Not to be dramatic here, but mega-Kpop-group JYJ’s first U.S. showcase in NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday night was probably one of the craziest things I have ever seen. The concert was slated to start at 8pm, but when I arrived at the New Yorker Hotel at 1pm for my interview with the artists, I was greeted with the sight of approximately four thousand fans jam-packed into lines that stretched for over two blocks at 35th and Eighth.
Passing cars slowed to see what the fuss was about, as anxious police and security guards were having a field day trying to shepherd amazed passers-by out of the way. JYJ, a three-member male group from South Korea, are mega stars internationally (as evidenced by the Guiness Book of Records entries in 2008 and 2009 for World’s Largest Official Fan Club), but this month marks their first debut in the United States.
