SuperM: Assemble in Atlanta!

It's a few hours before fans start pouring into the arena to witness their favorite K-pop idols perform onstage. We're outside with them, asking people what brought them to the show, and their answers seem to vary from everything to 'Taemin's moves' to 'Mark spitting straight facts'; But one things constant amongst them all-the excitement they all share.

We're here because we wanted to see a concert experience from a fans point of view, what makes fans of this group so excited that they line up hours early in the cold and rain? So we geared up and headed to the venue, leaving our professional camera's and equipment at home. We went with just out cellphones and a jacket- ready to see what the fans point of view was like.

We arrived an hour before doors open and found thousands of fans already lined up. Banners, band shirts and light-sticks could be seen no matter where you looked, some even holding multiple light-sticks. 'I just couldn't choose' is something many fans seem to say as they wave around different combinations of the Pink, Green, Blue and White lights. The fan dedication doesn't end there, as we move closer to the doors we see a group dancing together. 'Random Play Dance' is the most common name for this type of gathering in the K-pop world, and when they're not dancing they're singing along to the songs.

The group of fans is diverse, coming from all different age groups, gender identities, races and ethnic backgrounds-but they all come together, singing the same songs (usually with 80% Korean lyrics). Some fans are local, some have flown in just for the show-which has us wondering just what we are about to witness inside the venue if the fans outside are already this hyped.

We don't have to wait long, as soon as the dancing ends the lines start to move and so do we.

Inside the venue is a flurry of people rushing to their seats or the merch booths, full of exclusive tour merch. The excitement is growing by the minute and as we make our way to our seats even we're starting to feel the mix of excitement and nervousness that seems to settle over the entire arena.

Fans are greeting those in their rows, introducing themselves to their seat mates, and we're welcomed in the same fashion, a very usual but welcome difference in tone from the many 'western' concerts we've attended. We don't have long to chat however, as soon the opening bars of one of the groups hit songs 'Jopping' starts to fill the arena fans begin to scream and sing along, light-sticks suddenly fill the crowd around us, creating a sea of colored lights.

The lights go down as the song comes to and end and the crowds screaming is so loud that you can't hear it-you feel it. Only seconds later the group appears onstage in a cloud of smoke, looking every bit like the 'Avengers' of K-pop they are marketed to be. They waste no time jumping into a complicated dance routine, full of strong and snappy moves, their vocals don't even waver as they dance. It's clear to us from this moment that we're in for a good show.

Their first song, 'I Can't Stand The Rain' has a clear Asian influence mixed with a strong drum beat that makes you feel like you're in the middle of an epic movie battle. The fans around us are screaming and waving their light-sticks to it, clearly enjoying themselves. The song dissolves into a dance breakdown, highlighting each of the members solo dancing abilities, before seamlessly melting into a solo song 'Danger' performed by group member Taemin.

Taemin is the second oldest member of the group, even though he's only 27 years old, and his song reflects his more mature style. It's heavy on dance and has a sexy pop/jazz style, Korea's Justin Timberlake seems to be the best way to describe his vibe. The 'Idol' as K-pop fans refer to him, was feeling under the weather but there is no trace of his illness during his performances.

His exit off of the stage includes a jump into a hole in the stage floor, leading into a transition for his band mate, Taeyong (24) to enter the stage for his solo performance. His image varies from that of his band mate, choosing to go with a flashy look in metallic red pants and a graffiti t-shirt- accessorized with a crystal covered face mask. The image fits the style of the song, 'GTA' , which is currently unreleased officially but the crowd welcomes the rap song as if it's been out for months, some fans even singing along to the lyrics. The song ends with the singer being carried off-stage as if being arrested and the vibe seems to be the perfect transition into the next group song 'Super Car'.

The dance heavy song has the vibe of a Chop Shop in the middle of a Fast N Furious game play. The sound makes us want to move and many fans around us are, moving their light-sticks to the beat or dancing in their spots. The groups moves are so in sync it's hard to remember you're watching a live show and not an edited video where clips are taken from various takes to make it look perfect. It's clear the group has put in countless hours of work to bring a performance like this.

Between songs the group stops to talk to the fans, asking them questions and giving away tidbits of behind the scenes information. These little rest breaks are referred to as 'ments' and the fans seem to adore them as much as the idols do. Their personalities show through in these in between moments. Taeyong, who was looking so tough earlier while rapping, looks the complete opposite of a hardcore rapper while he addresses the crowd. The fan beside us described him as 'a lost kitten' which had us chuckling- but it's hard to disagree. Taemin, the confident Timberlake seems much more shy, blushing when he's mentioned by his band mates. One of the youngest, Mark (20), who originally hails from Canada, comments how much he loves Atlanta and it's main export-Zero Coke. The comment is met with a deafening wave of cheers. He goes on to speak about the band mentioning that Taemin had been sick and he was impressed by how good he sounded onstage-the fans (and us) agreed.

