Since their formation in 2021, I’ve been a dedicated fan of Purple Kiss. However, I’ve never had the chance to see them perform live. My disappointment was confirmed when they embarked on their Festa tour of America late last year, and I couldn’t join due to financial constraints and, more importantly, Yuki’s absence.
When the BXX Tour was teased earlier this year, I was already planning my attendance. I was ready to visit the usual tour spots like Los Angeles and New York or even the closer-to-home Vancouver, especially since Canada was mentioned in the tour announcement.
I did a double take when the cities Purple Kiss would visit were revealed. First, there were fewer American cities than I thought, and they were different from the typical ones people expected. Second, almost every major Canadian city not called Vancouver, Toronto, or Montreal was listed as having a tour stop.
Seeing Calgary on the tour list was a pleasant shock, as it’s rare for a K-pop girl group to set foot in these parts. Once reality set in, the excitement started, and I eagerly looked forward to buying a ticket. There were a few tiers of tickets available with separate add-ons. Of course, I bought an “Everything” ticket, which included all the perks.
Fast-forward to June 19, 2024. I woke up early, had a light breakfast, and got ready. After confirming that all my concert gear was packed in my clear bag, I took the C-Train downtown. I arrived at the Palace Theatre around 8:30 a.m., and to no surprise, people were already lined up in front of the venue. I ended up being sixth in line.
If you have to ask why I showed up so early, it was simply to compete with all the other “Everything” ticket holders for a good spot in front. Is it ridiculous to go to such lengths when I could have arrived shortly before the 2 p.m. check-in? Absolutely.
However, standing (and sometimes sitting) in front of the venue for six and a half hours paid off because out of the “Everything” ticket holders, I ended up third in that line after everyone was sorted out by ticket type. So, I was guaranteed to be within baby-giving distance of the stage.
Shortly before 4 p.m., the “Everything” ticket holders were let into the building to participate in the pre-concert benefits of a fan sign and group photo. The fan sign was first, and unlike what I read on Reddit, no one announced what order the members were sitting in.
I had photo cards to be signed, and since I was third in line, I needed more time to shuffle them around in the correct order. So I fumbled through the whole fan sign, which was fine as it got me extra time with the members without holding up the assembly line. It felt like a speed run, and it went by like it was nothing.
After the fan sign ended, it was time to be shuffled back into line for the group photo, or, as I like to call it, the graduation photo. This was less like a race since there were ten people per picture. You follow everyone else, do a pose, the camera person snaps the picture, and you’re shuffled back into another line. Easy peasy.
Once the group photo benefit ended, the few of us who were “Everything” ticket holders were allowed to enter the pit area. I ended up getting the first-row barricade slightly off-center. In all my years of concert-going, this was the best position I have had for a show in a venue like the Palace Theatre.
The sound check was much like the others I have seen at other K-pop concerts: short casual performances and an opportunity for fan interaction for those who crave such things. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the complete set list for the sound check. When that ended, there was a long wait for show time.
The main event started at 7:00 p.m. and was a fantastic two hours. I took advantage of the rare air of the front and recorded a few songs. However, I didn’t want to spend my entire night staring at my phone screen when Purple Kiss was right in front of my eyes. I did want to enjoy being in the moment as well.
The set list for this concert was:
Intro: Crown
Ponzona
Sweet Juice
Intro: Illusion
memeM
Toy Boy
Nerdy
Love Is Dead
Goeun & Dosie – Untie (VIVIZ Cover)
Chaein & Swan – Unholy (Sam Smith Cover)
Ireh & Yuki – PING PONG (Hyuna & Dawn Cover)
Pretty Psycho
My Heart Skip A Beat
Voyager
Intro: Crush
BBB
Zombie
Encore
Autopilot
7HEAVEN
Twinkle
As you can see, Purple Kiss performed a good balance of songs from their discography and had excellent choices for cover songs. Many of my favourites were included in this concert, and I was delighted to see songs like Toy Boy, My Heart Skip A Beat, BBB, and Zombie live.
The encore set surprised me the most. There was such a smooth flow between songs, and it felt seamless as they went from track to track. Many people commented that Autopilot was their favourite at the show’s end.
I didn’t know what to expect from Calgary’s fans. I’m used to visiting cities with much larger K-pop fan bases, so I wanted to see what it was like locally. The Calgary crowd showed up for Purple Kiss despite the show not selling out. The hype was real throughout, and they were pretty rowdy, sometimes taking over the MC segments or being so loud that Dosie had to calm the masses down so they could talk.
As for Purple Kiss, it was surreal seeing them up close, let alone performing all the songs I have been listening to for the past three years. I had heard many positive reviews about their performances, and they delivered.
After the concert, it was time for all the post-show activities: the Hi-Touch, You+ and Selfie photos. The Hi-Touch was a wash. It wasn’t as bad as the (G)I-DLE lunch lady hand slap experience in Seattle, nor was it the wave at the zoo monkey experience like at KCON. It was basically the members with their hands out and you get a rushed hand slap and then done.
The You+ and Selfies were much better and the only benefits that didn’t feel like you were being pushed to hurry up. These were like the “send the crowd home happy” moments. I had eight selfie tickets, so I took full advantage of the situation as much as possible. I used my experience gained from the AKB48 2-shot events I attended in the past to help milk my time with each member of Purple Kiss. All that training in Japan to stall for time with idols worked out for me.
This was significantly better than my last experience at the Palace Theatre, where SUNMI had a show in Calgary many moons ago. I met many local K-pop fans, had a spectacular view of a tremendous concert, and interacted with the members of Purple Kiss afterward. It was worth every dollar of an “Everything” ticket.
