film an unboxing ("unpacking?" "reveal?") video.

It paid off 😂

This weekend Ben took him out again and he got a couple more packs. Ben bought him a special box set that he has wait for his birthday to open. Teenagers - so weird. It's like having a child and an adult at the same time.

Jack debuted as an actor this week in the senior-directed one act play "Our Place." He had a lot of fun in this new theatrical setting - learning lines, taking direction, costumes fitting, make-up, everything! He did a great job and had a lot of fun with the process.

The school district generously declared a snow day on this late May 6. We got a wet, heavy storm. Most of our trees lost limbs, the Ash severely so. I baked frozen croissants for breakfast. I had a massage therapy appointment (oof, my hips are so tight!). The boys enjoyed a lazy day at home with video games and lots of snacking. We got notice that Jack's final concert of the year would proceed as planned. He performed wonderfully, as usual!

This week the middle school performed You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I attended the matinee for elementary students and the closing show on Saturday. There were difficulties with the high school reneging on letting us use their auditorium, which caused a lot of stress and radical changes by the directors. Despite all that the kids did a great job and the show was well-received!

My folks came out to see the show and we also celebrated Mother's Day. We visited Giambrocco's Saturday morning and got a lovely selection of baby plants! I got two new agastaches and a russian sage, and some fruits and veggie starters. We tried a new Italian restaurant and picnicked at the Arvada Center. It was funny to see the kids still excited about climbing the dragon sculpture. Then we went to the musical and gabbed at Amanda's house over take-out. This morning I made brunch and we exchanged gifts. The boys bought me gorgeous roses and Jack gave me a handmade card. Ben found some great leg massagers for treat my sore muscles after nursing shifts. He also made a delectable steak dinner.

Thursday was the last day of school AND Jack's birthday! He got to sleep in, then walked to school for his last final, which was a titration lab for chemistry. Not too stressful, and he got to work a few of his friends. Then I drove him and his girlfriend to their lunch date at Red Robin.

When Sam got home from his last day of seventh grade we gathered for present opening! Later we walked down to Asuka for dinner. We did the song and candles for cake, then I took Jack to Charlie's house for his annual "book burning" end of school celebration. What a fun day!

Friday I took Jack to the mall to get some new clothes. He found some loose-fit pants that he likes, and some shirts from Macy's. They had a great jacket that he fell in love with, but we had to place an order a size-up. Later Friday night Jack had Mason, Jaimey, and Henry come over for Chipotle and MarioKart. What a great way to end his sophomore year!

Happy 16th Birthday, Jack!!

Sam started 8th grade yesterday. He said he had a great day! He forgot his school ID and didn’t want to wait in the long “no ID” line, so he mooched food off his generous friends. 😂 Otherwise a smooth day with lots of friends and good teachers.

Jack left for his first day as a high school junior this morning. 11th grade! Wow! He’s got his new jeans and sneaks, and asked “am I blinged out enough?” 😂 Hopefully he has a good day too. He’s already hard at work on his audition monologue for the fall play.

We had a lot of events this summer, especially for health. To kick off the season, Jack had his wisdom teeth removed. He managed the surgery and recovered quickly!

Next Dad had an episode of chest pain and had a stent placed. We’re so grateful that he recognized the heart attack and was able to get treatment quickly. That same week Andy was in a terrible car crash. He broke many bones and had a concussion. He is still working hard toward recovery from strength and neuro symptoms.

Summer ended with some good news - I don’t have cancer! Since November I’ve been getting repeat mammograms for changing microcalcifications. This week I had a biopsy that confirmed the spot is benign. It’s a relief to know with certainty and recovery hasn’t been difficult - just a week off of dance and work along with Tylenol and ice.

To foster in-person friendships we hosted a twice-weekly DnD session all summer. Every Tuesday morning and Friday afternoon Sam’s friends were invited to come play for a few hours. It was a total hit. We never had fewer than 2 friends visit (and in that case they played Smash Bros or went to a park) and often had 5 or 6 players.

Betty and Rick came to visit for a sunny weekend this summer. They braved the mountain bus to get here - breaking down in Frisco and getting a lift on the next Bustang en route!

They had a great time catching up with the boys. Berit came along to take the kids to the Denver Museum. We went to dinner at Red Robin, which is becoming our “usual” as a family outing. It was great to see them!

Jack took on a woodworking project for the summer. He designed and built a fancy box to house his cello in his room. He learned a lot on this project! I know he had some difficulties with it that he’s not happy about, but I’m very proud of him for finishing and I think it looks fantastic!

