[Current & Culture]Unresolved Controversies Linger After Bruno Mars Concert in Korea

Positive Reviews for the Concert Itself
But Ticket Scalping and Celebrity Privileges Spark Controversy

Not long ago, Bruno Mars visited Korea for a concert. As one of the greatest pop stars of this era, known for his dazzling style in both music and fashion, the event generated high expectations, and tickets sold out instantly. I didn’t even try to book tickets. Before COVID-19, I used to attend various performances quite often and frequently directed live broadcasts myself, but these days, both have become rare. Using connections as a TV producer to get concert tickets also feels unfair (and even if I wanted to, it’s not easy), and public broadcasts at TV stations have noticeably decreased since the pandemic.

The reviews of the concert itself seem positive. The consensus appears to be that the much-anticipated event delivered plenty to enjoy. I watched the fancam videos and even longer footage than the actual concert duration, and he seemed to be in much better condition than expected. The session musicians and stage production were world-class. I regretted not joining the ticket battle and hoping for some luck. Especially impressive was the part where Bruno Mars played the guitar himself (the intro before singing "Billionaire"), which reminded me of the legendary singer and inspiring guitarist Prince.

However, there were various controversies unrelated to the concert content. First, the issue of ticket scalping. The organizers vowed to strictly prevent scalping, but numerous posts about buying and selling tickets appeared. Some people were selling eight consecutive seats for as much as 180 million won. I saw the posts, but I’m not sure if the tickets actually sold at that price. It was revealed that celebrities and chaebols, so-called “celebs,” occupied the best seats in the main ground area, which caused ordinary fans to feel deprived. Everyone was so eager to post proof photos that there was nothing to hide or catch. Jung Tae-young, Vice Chairman of the concert organizer Hyundai Card, personally stepped forward to explain, but the controversy over discriminatory treatment grew when it became known that seats where the general public couldn’t even see the stage were sold. Refunds were issued, but the aftertaste remains unpleasant. Of course, sometimes such seats are sold at a heavily discounted price with prior notice.

Those who wanted to attend but couldn’t have probably already looked for videos like I did. Bruno Mars has performed countless shows, and there are plenty of neatly edited live videos. If I were to recommend just one to the readers of this column, it would be the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show. The NFL final, considered the biggest sports event in the U.S., traditionally features top pop stars performing short sets during halftime, and Bruno Mars has appeared several times. The 2014 performance was great, but in 2016, he delivered a joint performance with Coldplay and Beyonc?, which was truly a blessing for pop music fans. There are various versions, but I suggest watching the official 13-minute NFL video, which has over 100 million views. To fully feel the incredible energy of that day, it’s best to watch it on a large screen with high volume.

No matter how great the videos are, the real thrill is watching a concert live. I don’t know when Bruno Mars will come again, but next time, I’ll try to get tickets too. I hope there won’t be any crazy scalping prices or celeb privilege controversies then.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.