The band exits the stage after they finish speaking and Ten (23), who comes from Thailand, begins his solo set with a dance heavy song titled 'Dream In A Dream', which has a dreamlike sound with heavy Asian influence that matches with his interpretative style to a T. The cheering around us makes it clear that he's a crowd favorite and it's easy to see why.

Lucas (20), who came to the group from Hong-Kong, is a heavy contrast to the previous stage occupant, trading out graceful dream like melodies for something a little more Dance meets Pitbull-in-his-teen-years. His image varies vastly as well, opting for Skinny jeans and a pieced button down- and bright aqua hair.

Baekhyun (27) the groups oldest member, follows with a more mature sounding R&B tune called 'UN Village' and fans are going crazy for his vocals. Through out the concert he's had a long list of high notes and it's clear in his solo's that he has control over his voice.

When his solo ends, the members come together again for their unreleased song 'Dangerous Woman' and no, this isn't an Ariana Grande cover. The high energy R&B tune has the entire crowd cheering as the all boy group sings the lines 'I'll make you feel like a dangerous woman'. Though it's unreleased, it seems to be a huge hit among the fans in attendance, and between it's sexy lyrics and catchy tune it's easy to see why.

The group takes a moment to speak with fans and have a cheering contest before blending their voices together once more for 'Too Fast', yet another song from their EP.

The lights go down as they end their song and we're half expecting the show to be over with , with as much energy has been put out on stage but as the first few beats of the next song 'Baby Don't Stop' hit, we're met with screaming louder than we've heard all night. We're officially deaf and curious. Just a few lines into the song and we can see why it has fans collectively losing their minds, it's sexy, catchy and dare we use the word 'cute'? It's a mix that would'n't usually work together but the members make it work flawlessly. Our staff is quickly becoming K-pop fans.

Immediately after, Mark enters the stage once more for his solo, this time with a high energy rap song. Moments earlier he'd stuttered through his casual conversation but there's no hint of hesitation while he raps (in two languages) and the audience around us is bopping along to every beat.

While Mark opted for a cleaner boy-next-door with-some-shine look, Kai (25), emerges immediately after in snakeskin pants and a cropped jacket-sans shirt. The crowd goes wild for the darker beat and hip thrusts, and based on the reaction of our seat neighbors- his displayed abs.

When we see him next he's fully clothed and with the entirety of SuperM. The shows turns a bit more sultry from Kai's solo on, as the members arrived onstage draped across various risers and start dancing to an R&B beat with a sultry edge. Dance moves change from sharp and strong to fluid and sultry and there are a few intertwined hip thrusts between the two group members Kai and Taemin. Just when we thought it was over, Taeyong stands on the tallest riser to deliver a solo dance complete with hip thrusts and a move that we could easily label 18+ that involves a push up style position and hip thrusting.

The song's end is met with thunderous applause and screams...and a few parents who brought young girls looking a bit overwhelmed.

The vibe changes instantly however as the song dissolves into an upbeat pop song with disco vibes, titled 'With You' (another unreleased track), in which the members dance with large smiles, peace signs and silly teenage style moves all a karaoke-commercial. The crowd goes just as wild for this, especially when the members start throwing out signed plastic balls into the crowd, every fan excited to get a memento from the show.

The group gathers together one last time to thank the fans. Each saying their own personal thank you before jumping into their final song 'Jopping'.

It seems fitting that such a high energy group should start and end with the tune that hypes you up and makes you feel like you could scale a mountain or save the universe; and they pour even more energy into the finale (if possible). The entire crowd is singing along and it's an atmosphere we've never seen before.

They group is breathing so hard by the end that most of them have to take a second to collect themselves. They say one last goodbye, starting a chant of 'Super M!', before disappearing under the stage. The fans carry the chant even past the bands disappearance and out into the lobby.

As we exit into the lobby we're struck by fans calling out to others. A chorus of 'We've been looking for you!' or 'We found you!' can be heard every few moments as fans spot each other across the room. Some run to each other for hugs, some a little more casual, but all happy to see each other. 'We met online' one fan told us, 'We've been talking for months but we just got to finally meet tonight!' and this story isn't an unusual one. We see groups forming all over the space, consisting of people who met on Instagram, Facebook groups and twitter, finally meeting for the first time. They're all smiling and discussing the show, trading hugs and phone numbers. Some fans are passing out freebies with the bands faces on them, to anyone who wants one. The atmosphere is a friendly one, full of people from all walks of life, coming together to become friends.

As for us? We started out the day thinking we were going to see a concert but what we saw was a movement. Members from all different background came together into one group, their fan bases following them, and as a result, fans from all different backgrounds came together, not just to support their favorite member, but the entire group-and each other. We saw fans become friends right in front of us, we saw people who came to the concert as a friend or chaperone (depending on the fans age) become fans of the band- and we saw a large group of people with different experiences and views come together for one reason. For a night, differences were left behind and the sense of love and acceptance was all that mattered.

SuperM's tour was not just a star in the sky, it was a Nova.

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