Out & About #849 | Mark Tuan "the other side" Tour in Toronto

​A whopping 1211 days have passed since the last Ahgabong-equipped public excursion. Naturally, I have taken to waving the bird within my humble abode during comeback times, member solo MV releases, and the HOMECOMING Fancon. Though, these instances hardly accumulate to the same degree of excitement as a live performance with the company of other lightstick-waving attendees.

​I geared up in mismatching feather earrings - my "ahgase" jewellery - and laced up a newly acquired pair of Vans high tops. They were a dazzling white, untainted from the scuffles of concerts. The platform sole was considerably thinner than my go-to pair of concert shoes. But, wary of the weariness sustained from extended periods of wear, I opted for a footwear swap should the day prove longer than anticipated (Spoiler: It did).

GO train service commencing from Clarkson had coincidentally halted as of the morning, shifting dependence towards local services such as miway and TTC. I would embark on a trip to Kipling station and connect to Line 2 to reach The Phoenix.

Somehow, in spite of my entire lifetime of concert participation, I had forgotten my camera. Charged, fitted in its case, and situated adjacent to my waistpouch, I had managed to omit it during the packing phase. Having only realized it 75% of the way there, we looped back, then embarked on the trip once again.

At Kipling, I would endure a painstaking delay of thirty minutes: 20 minutes owed to an emergency at Spadina station, then another 10 when the train suddenly announced termination at Jane station. What a mess.

Around 5PM, I found the Thai ahgase in line. Thankfully, the VVIP and VIP entry had been delayed. The original estimate of 5:15 - 5:45 PM passed us by. We moved lines in the process, but hadn't made any progress towards the door.​

​I dashed to the nearest eatery for sustenance and washrooms. My tardy return the night before meant that breakfast had been pushed to lunchtime, and lunchtime had been eliminated altogether. A Chicken Wrap was requested from the sole worker of the restaurant. Then, I made my way down to the basement level to use the lavatory - a revolting stall with a splattered toilet cover, rickety doors, and staggeringly low positioning of the sink and mirror.

As the Thai ahgase's frantic messages filled my phone, I continued to observe the girl behind the cashier prepare my order in an unhurried manner. Requesting her to skip the onions, my order emerged in the next five minutes. The wrap set me back $9.99 plus tax, but comprised of no more than a few sparse pieces of chicken, an obscene amount of fishy-smelling shredded lettuce, and a thorough squeeze of ranch dressing.

​By this point, the constituents of the wrap mattered less to me than the allocated timeframe for its consumption. I wolfed down the creation, anxious that we would be summoned for entry on short notice.

​Eventually, we inched our way towards the doors, where a surprisingly thorough bag search would ensue. Water bottles were confiscated and left outside by the door for collection afterwards. My neck fan, which had supplied me with breathable conditions during the Junny show, had been confiscated on the grounds that it could be utilized "as a weapon". The case was tagged for retrieval from security after conclusion of the show.

​Those that had purchased the priciest tier, known as $500+ VVIP tickets, had the benefit of a Meet & Greet session and an individual photo with Mark himself. VIP ticketholders, who had paid approximately $250 less, would not partake in the direct engagement portion but enjoyed all the same benefits of early entry, soundcheck access, crowd-free merch shopping, complimentary signed poster, and pop socket. The Thai ahgase and I had justified the price of the VIP tier, and filed into the venue vaguely around 6 PM.

​We continued to hover about our spots until Mark suddenly revealed himself around the 6:19 PM mark. The hall dimmed, and Mark proceeded to introduce himself to the crowd while singing snippets of song requests as part of the soundcheck (and lighting check).

There hadn't been any introduction leading up to his unexpected appearance, yet we responded nonetheless enthusiastically. The soundcheck portion would comprise of:

• my name
• OMW (a very rough rendition unfamiliar to the band)
• Let Me (English Ver)
• last breath

At 6:39 PM, Mark would disappear backstage. During this time, we continued to chat with two other fans in the proximity. Both revealed themselves nearly a decade younger than the Thai ahgase and I. They had just commenced post-secondary education and spoke with a greater degree of familiarity to new generation artists than in-depth knowledge of the Ahga-world. One had travelled from New Brunswick, while the other from Montréal. Neither held Ahgabongs in their hands.