Ben and his dad wanted to plan a road trip to visit all four corners of Colorado. Then they decided they had already seen the SW “Four Corners,” so NW, NE, and SE three corners would suffice. Alas, they got stuck shortly after visiting the first corner! Oh no!!

Thank goodness they had cell phone reception. Ben alerted me and while they were talking to the 911 relayed policeman, I found a couple ATV groups via reddit and facebook that supposedly do rescues. Ben got a hold of one group who came hours later to pull them out. Literal cowboy heroes at 2 AM. Shout-out to “Anarchy Offroad”

Ben posted about it on his personal website here: https://benlog.benmason.info/2026/trip-to-the-three-corners-monument/

I tried to get out roller skating a few times this summer. I like using this outdoor hockey rink. I tried going around my neighborhood and it’s too scary on the streets and hills.

Ben and I took a day-trip date to Boulder for plants at Harlequin Gardens. Doesn’t he look smashing in his kilt? We got lunch at Zoe Ma Ma on Pearl afterward.

Later in the summer we all went to Boulder for Sam’s friend’s birthday celebration at Sushi Zanmai. Sam really liked the food!

Sam did an escape room for another friend’s birthday.

The garden has struggled with heat and water restrictions. We did our part to minimize water use, so it’s been a sad season. Lots of crispy plants and few blooms.

Amanda and I got lunch and visited a craft store. She gifted me the most adorable watercolor book! I painted an old photo for Dad for Father’s Day and it turned out alright!

Work selfies to Ben, and some that he returns. I picked up some extra shifts at the start of summer and it felt like I was working a lot! I try to dance twice a week still too, and yoga at home on the days in between

Whoops, I didn’t take many pictures of the trips to GJ! Lots of swimming, dog petting, and chatting.

More miscellaneous, especially cats. Featuring Mog and Hela, who we were cat-sitting for July.

I love taking Jack to private cello lessons. The lobby is empty and I have an hour to work on projects in peace.

That almost wraps up the summer break! As you saw, the kids are back in school and thriving. I took a personal vacation to Los Angeles to attend KCON LA 2026. Lots of incoming KPOP and travel photos soon I hope, but at least I have the family stuff documented for posterity!

What a celestial week!

Monday’ rainbow

Thursday’s lunar eclipse

Friday’s rainbow

I’ve been casually shopping for a new dining set all summer. Our old Ikea table was pitted and scratched from little kid abuse, and everyone tries to steal my chair because it’s the only one with padding. It was time to upgrade!

I looked in stores and on the used marketplace and finally landed on a green chair set with cat-proof vinyl fabric.

Table shopping was trickier - we just wanted the features and size of our current table! I asked Jack if he would refinish the table for me as a paid job and he readily agreed!

He spent most of Labor Day weekend sanding off the damage, then working it down to a fine grit. I decided on a dark stain to match the chairs and stand out against the similarly colored wood floor. Jack applied two coats of stain and two coats of polycrylic topcoat. After a few more days of drying the table came back inside! He did a great job!!

Scratch-free for now, but I declared that we don’t need to baby it. My philosophy is the house is meant to be used comfortably. It’s a soft pine, so it would be a losing battle anyway. In another 10 years Jack can refinish it for me again!

Sam Storm is 13 years old today, on the 13th of September! He’s grown to tall and mature. He’s kind and thoughtful, clever and considerate. He has gathered a posse of great friends and he’s excelling at school. We’re so proud of him in so many ways!

To celebrate he had friends come over to play DnD, play video games, and watch a movie. These teenagers don’t need a lot of planning or entertainment to have a good time, which is great for us parents! I couldn’t pass up decorating and getting his guests silly party favors.

Today on his real birthday Sam just relaxed and played on his new SteamOS computer with friends. He slept in and ate some favorite foods and opened a few more presents. It was a great day!

I always insisted to Ben I was not interested in KCON. It seemed like too much to handle. But then they announced the line-up for 2026 LA KCON and it was, like a TON of groups that I like.

Unusually boy group heavy. Most enticing of all - &TEAM were coming. They’re a Japanese group I love that hasn’t come to the US yet. (See me with their standees at a mall in Kyoto here).

So I gave into temptation and bought THREE concert tickets - 진짜 おかしい!

Thus I found myself at the end of summer break, still muddling through some life event stressors, flying to sunny California for a long weekend of sunshine, music, pretty dancers, and good food.

After checking in the hotel I walked to dinner. My driver recommended Pine & Crane and it was delish!

The Last Bookstore promised to have great book displays and it delivered! I had a fun time walking around and perusing the vinyl.

