Did EXO Chen Experience ‘Black Ocean’ During SMTOWN Concert? Here's What Happened
During EXO member Chen's performance during the SMTOWN Live concert in Suwon, concert-goers allegedly turned off their light sticks. Curious about what happened? Then keep on reading.
EXO Chen Experiences 'Black Ocean' During SMTOWN Concert
On August 20, several SM Entertainment artists gathered at the Suwon World Cup Stadium to perform at the "SMTOWN LIVE 2022: SMCU EXPRESS @HUMAN CITY_SUWON." This is SMTOWN's first offline concert in South Korea in nearly five years since 2017.
Did EXO Chen Experience ‘Black Ocean’ During SMTOWN Concert? Here's What Happened
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Following the concert, several internet users took to online community forums to discuss the on-site reaction of the audience to EXO member Chen.
Did EXO Chen Experience ‘Black Ocean’ During SMTOWN Concert? Here's What Happened
In January 2020, Chen suddenly announced his marriage to his non-celebrity girlfriend and her premarital pregnancy. Since then, he has become a father of two children. Chen welcomed his second child at the beginning of 2021. He had his first daughter three months after his marriage announcement.
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At the time, Chen was slammed by the Korean public for his "reckless" actions as a member of a top boy group. Since then, many local EXO fans, who used to support Chen, have turned their backs on him. Many have boycotted against him, demanding he leaves EXO.
At the SM Entertainment concert, the concert-goers' attitude toward Chen was cold. Those who attended the event shared photos that showed the vastly different on-site reactions between Chen and other singers on social media.
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In particular, two photos showing the difference in audiences' reactions to Chen and fellow EXO member D.O. have become a trending topic among internet users.
When Chen appeared, many audience members turned off their lightsticks and did not cheer for him. However, when D.O. appeared on stage after Chen, they turned their lightsticks back on.
Audience seats with light sticks turned off during Chen's performance
Audience during D.O.'s performance performance
How Did People React to EXO Chen's 'Black Ocan' at SMTOWN Concert?
After the concert, Korean internet users expressed mixed reactions. Some believed the audience was being petty and that turning off the lightstick was disrespectful. Others questioned why the fandom would do something so rude in front of him.
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Did EXO Chen Experience ‘Black Ocean’ During SMTOWN Concert? Here's What Happened
Comments slamming the concert-goers' read,
"No matter how much you hate him, turning off your lightstick is a bit much."
"Honestly, what the fans did was bizarre. This is low-level fandom culture."
"Aren't most of the EXO members over 30 now? So why are fans treating marriage like a crime?"
However, other netizens claimed they understood why the concert-goers did what they did.
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Comments supporting the concert-goers' read,
"We did not tell others to turn off their lightstick during Chen's performance. We just turned it off because we did not want to cheer for him."
"At least the fans did not leave the venue. They were nice enough."
"It is not like the fans were booing him, so what is the problem?"
"Well, they did not curse at him, though."
"Idols are humans, but fans have emotions too. They can support whoever they want."
What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!
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Written by Alexa Lewis
