[2018] Going to Music Shows for EXO
Please do not repost any of this, you can share just by linking the post!
Because many people have asked (and accused me of beingΒ βselfishβ for not sharing when most of this is easy to figure out via other tutorials), Iβm going to make a generalΒ βguideβ on how to go to music shows for EXO!
As a disclaimer, I canβt give you just one set of instructions, because the requirements, methods, etc. used by SMβs fanstaff can differ even within the same promotion period! So this could be confusing, and itβs still important to be checking the official notices to see what you need to do / what you should bring.
The Notice
Notices are posted on theΒ βNoticeβ board on the official website, because EXO (and SM groups in general) do not have official fancafes.
The notice will say what time the prerecording is (listing two times if there is more than one - like during comeback week, or if there is a postrecording for the next week), what time fanstaff will give out entry numbers, how you can attend/apply, and what you need to get in.
There is no set time for the notice being posted. During promos it is good to check frequently if you plan on going, or when possible to even be waiting near the venues for music shows the night before, just in case itβs first-come-first-serve (μ μ°©μ) entry. Iβll explain the different ways of applying below.Β
Hereβs an example of the notice from last weekβs comeback for TEMPO at Music Bank.
The Methods
For EXO, it can either be μ μ°©μ (first-come-first-serve) or applications (μ μ² - μ°Έμ¬ μ μ² [application to participate], μ¬μ μ μ² [prior application]) held through e-mail or Naver Forms.
When it is announced as μ μ°©μΒ (first-come-first-serve), the line/list cannot begin before the notice is posted. Often fans will wait around the venue where people line up, and the moment the notice is posted, someone will yell outΒ βNUMBER ONE!β (μΌλ²!), people crash in towards them, and once a line of some sort is formed the people at the front of the line by that person will start giving out numbers.
When there is a lot of fans waiting around before the notice is posted, this can be chaotic. (Tends to happen when the notice is posted late, so people know it will be μ μ°©μ instead of applications). Sometimes there are no people around yet, and the first person there doesnβt want to be in charge of managing the list, so people will wait in a line until someone who wants to manage the list comes.
The person will generally ask for your nameΒ and the last 4 digits of your phone number. This is so when they do name-checks that it is you in line, not someone else. The person making the list will then stay there all night, managing the list/writing down new names, and then holding periodic name checks overnight.
For EXO they tend to do name checks once every 3 or 4 hours, and the final check is around 2 hours before fanstaff come to give out numbers. This can vary, so make sure you listen closely or ask what time the next check is each time. If you are late for a check, even by one minute, you are cut from the list.
After the last unofficial name check, generally fans will stay IN LINE or at least not wander far for the next 2 hours until fanstaff show up. Sometimes theyβre early (and sometimes late), and itβs better safe than sorry after staying awake all night.
When it is μ μ² (applications), SM often will use e-mail (jokingly called the λ©λ¦ΌΒ βmail-lympicsβ) or Naver forms (νΌλ¦ΌΒ βform-lympicsβ). On both e-mail and the form, the SM fanstaff will compile a list of the number of applicants whose e-mails/forms are submitted first at the assigned time.
The post will say what time applications will happen, and you need to send it exactlyΒ at the application time. Even if you do, itβs not uncommon to not get on the list.
For e-mail, they post the e-mail you need to send to, and the format of the e-mail subject line. You have to follow the format exactlyΒ or they will not accept your application no matter how quickly you send it. The format occasionally changes (whether they want your full birth year/just the last two numbers, whether they want hyphens in the phone number or not, which order the information is sent in, whether thereβs a final backslash, etc.) so itβs important to check the format each time the notice comes up.
An exampleΒ of the format is :
[1107μΌμ±]FULLNAME/YYYYMMDD/###-####-####/
Being the date and name of the show in the brackets [ ], followed by you FULL NAME as it appears on you ID (and EXO-L card), your birthdate, and your phone number. The post will have a section listed as [μ°Έμ¬ μ μ² λ°©λ²] or [μ μ² λ°©λ²], and for e-mails it will have the μμ (format) listed. ALWAYS check closely! I suggest copy-pasting the format and entering your information.Β
The body of the e-mail always is kept empty. They will reject your application for even having something written in the e-mail.
SM will then post the list of applicants who were first in their inbox, often late at night, and either it will be μ μ°©μ (first-come-first-serve) among the applicants, or they will assign numbers for entry. If itβs μ μ°©μ, follow the instructions above for μ μ°©μ. If not, make sure youβre still earlier than the time listed for fanstaff arriving! If youβre late, you will be cut.
For Naver Forms they ask for similar information. Make sure you include your full name as it is on your ID and your EXO-L card, a Korean phone number, and your birthdate. Make sure you do not hitΒ βSUBMITβ (μ μΆ / νμΈ, depending on the form) until the actual application time!
If you submit your application too early, even by accident, you will not be on the list. You also cannot re-apply, because duplicate applications are also immediately cut.
They will check all of the information asked for. Remember the phone number you put down, because they will ask you either the first four (μλ²νΈ ap-beonho) or last four (λ·λ²νΈ dwit-beonho) numbers of the phone number to confirm your identity. Itβs best to use the actual number for your phone/SIM card, because in the case of a sudden change in time or location they will send texts out to the number listed.
The Requirements
This is where it gets more complicated, because they will change what you need every day. I would recommend taking EVERYTHING that might possibly be listed if you are not confident in your ability to check the notice in detail.