​We waited and waited, until way past the 7 PM Doors Open estimate. GA ticket holders slowly began to fill the venue, with a constant stream entering even beyond the 8 PM mark.

At 8:12 PM, the opening artist, named weswes, would introduce himself to us in an all-white ensemble. His voice was rung throughout the hall, but his face was barely visible underneath his white bucket hat.

His set comprised of a few melodical tracks, with his last two radiating R&B vibes à la pH-1. He disappeared around 8:39 PM, but not before FaceTime calling a friend in a rut (using the audience for emotional support) and urging us to chant Mark's name with him, affectionately referring to him as "Markie".
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"Markie" Tuan entered the stage shortly afterwards at 8:46 PM.

View the full album HERE​ !

​Mark performed nearly the entirety of his "the other side" album.

​The only outlier was "OMW", which he admitted to discussing with his band following soundcheck. Despite the last-minute request, they had reviewed and deemed it capable of being performed. Mark went on to note the significance of the song, for it was his first solo release in his career. It was also the first time performing the track on his tour. (As we learned later, the song was also added to the setlists of future shows.)

​There was a great sense of pride in being able to wave the ahgabong proudly amongst others in the crowd, for, while the venue was smaller than the likes of Scotiabank Arena, there was an undeniable sense of unity. Ahgases had gathered once more to support the heptet even in their individual pursuits.

​Perhaps the aspect garnering the most surprise was Mark's inclusion of choreography into his slow- to mid-tempo tracks. Configurations were minimal, as the moves were repetitive and his centre position unchanged throughout. That said, the GOT7 energy was present. Mark remained a skillful dancer, effortlessly exuding competencies accumulated from his many years of training and performing.
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It was worth noting that the choreography was interesting in its consistent illustration of the lyrics. It's not exceedingly common to find moves that depict the lyrics throughout the entire song, but rather moves that follow the beat and range in dynamic. The same pattern can be observed in the lyric-writing method throughout Mark's album. Rhyming patterns, tones, and concepts were similar and again, very consistent. Both of these elements align with his ability to enunciate with impeccable clarity, nixing the need to look up lyrics at all.

​Moreover, he had expanded his vocal range significantly since the group's departure from JYP Entertainment. No longer confined to the boundaries of a "foreign rapper", his full-length album was a testament to these two years of development.

2 faces, as we later learned, was written with Wes. Consequently, he invited his friend to sing the song together as a duet.

Inclusive of the encore (No, he did not sing "Encore"), the concert lasted until just after the 10 PM mark.

​All had been jolly up to the final song, at which point he hopped into the first few rows of the crowd for fan interactions. The mass of concert attendees crowded towards the right side of the stage, dragging the Thai ahgase and myself with it. Seven rows somehow compacted into three.
When he suddenly jumped up and dashed for the left side, another scramble occurred. I was pushed from all directions, as were the girls around me. Some lost their footing amidst the chaos of it all, and some jackets were shed and stepped on. Had I reacted as quickly as I did, I too would have likely been trampled in the crowd. My beaming white shoes ceased to be streak-free after this calamity.

​Luckily, I found the Thai ahgase not too far behind me after the crowd dissipated. We departed the standing area with swiftness, obtained both my neck fan and water bottle, and proceeded to head outside. Utterly exhausted, our sole objective was to head back and rest for the night. However, my ride home was nowhere to be seen.

​Carpooling arrangements had been made a fellow west-end ahgase in the days prior. Yet, she was unable to be reached at all for five calls; to my horror, it had gone straight to voicemail. When she finally responded via text, it was nearly 10:40 PM. They had been inside at the merch table.

Though fatigued, the Thai ahgase kindly waited for me to be joined by the group before calling her Uber home. But, as it would turn out, that group had no intentions of leaving immediately.

I inquired a total of three times in regards to their anticipated departure time, yet only dull looks faced my direction. "We are going to play it by ear." was the response. The girls continued to hover about Mark's tour bus, even after the crowd of fangirls had been urged to disperse by venue staff.

At the late hour of 11 PM, I could withstand the exhaustion no more and called an Uber home. The carpooling group had proven profoundly unreliable.
"I wish you told me you planned to wait." I professed while getting into the Uber.
"I didn't know either!" She defended. "It's just Mark's her ult bias."
But even "ult biases" don't give the right to impose unplanned delays. That evening, I crashed into bed at 2 AM, thoroughly plagued with pains in the upper and lower body.