The sun was lovely going down, but the streets were getting sketchier by the minute. I had one more stop in mind so I braved a twlight wait for the uber (on high alert - DTLA is seriously sus!) to get my favorite ice cream. This felt super indulgent, but it’s sort of a tradition for me to visit this place if I’m in the same town. A sweet end to my day of traveling.

KCON has two parts:

1. The daytime convention
2. the evening concert

The evening concert is a 2.5-3 hr concert with many performers, each doing a short set of 2-4 songs, longer for headliners.

The convention has booths for Korean food, beauty products, and associated companies. There’s also a few small stages with performances/appearances by lesser known idols. The Artist Stage, the biggest of these stages, had performances from middle-tier groups (not the most popular, but pretty well established).

I bought a ticket for each evening concert. A good seat for Friday, a cheap seat for Saturday, and a “good” seat on Sunday (put a pin in that). The good seats included convention access on those days, and I decided not to bother getting Saturday access based on the Artist Stage schedule and my lack of interest in the booths.

The only Artist Stage I REALLY wanted to see was &TEAM. They were scheduled on the first day at 3pm, the last group.

I heard online that the lines to get in the convention can be gnarly. I bought an “Express Pass” the night before so I could use the shorter lane and get inside faster. I was really nervous I wouldn’t get in and get a spot in time and miss them. The con also hyped up the use of virtual queueing through the app, with earlier access for Express Pass holders. That seemed worthwhile to make sure I got to see &TEAM. Later I found out the early access was only for booths (don’t care) and they never enacted the queue system for the stages, so it didn’t give me any advantage.

So early morning I got dressed and walked across the street to join the queue at 7:30. One hour later I was wrist-banded, security screened, and waiting in another queue indoors. The convention didn’t start until 10a. And again, my group was on until 3p. Uhhh, what am I doing here?

It was fun to see everyone dressed up, receive “freebies,” and cheer on the people going to audition for a dance stage with the idols. I started chatting with the people around, trying to get tips for the weekend. A very nice 38 year old from Minnesota was next to me, attending solo for her 6th time. She gave me some good info about the con layout and we had a fun time chatting about the groups. Her “ult bias” is Junhee from A.C.E and I’m also a big fan of his, so that was fun to talk about.

At 10 they released us while scolding “no running!” as fans speed-walked to the artist stage. I joined the throng, and quickly realized there was no reason to be there that early. There was plenty of room. No way was I going to sit here for hours and hours. I had no need to “barricade” the GA section (there was a closer VIP barricade for those who paid top dollar). Even the back of the room had fine views.

I did a lap about the con floor. Lots of fans want to get the beauty product samples from all the booths. They gave us “Stamp Relay” badge to get stamped and hyped up the free tote we would receive to hold all out winnings. I had zero interest in playing the sample-collecting game. Apparently that’s how Express pass used the virtual queue - to hold a place, to access a marketing booth, to post on your social media, to receive free samples in return. No thanks!

So I left! It seemed like a power-move, walking out past literally thousands of fans still lined up to get in. With my wristband I can quickly return later in the day (thanks Junhee-fan for confirming!).

I walked to Fika Fika and had a delightful brunch away from the crowd.

Fortified and caffeinated, I came back to the con just before noon and settled in to knit and watch some other groups on the Artist Stage.

Finally they were here! &TEAM!! K dancing right before my eyes!!

They were so good. Unfortunately this confirmed how much I hate GA standing room - everyone jockeying and squeezing about, holding phones above their heads. Pretty awful even for someone my height! I loved their show, but was looking forward to seeing them on stage at night from my assigned seat.

This is already a long post, so I’ll share concert pics in a follow-up.

Just after 4p I left the convention hall to find some dinner. There was a mall a just two train stops north of me where I had Korean chicken and rice bowl. The shop, Ranch & Maple, was playing k-pop music videos and were were kind to hold my food hot while I figured out the mall restroom access - city bathroom situations are always hostile!

(I think it’s funny how many ampersands were in the last 24 hours on my cc statement: Salt & Straw, Pine & Crane, Ranch & Maple, all for &TEAM)

I freshened up and fetched my lightstick from my hotel room, then walked 5 minutes to the concert at the Crypto Arena around the corner. I breezed through security and still had some time to knit before the show started.

This was so fun! My seats were great considering KCON LA is always in the round. I hate shows in the round. I researched which side is typically “front” when I bought tickets and luckily that hadn’t changed. When they faced me, which was about 60% of the time, I had a great view!

