NCT Dream Fans Criticized For Not Social Distancing And Not Following Concert Etiquette During Recent Offline Performance
On October 30, 2021, one of the few offline concerts for 2021 was held. K-Pop in Suncheon had a stellar lineup including NCT Dream, TXT, Brave Girls, OH MY GIRL, Hot Issue, BTOB and AB6IX.
Unfortunately, NCT Dream fans were put on blast, not only by other concert goers who weren’t in the fandom, but also their fellow NCTzens who were present at the concert. It was pointed out on an online community that the difference was stark even while watching the online broadcast of the concert. When other idols were performing, fans were orderly and did not obstruct the view.
On the other hand, during NCT Dream’s performance, the front of the stage was suddenly crowded and many fans in the front were blocking the view.
This was evident even onsite through fan taken photos. Many NCT Dream fans were standing on either stools or on the barricades or chairs to get a better view. Some were holding huge cameras.
The situation was extremely serious, especially given that COVID-19 is still ongoing. Although South Korea has loosened their restrictions heavily, in large group settings such as concerts, the general rules for social distancing such as keeping some space between people should apply.
As you can see in the photographs, seats are kept 1m apart from each other due to social distancing. However, many fans simply bypassed the seating area and crowded near the stage. There are no mosh pit tickets for the concert.
Someone who had been to the concert even complained that their ticketing efforts went to waste because of NCTzens. They had scored a seat in the very front row, but due to people illegally crowding in the space between the front row and the stage, their view was severely obstructed as in the photograph.
Currently, the organizers of the concert have yet to comment on the situation, but many fans are worried that if bad behavior at offline concert persists, restrictions may be put back in place and offline concerts may not happen until a later stage of the pandemic.