What time is it? It’s 2AM in Malaysia!

Photos by Valerie Koh

It takes a really talented idol group to silence fans without even having to break a sweat and that was exactly what 2AM did during their showcase here in Malaysia on May 21!

ANNYEONGHASEYO!: 2AM were in Malaysia for a showcase thanks to DiGiLIVE K-pop

The ballad group comprising Jo Kwon (leader of 2AM who is also known for his crazy antics), Lee Changmin (one of the few Korean idols to complete the mandatory military service before debuting), Im Seulong (who debuted as an actor in Personal Preference) and Jung Jinwoon (the youngest and cutest member in the group) left it to their vocal prowess to do most of the talking that evening. Their voices soared and touched the hearts of many Malaysian 1AMs at the showcase.

IN LINE: The long wait as Malaysian 1AMs patiently queue to
get into Wisma MCA for the showcase

It was reported that 434 reservation coupons for 2AM’s showcase were snapped up within 4 hours of the pre-booking session in 1Utama on April 17. Fans who wanted to purchase “Game Passes” for the opportunity to interact with the members were also seen lining up at – literally – 2AM!

Hence, it was not a surprise to see the fans queuing up in front of Wisma MCA as early as three hours before the event as they wanted to get as close to the front as possible. It seemed that attending the autograph session the night before only made the 1AMs more excited to see the boys again.

WINNERS: Who’s got the time? We do! And it says 2AM

By 6pm, the seated fans were anxious and excited as 2AM’s music videos were being played on the screens. Jin of Hitz.FM then appeared to warm the crowd up.

A “guessing game” followed where 4 lucky fans went on stage to guess which 2AM song was played – just by listening to a couple of beats from the song. Jin also prepared the fans for a birthday surprise for 2AM as three of the members (excluding Kwon) were May babies.

Students from the Bentley Music Academy were up next to perform an instrumental medley of 2AM’s famous hits.

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: 2AM working their fan-service

Then, at 6.25pm, the boys finally appeared on stage with a heartfelt performance of Never Let You Go in their white suits. There were some attempts at cheering during the song but most were too captivated to do so until the end where fans broke into thunderous applause and screams.

Next, four pre-determined fans were in utter disbelief when they were serenaded by 2AM with Confessions of a Friend! The girls even took the opportunity to hold the boys’ hands and hug them.

IS IT A FULL HOUSE TONIGHT?: The boys happy to see the amount of 1AMs present that night

After a short but amusing video interlude about Jinwoon not having his calls to JYP answered, the boys were back on stage with You Wouldn’t Answer My Calls.

Interestingly enough, there were no outfit changes throughout the showcase. The boys then greeted the crowd and a short interview followed before they launched into another game. This time, another four fans had to follow the pose by the 2AM member she was paired with. Expectedly, Kwon upped the ante and brought the house down when he struck a really sassy pose. Needless to say, the fan paired up with him won the game.

Following that, it was time for Malaysian 1AMs to amaze the boys as they had to continue singing any of 2AM’s song, in which the boys will first sing a few lines. The members were stunned by the fans’ ability and at one point, Changmin even complimented a fan by saying that “her pronunciation is perfect”.

CAKE!: The May babies celebrating their Birthday with the fans

It was then time for the birthday surprise! The crowd sang the Korean version of the Birthday song to Changmin, Seulong and Jinwoon as a cake shaped like the Petronas Twin Towers was wheeled out. The crowd then sang the Malay version of the Birthday song, after which some fans were given the chance to present each of them with a gift.

THANK YOU, MALAYSIA: Waving to their Malaysian fans

Subsequent to a short photography session for the media, the show continued with I Did Wrong. Although the boys did not really perform the full choreography (just some simple moves), the fans still lapped the performance all up. Before you could say “What time is it?” Changmin announced the last song for the night – Like Crazy.

K-FASHION: The boys looking spiffy from the start till the end

Of course, 5 songs weren’t enough to satisfy the crowd. Thus, another interesting video on how the boys met as trainees was shown before 2AM returned to the stage for the encore. They sang their debut song This Song.

The showcase came to an end in a little less than an hour but it was such an unforgettable experience that fans would definitely want the boys back for a full-fledged concert.

*Youtube videos were linked from unixitymystic & jacylnLoo.