By the way, I’ve been watching KCON performances for years and years. I’ve seen some stages in this very arena dozens of times. It was cool to be in this famous spot. Because they film these for the channel, I can link the stages for you to see! Look close and maybe you’ll see me in the audience ;-) Sometimes I linked the short 1 min set summary, sometimes the full song.

Let’s goooo, it’s &TEAM TIME!! These guys dominated. There were a lot of Lune in the audience for sure. K is such a unique dancer. For a tall gangly guy his lines are impeccable. I like a of them but he’s a strong bias for sure.

TWO songs. Gah! Too short! I’m so glad I saw them earlier in the day too. They did a BTS collab stage with Santos Bravos and it’s the only time I’ve enjoyed Permission to Dance.

The next exciting stage was the reunion of WannaOne! This TV contest group from 2017 includes Minhyun - former member of Nu’est and actor in one of my favorite Kdramas Study Group. They did their big hit Energetic and the crowd was hyped! I’ve repeatedly watched their original 2017 KCON LA performance so this was very cool to witness.

Finally the headliner NCT 127 took the stage. Listen, I used to be a huge NCT fan. Sadly their group has fractured as a result of bad management, military service leave, and a few scandals. Plus they had a spell of truly terrible music. But I’m still very fond of the old stuff and Taeyong was my first bias ever.

I had my lightstick from the NCT DREAM concert, letting me wave neon green with all the other nctizens.

Everyone came out to wave good-bye and the show ended. I walked across the street and tumbled into bed. What a great day!

I slept in a little and laughed at the ridiculous convention queue below my hotel window (I heard it was so poorly organized this morning that many people missed the Artist Stages that they were planning to see because it took too long to get inside - yikes!)

I returned to Fika Fika to try the cute mochi pancakes kitty paws. Then I hopped on the Metro to visit The Broad Museum. This was a great experience! I don’t spend much time viewing post 1900 art, so I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it, but the collection was very interesting. Here’s some of my favorite pieces.

When I reserved my free ticket I opted for the Infinity Room add-on. I thought it was one of those rooms designed for instagram photos. Those aren’t really my thing, but why not? I decided to wait in the 20 minute line that I thought was pacing out people so it’s not too crowded. To my surprise when I got to the front they ushered me into a closet-sized space all alone and shut the door behind me. I was startled to find myself alone with the “infinity” as the lights dimmed in and out to a sparse musical accompaniment. I hurriedly grabbed my phone to try to capture some semblance of the experience. It really was quite moving.

I took the metro a bit further down the line to Little Tokyo. As before with Ben, the shopping district was packed. I ducked into a bakery with no line and snagged a curry bun and Diet Coke for lunch. I did some window shopping, but a lot of the merchandise here is cheap Chinese knock-offs instead of licensed IP or true Japanese imports. I browsed the card shops and found a few Pokemon cards for the boys back at home. I looked all over for a Barley tea. It’s so hard to find Barley tea in Japanese shops in the US, but they were everywhere in Japan. I finally found one in a Korean cafe!

I took the train back to the mall area for a little more shopping at Uniqlo and Kinokuniya, but didn’t see anything exciting. I grabbed some take-out for dinner and headed back to my hotel for some R&R.

Second concert! The line-up wasn’t as dear to me, so I got nosebleed seats on the side. Even with the crappy seats, the performances were great. I was most excited for the headliners Zerobaseone and they had a really fun set.

Illit are a very popular girl group from Belift/Hybe. They had some monster hits this year and were one of the most anticipated girl groups at KCON.

P1Harmony are a boy group I saw in Denver at my first K-pop concert. They’ve gotten really popular since then and had a huge crowd presence.

Zerobaseone are a boy group from a TV contest. The original group contract ended this year and five of the 9 original members renewed - lucky me they were all my favorites from the group! They did some new songs, some old songs, some solos, and a cover of SexyBack that made the crowd go wild. Link to summary.

They sang Doctor Doctor!! Yes!!! I played this song nonstop when it came out and I was afraid it was gone forever with the new group contract. Whenever I page a provider at work it runs through my head: “Doctor, doctor, hey, where you at? Left a message, yeah, call me back.”

I had a ticket for the convention today but found no reason to attend. There were other, more exciting places to visit in LA with fewer lines. I took my time getting dressed and then walked a few blocks to Muffin Can Stop Us for breakfast

Unlike a regular concert, they don’t sell artist merch at KCON except a few con-themed items. I went to Koreatown for some proper fan merch and perhaps lunch. I popped into Kpop Toss on my way to the mall and it turned out to be the best store! They had an incredible array of photocards and albums - old and new! I was impressed by their stock in less popular groups. they had albums I’ve never seen in person! I got Ben some photocards of his hard-to-find members and my favorite TXT album, Blue Hour.