They will alwaysΒ require -
PHOTO ID (μ¬μ§λΆμ°©μ λΆμ¦) :Β This must be your passport or Alien Registration Card (Korean ID).
EXO-L CARD (EXO-L λͺ¨λ°μΌμΉ΄λ): The app! It MUST be registered under your REAL NAME with your real birthdate. You also needΒ to be actually on the app, which requires wi-fi / data. It cannot be a screencap. They willΒ check if itβs actually the app!
OFFICIAL LIGHTSTICK (VER. 2) (곡μμΌκ΄λ΄) :Β Just this promotions they switched to requiring the 2nd version (white) lightstick. They check if it turns on! Make sure you have fresh/new batteries, and DO NOT leave the battery pack screwed on in your bag! The Bluetooth function will drain batteries even when your lightstick is not on.
If you do not have these you will be immediately cut from the list, no questions asked. You will be cut if your EXO-L card is not your real name, if it doesnβt match your ID, or if itβs a screencap. You will be cut if your lightstick will not turn on or. ALWAYS make sure you have these.
Other varying requirements -Β
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD RECEIPT (μμ, μμ ꡬμ λ΄μ) : Often SM only requires you to have the title song downloaded, but always make sure! Generally it MUST be from Melon, MNET, or Soribada, on an account under your real name (they change the sites occasionally, but Melon and MNET are always included). YOU NEED TO HAVE THE ACCOUNT INFO PAGE SHOWING YOUR USERNAME AND FULL NAME, TOO. Make sure both screencaps / pages show your username, and that none of the information on your user information page is ***ed out.
If your print-out is not right, they will let you run to a nearby place to print it and run back. If you do not know print shops nearby I would suggest taking the loss and accepting a lower tier. You will be pushed to the back of the line, but you will not be pushed to a lower tier (often having all the items = tier 1, and it goes down based on which items youβre missing).Β
ALBUMS (μ¨λ² *** VER.) : When this is included, it is the most recent album. You mustΒ have the actual CD, and itβs best to have the case as well. (ForΒ βDonβt Mess Up My Tempoβ I am guessing they will require the case, because the CD looks the same for all versions.)
!! They OFTEN change which version / the number of versions they want. Some days they might want just one album, any version, other days they might ask for more than one or ask for specific versions.Β During Monster/Lucky One, some days they would want both Korean version albums, other days they would want the Chinese and Korean version of Monster, and on other days they wanted all four versions. !!
Fanstaff & The Recording
ALWAYS listen to fanstaff. Do not fight with them. Do not break the rules.
Even if you are given a number, you are not guaranteed to get in. The broadcasting stations can sometimes change the number of fans who are allowed in. This is not the fanstaffsβ fault. (It is often fansβΒ fault, for breaking a rule / being unruly, either while lining up or the week before.)
SM fanstaff has in the past cut all foreign fansΒ from a line, or given foreign fans priority below Korean fans (regardless of residency status) because of one or a few foreign fans breaking the rules. Do not be the person responsible for this.
General Rules :
NO PICTURES, NO VIDEO, NO AUDIO RECORDING. : This includes with your phone. You cannot take pictures inside of the studio whatsoever - not selcas/selfies, and not even of the stage. SM fanstaff is so strict about this that you generally are not allowedΒ to even have your phone out doing other things once you are inside the studio. Remember: A Korean fan might be told off/kicked out, but a foreign fan being caught might not only cause you to get kicked out, it could have bad consequences for all foreign fans. Getting caught by security instead of fanstaff can cause the entire fanclub to be kicked out and banned from the recording.
NO CALLING OUT TO THE MEMBERS. :Β I know this doesnβt really make sense. You want to cheer and call out and fangirl/boy. But SM is very strict about staying completely quiet except for the official fanchant, even when theyβre performing. Between takes you need to stay as quiet as possible, too, even if EXO is on stage. Fans freaking out between takes/on standby can cause delays in the prerecording, and annoys the staff during the recording - too much can cause the broadcasting station to let in less fans the following week, so SM fan staff tries to be safe and just have fans be absolutely quiet except for the fanchants. (You also shouldnβt talk over a whisper even with the people next to you.)
I highly recommendΒ trying to understand at least basic Korean before coming to an SM recording. The fanstaff often will not make the effort to try and speak a different language with you (though it depends on the person, how rushed they are, how rude fans in general are being that day, etc.) If you did not understand or missed something, try to ask the Korean fans next to you in line what has been said.
Fanstaff are there to make sure as many fans as possible get into the recordings, to make sure everything is as organized as possible (which doesntβ always go too well), and to keep people from breaking rules that would reflect badly on the fandom and on EXO. Donβt make more trouble for them than theyβre already having to deal with.
(( A story: At the Music Core recording for Tempo, security put us into the seats, and some girls with higher numbers ended up a bit closer to the front than fans with lower numbers. A handful of fans decided to loudly complain to security/fanstaff [even though other fans were telling them not to], which almost caused the prerecording to be cancelled / delayed, caused way more trouble than necessary, and made the fanstaff cry because they had fought to get as many people as possible into the recording. These fans caused more than 200 who couldΒ have gotten into theΒ βTempoβ or βOoh La La Laβ recording to be sent home without seeing anything, after waiting overnight. Yes, sometimes itβs unlucky and it sucks when that happens, but donβt ruin things for everyone just because youβre unhappy. ))
