Out & About #838 | JUNNY - The "blanc" Tour

My two-year concert hiatus has finally terminated, graced with the present of a very special Korean-Canadian solo artist.

Over the years, I've observed my affection to reside less with idols and their overdone concepts and broken melodies. Instead, I've turned to calmer tracks, placing emphasis on sound, delivery, and lyric over merely performance. Moreover, the idols that I fell in love with - and still love to this day - have respectively evolved into musicians and artists in their own right, taking an active approach to the creative process.

I first discovered Junny through ØFFSHORE, a production crew that Jay B has pursued for musical interests outside of GOT7. His soothing yet stunning vocals captivated me almost instantaneously, and I began to follow his releases bit by bit, growing progressively fond of the tracks. His earlier albums are less familiar to me, for the nostalgia EP was the deciding duo for me. (Beyond the title track, my favourite is actually solo with Lullaboy.)

Slipping into comfy attire (complete with hi-vis jacket for visibility!) and not-so-comfy platforms in preparation for the GA crowd, I proceeded to assemble my standard roster of concert items. At quarter past one, I would begin navigating to Clarkson station; the GO Train whisked me to Union in just under forty minutes.

The venture marked my first solo trip since June. Within this period, several updates had been made to Union Station:

• Sephora and LCBO (as well as a dental clinic and cannabis store) had opened its doors in the Bay Concourse
• Matcha Lattes were re-introduced to the York Concourse McDonald's
• Decathlon's highly-anticipated concept store had opened for retail matters, Click & Collect services for online orders, and bike tune-up services

Exiting on street level, I found blue skies, off-duty labourers, and homelessness awaiting me.

Trodding up the concrete stairs, I proceeded northbound to King and Bay, where I would board the King streetcar towards the venue.
But, of course, the 504 was a short turn that concluded at Church Street. Alighting the next one while catching upon Woo Young Woo led me to missing my stop, then trekking back to Queen from Dundas and Broadview.​

At 3:42 PM, I joined the lineup at 10th place. Shortly afterwards, a fellow ahgase spotted from her fifth place position and approached me to catch up on recent happenings. ​We griped about career and financial difficulties - topics that the barely-legal Gen Z species surrounding us could hardly identify with.

While conversing, my chit-chat partner was granted a complimentary photocard. I, on the other hand, felt a "tap of my shoulder". The phrase is somewhat comedic, for it originates from a particularly memorable visit to the Richmond Night Market in my adolescent years. Turning to my left shoulder, I witnessed an identical instance of misfortune: bird poop.

What's worse, a sliver of white lined the adjacent strands of hair - hair that I had just washed and tinted the night prior and styled before my departure! ​I was provided assistance in the form of Kleenex and gentle wiping. We both agreed that, at the very least, it hadn't landed directly on my unshielded scalp, or on the cotton elements of my ensemble.

​The Thai ahgase joined me after work, at the late time of 5:53 PM.

She wasn't exactly ravenous, which led me to find my own sustenance. McDonald's was too far, and empanadas, while speedy, were bound to result in stomachache. I turned to Ritual: The Slit Burger from Slayer Burger was ordered just after 6 PM and retrieved roughly ten minutes later.

An exceptionally thin beef patty was fitted between mayo-style sauce, shredded lettuce, and a plush potato bun, arguably as fluffy as McDonald's, but not nearly as sweet. The portion was meager, yet adequate enough to curb hunger and sustain strength for the GA journey.

Door were slated to open at 7 PM, yet we begun filing into the venue shortly after 6:30 PM. "OK" stamps were earned for being of legal age (presumably for the bar) and checkmarks for ticket verification. I had originally been advised to leave my tote at coat check for a fee of four dollars, given that it was too "bulky" for standing. However, I managed to zip through security without any issues whatsoever.
Bathrooms were located at the foot on a narrow staircase. In fact, the steep corridor was so narrow that two-way traffic could not occur simultaneously. The stalls were roomier and, surprisingly, cleaner than those of The Opera House Grill & Patio, which many of us in the queue had visited prior to entering.

