A celebration of Asian culture: WeBRIDGE’s inaugural expo & festival

Asian culture and music filled the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada as WeBRIDGE put on their inaugural 3-day expo and music festival the weekend of April 21-23. I was able to check out the expo, which greeted visitors with life-size cutouts of the star-studded lineup for the 2-night music festival: CIX, ONEUS, Dreamcatcher, KANGDANIEL, Jessi, BE’O, VIVIZ, BamBam, and headliners MONSTA X and ENHYPEN. After stans took selfies and photos with their favorite idols, they could then explore the expo floor’s interactive features, all created/owned by Asian-identifying people dedicated to highlighting Asian culture:

 

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Curated in partnership with Gallery STAN, my favorite part of the expo were the mini-exhibitions decorating the gal.RE space. Some of the pieces that personally stood out to me were SAMBYPEN’s Sausage and Buwon Seo’s Far From Home. Live paintings by N5bra, SAMBYPEN, and MAWZ captivated passersby and aesthetes.  The gallery made great for all the creators’ and influencers’ Instagram posts, too.

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Local food vendors offered free samples of some of their best-selling products. From decadent matcha lattes to pork sisig tacos to li hing mui powdered gummy bears, guests could peruse the makeshift marketplace in between other activities and experience a plethora of some of Vegas’ best Asian flavors. KPOP Nation also had albums, photocards, and other K-Pop merch on sale at the market. 

 

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In the center of the expo floor, fans could purchase exclusive WeBRIDGE merch, Gallery STAN merch, and collaboration merch between SAMBYPEN and ENHYPEN. South Korean tech wear company, SLBS, also had items on sale, collaborating with Gallery STAN artists to make one-of-a-kind phone cases and pop sockets. 

 

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Fans got the chance to learn the steps to some of the performing artist’s most famous songs. I popped in to watch MONBEBEs absolutely kill the “Beautiful Liar” choreography. 

 

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The arcade lounge provided a quieter recharge area for guests. Claw machines and dance pad games were free to play while waiting for the next artist to take the GRAMMY Museum stage.

 

GRAMMY Museum Stage

The GRAMMY Museum Stage hosted the Artist Engagements (Q&A session), hi-touches, and 1-song performances. These were a great way for lucky fans to get a more intimate experience with their favorite artists. Panels featuring world-renowned Asian leaders and creators also took place here throughout the weekend. I sat in for Sunday’s panel with Marvel designer Anthony Francisco and Crazy Rich Asians’ actor Chris Pang as they discussed what it’s like to be an Asian-identifying person in the entertainment/Hollywood industry. A standout question from the audience was regarding cultural appreciation vs. cultural obsession when it comes to Western consumers of Asian media. Pang’s insightful answer noted the importance of having actual Asian-identifying folks working on projects that tell Asian stories to help with fostering cultural appreciation. 

The Festival: Night 1

LINEUP: CIX, ONEUS, Dreamcatcher, KANGDANIEL, Jessi, MONSTA X (Headliner)

Night 1 started with a light-up tribute to K-Pop star Moonbin of ASTRO followed by a moment of silence. The phone flashlights and lightsticks filled up the arena, resembling a peaceful starlit night. 

CIX set the bar high on Night 1 as their five-member piece somehow managed to make their energy fill up every part of the stage. I had been following 2 of the members since pre-debut as trainees on YG’s Treasure Box survival show, so to see them on stage performing in front of so many people was such a special moment. Their performances of hit songs like “Movie Star” and “Cinema” were electric and lit the crowd up. Lightsticks bobbed up and down, filling the arena with color as excitement beamed on everyone’s faces awaiting the next act.

ONEUS followed with another great performance. I wasn’t as familiar with ONEUS but their stage ended up being my favorite of the night with their powerful dance moves and catchy songs. Each member brought out a buchae—a traditional Korean folding fan—to use as props during “LUNA” and “LIT”, the latter of which is a lively homage to Korean culture. I have definitely streamed these songs a little too many times after watching their set.

The cheers for Dreamcatcher flooded the arena as soon as MC Yuri Park announced their name. I’ve always loved Dreamcatcher for their versatility in music and concepts. Singing along to “Scream” live was cathartic for me and other InSomnia. Recently, celebrating their sixth anniversary, Dreamcatcher proved they were meant for the stage through their set.

KANGDANIEL, as the first soloist of the night, brought a different vibe to the stage, sultry and captivating as all eyes locked in on him. Making a pop cultural reference to the homonymic rock legends, he opened his set with a smooth performance of “Nirvana,” the title track from his album The Story: RETOLD (2022).

The next act, introduced as being “known for her bad girl image,” drew fanatic screams from everyone in the audience. Jessi understood the assignment when it came to fan service, engaging with fans through hugs, questions, signings, and ass-shaking. Her performances were full of energy only amplified by fans singing along.

MONSTA X, the headliner for Night 1, ended the festival with everyone up and out of their seats. Despite only having 4 members on stage, they still managed to deliver nothing short of what you’d expect from one of K-Pop’s most talented groups. I especially loved their performance of “SOMEONE’S SOMEONE” as the light-up bracelets and on-stage display turned the arena into a beautiful blue ocean.

The Festival: Night 2

LINEUP: BE’O, ONEUS, VIVIZ, BamBam, ENHYPEN (Headliner)

Singer-rapper BE’O, popularized through his talent showcased on Show Me The Money 10, opened Night 2. Despite later revealing that he was feeling sick from consuming too many American supercharged energy drinks, he delivered an amazing performance being one of my favorites of the night. He traveled the stage with a glowing smile on his face, performing singles like “Counting Stars” and “LOVE me” making the audience jump along with him.

ONEUS, for their second night in a row, gave a performance just as energetic as the previous night, noting how the arena felt a bit more vibrant and full than Friday night.

VIVIZ, made up of former GFriend members, stirred up worry among fans as members Umji and SinB pulled out of their hi-touch event earlier in the day, likely still grieving over the loss of close friend Moonbin. Despite this and the brief break taken after their first song as the members stepped off stage, the girls managed to give their best performance with perfect vocals and dance moves in true pro-idol fashion.

Green lightsticks illuminated the room as BamBam danced his way through his set. I genuinely loved his performance with bouncy songs like “Sour & Sweet” and “riBBon” making everyone else fall just as much in love with him.

The impatient cheers welcoming headliner ENHYPEN were deafening—and for good reason. The 7-member group opened with hit song “FEVER” and treated ENGENE with b-sides from their most recent EP such as “TFW (That Feeling When).” Though I was not as familiar with ENHYPEN, their stage presence was enough to have me “SHOUT[ing] OUT” with them by the end of their set.

 

WeBRIDGE, held during times of sorrow for many K-Pop fans due to Moonbin’s passing, offered a source of happiness and cheer. It successfully celebrated Asian art and culture, showing just how influential Asian voices are in shaping the pop culture we know today. I can’t wait to see what they put on next year—I’d love to see musicians and artists from more Asian countries beyond South Korea.

Written by Kamieko Goines

Photos by Peter Byun / IPE