The “Worst” Concert In K-Pop History, According To Fans

K-Pop concerts are known for being exciting, energetic, and unforgettable experiences where fans get to see their favorite idols perform live. For many, attending a concert is a dream come true—filled with dazzling choreography, powerful vocals, and heartfelt interactions.

For one group and their fans, though, a concert in 2019 turned out to be anything but fun.

Wanna One debuted in June 2017 as an 11-membered group consisting of the second-season finalists from Mnet‘s survival program PRODUCE 101. The group was dubbed a “project group,” meaning the members signed into the contract knowing that their time as Wanna One was limited.

But when it came time to split up, the members and fans were forced to say goodbye in what has since been dubbed “the worst” way possible.

While on paper, the group’s contract ended on December 31, 2018, Wanna One carried out all scheduled official activities—like year-end award ceremonies—even after the expiration. The “2019 Wanna One Concert ‘Therefore'” was to become what concluded their activities as a whole. So, on January 27, 2019, Wanna One powered through the last night of their four-day final concert at Gocheok Sky Dome.

At the very end of the concert, each of the 11 members got to say their goodbyes to the fans and exit the stage one by one.

After about 15 minutes of sheer heartbreak, Kang Daniel was the last to leave the stage. Fans left behind in the audience wailed and wailed in emotional distress—and as their cries filled the stadium, the screen on the stage showed, “We were one.”

What is usually a night of joy and celebration instead became a massive disappointment, leaving the fans frustrated and upset. To this day, Wanna One’s “190127” concert is remembered as one of the least enjoyable in K-Pop history.

• “For real… I’ve never cried so much in my life. Whenever I go near Gocheok, I still think about the sound of the tens of thousands of people sobbing.”
• “Honestly… It was so hard hearing that many people crying together.”
• “The fact that I was actually there… I completely broke down.”
• “I think this was during “Beautiful” on the last day. Park Woojin was supposed to look forward, but then he turned around, and Hwang Minhyun hugged him tightly with his eyes closed… If you know, you know. That remains my ultimate trigger.”
• “I started out picking Ha Sungwoon as my bias, but I ended up loving and supporting all of Wanna One. That final concert left such a deep scar that I completely stopped stanning idols after that day…”
• “It was such a hard day. I had to take leave the next day because I just couldn’t go to work…”
• “The way they set up this whole thing was just cruel…”
• “I couldn’t go, so I watched the live broadcast… and still ended up sobbing.”
• “The next day, I was trying to explain the video to my friends and ended up crying my eyes out. I wasn’t even a fan at the time.”
• “True PTSD.”