On August 1, a YouTube creator named Zev Rattet posted a picture on his channel, showing his successful meeting with IU. He and his wife appeared to be posing with IU backstage during one of her shows.
As evident from the picture, this was no ordinary meet-and-greet. While Rattet attended IU’s HEREH WORLD TOUR CONCERT IN OAKLAND concert on July 30 with thousands of other UAENAs, he had the exclusive bragging rights of being invited by the K-Pop queen herself!
Rattet, who has been lovingly dubbed as the “Grandpa UAENA” by the fanbase, has been an ardent fan of IU for a while, even promoting her music on his YouTube channel. Back in August, when a fellow UAENA asked Rattet if he was planning to see IU live, he candidly admitted that he was not familiar with the ticketing process and hence was unsure whether he would be able to secure himself a spot at the concert.
IU took note of this grievance herself and sent a special invite to him, including a shoutout through her Instagram.
Edam commented in Grandpa's video to ask for his email but under different username because the comments keep getting filtered.
(I initially thought this is like a joke 😅 until i saw official user of Edam in the sub comments😂) https://t.co/LjbT7NSfZl pic.twitter.com/Bfmxz8xczM
— jenny ❤ (busy) (@missy_jenny_) February 21, 2024
In an elaborate video recounting his meet with IU, Rattet mentioned that she had a 15-minute conversation with the singer after the show. She also presented him with gifts, including a signed album, a keychain, a bow tie, and a traditional Korean hairpin. Rattet proudly added that he got to hug his idol as well.
Fellow fans have reacted warmly to this much-anticipated meeting, cheering for their Grandpa UAENA!
- “Congratulations! Stay healthy, Grandpa!”
- “Wow, no matter how much I see it, it’s hard to believe. ^^”