​Contrary to our expectations, the opening acts commenced their performances at 7 PM sharp.

Koven Wei entered the stage with varsity jacket, loose-fitting maroon leather (or faux leather?) pants, and an abundance of energy. I had not explored his discography previously, though his clear raps and rock band vocalist aura had persuaded me to investigate after the show.
Of course, I wasn't the only one to be amazed. The girls to my right were overheard exclaiming, "Oh, he's cute!", while those behind me debated his relationship status, urging one another to pose their burning inquiry: "Are you single???". ​​Even the Thai ahgase fell victim to his charms.

Keener was I for the arrival of xiv, who, apparently, had recently dropped the stage name to utilize his real name of Ethan Low for further musical pursuits.

Room for Two has been on repeat for me since its discovery on Spotify, and I was more than thrilled to see the artist in person. He didn't end up performing the track, but garnered greater interest with several unreleased tunes and an impeccably smooth tone. Occasional footwork and effortless enunciation earned additional points.

Unrequited - unreleased as it currently stands - was the undeniable winner of both of their songs for me.

​The duo boosted the crowd's energy once more by spraying the GA audience with water and dashing across the entire floor in a "rave-"like format (their words, not mine) before disappearing backstage.

​biosphere, the producer working alongside Koven and Ethan, also stepped down from the DJ booth to make way for a crop top-donning female DJ with unexpectedly sharp locking skills. Several recent K-Pop hits were played, spanning roughly fifteen minutes. Then, the stage went dark.

Junny opened with Color Me, followed by Obvious and Not About You from his latest album.

View the full album HERE !

​His live vocals were studio quality, if not even more excellent. Adlibs and astounding confidence contributed to the essence of the songs.

​Quite frankly, I was surprised by Junny's swift, witty responses and sleek fan interactions. The host personality he had portrayed on Get Real seemed a shyer, quieter boy. Yet, as a performer, he dominated the stage with charisma, sneaking in sweet tidbits every so often.

​Majority of his tracks were captured in still or motion, though I had refrained from filming Movie and full segments of his older releases with the aim of battery conservation. The Vivid album(s), he noted, represented an earlier rendition of him. There was more rapping, an intense amount of it, and dominance of R&B vibes. The crowd enjoyed it nonetheless, as he had anticipated.

​As the setlist came to a close, Junny invited Koven and Ethan back to the stage for a last, water-spraying hurrah.

Additional songs were not appended as part of encore, though Junny returned to the stage to announce his appreciation towards the crowd and the sold out show, and commenced a complimentary signing session for those of the first few rows of GA.

​Admittedly, some hostility and pushing was witnessed as he approached our side of the stage. Bag sandwiched between bodies and hands in the face, I managed to slip him my phone case - extremely tattered, mind you - for a signature. I emerged triumphant, with a distinctly Sharpie-scented autograph implanted in the supple suede lining.

​The crowds began to dissipate after he bid his farewell. At this point, I discovered the merch counter and darted towards the lineup. The Thai ahgase, having spotted Koven from a distance, inched closer to request a photo together.

​I took to a black tour hoodie, priced at eighty dollars, to commemorate the occasion. As I emerged from the line, the Thai ahgase gestured towards a group of boys. "There! There he is!"
"Who?" I peered in the direction of her gaze, puzzled.
"The other guy!" She repeated, "in the denim jacket. Do you see?"
Quite frankly, I couldn't. Not until I shifted towards her that I caught a glimpse of her line of sight.

With little to no hesitation, I strode up to xiv to relay my thoughts on Room for Two, and further noted my excitement at seeing his name as part of the Opening Act. He expressed thankfulness, while a comrade suggested a photo opportunity.

If I hadn't misheard him, the unreleased tracks are "coming (to Spotify) soon", with a debut scheduled for early 2023 (!!!).

For the rest of the evening, I proceeded to gloat about my phone case, which I now finally had a reason to retire.

​The signature, in all its Sharpie-scented glory, would be preserved in a small Ziploc. Its replacement would be a delicate lilac-blue, decorated with stickers from Oomomo's stall at Japan Festival, as sponsored by the sleepy polar bear.