Across the street in the mall there were a few more stores, including Music Plaza, from where I have bought lightsticks online. I found a restroom (remarkably unlocked and not a disaster scene!) and then walked up to Wilshire for more stores. I was hunting for &TEAM merch and sadly found none.

AmazeVR makes short music concerts for movie theaters. They’re very limited engagement, touring from city to city and mostly in Asia. Only one came to Denver and I couldn’t attend (I think it was Ateez?). I ordered an at-home kit for the TXT VR concert and it was sort of meh because it uses a phone for the screen. Kinda blurry and not very effective. I was curious to attend a real VR movie and, what do you know, &TEAM have one that’s screening in DTLA for two weeks while I’m here!

When I mentioned to Ben that I might try the VR show as an alternative to attending the con he enthusiastically encouraged me to try it. At the very least, sitting in air conditioning for an hour would be a relaxing.

I’m so happy I did! It ended up being a really cool experience. The VR was very effective, it felt surreal and real. The sound and camera work were great. The other attendees were fun (maybe TOO fun - there was a lot of shrieking and even sobbing throughout). If I get the chance to do this again I’ll definately attend! (right after my trip Enhypen announced a new VR concert and whomp whomp, it’s not coming anywhere near Denver - boo!

I walked to pick up dinner and dessert to eat in my room.

This last concert was the most disappointing. Remember that pin in “good seats?” When I booked tickets everyone said they do a pretty good job of facing both directions. AXS ticketing doesn’t let you select from a map, they randomly assign you a seat in the price zone. I couldn’t get it to assign a lower bowl seat on the “front.” I finally settled for a lower bowl seat in the rear. It was priced the same as my ticket on the first night and everyone said it would be great. It was NOT. The majority of the show was facing the wrong way. I tried to get over this and just enjoy the experience, but I couldn’t. Maybe three concerts in a row is too much and I was just tired. I was salty that this clearly inferior seat cost the same as the front. Also the groups DID do a better job switching on the first night. I swear it was split 60/40 Friday, and 80/20 Sunday. So here I was, amped to see TXT, the group I wanted to see on tour next, and they only performed ONE song facing me! Gah!! I was so upset. Anyway. Rant over.

NEXZ are a JYP-Japan group formed on TV (same with &TEAM under Hybe). I like a few of there songs, including mmchk. Their live dancing was great!

Alpha Drive One are a newer boy group, same TV show contest that formed Zerobaseone. I don’t care for them but they had a lot of fans, including my seat neighbor, and they have cool steering wheel shaped lightsticks.

The girl group Rescene is a couple years old and Ben keeps a watch on them, he likes most of their music. This year they had a runaway hit over the summer and got promoted to a more prominent spot at KCON.

Evan is formerly Heeseung of Enhypen. He was my favorite performer up until he suddenly (and suspciously) left last spring to pursue a solo career. Makes no sense, we’re obviously missing a bigger story. He only had three songs out by KCON, I thought it was weird he even came. But a lot of the crowd were there just to see him. His songs bore me. I’m still a huge Enhypen fan without him (especially their summer release Bloody Paradise!)

Finally it’s time for Tomorrow X Together aka TXT! I was so hyped!! I love most of their music AND they are great dancers. They have a unique sound. Soobin is my bias and I was really excited to see them all live. Me and the crowd were READY:

Behold this beautiful fancam I shot from my expensive seat:

And finally another favorite song, Loser = Lover. Behold my fancam!

And then they left. That was it?? Nine songs, TWO songs facing me and one is a freakin’ ballad???? I was super disappointed. Time for the wave goodbye.

Bummer that the last show was so disappointing. Perhaps I was overtired. But I ended the day feeling like the VR movie was a better concert experience than this.

The trip confirmed 3 things I suspected were true:

1. I hate standing GA floor

2. I hate shows in the round

3. Music Festivals are not worth it unless you want to see MOST of the artists, not just one or two.

Luckily that last point was true for me. It was crazy how many groups I got to see that I actively follow, let alone passively enjoy! There were even some I didn’t post about - Ko1keyz, from20 and HelloGloom, So!YoON, and a bunch of actor presenters. If I had come soley for TXT or &TEAM I would have been supremely disappointed. Instead I got to see many new stages from groups I like a lot!

I look forward to seeing TXT properly on tour. They’ve already announced US stops for spring 2027, so it might be soon.