Life’s Short, Go See Your Favorite Artist: A Guide

There are many times in life when you’re thrust into indecision. Between bank accounts, schedules and inter-continental distance, it’s difficult to fly to another city or country for concerts and most of the time you tell yourself you’ll be fine and ‘maybe someday.’ I personally often consoled myself with the words, ‘I’m sure they’ll tour my country and I’ll get to see them then.’ However, as the years passed and India didn’t really make it into the top touring destinations for international acts, I saw myself heading towards a do-or-die kind of mentality. In my life, there have been certain artists or events that I knew I’d regret missing for the rest of my days if I didn’t manage to see them live. G-Dragon’s ‘M.O.T.T.E Tour’ in 2017 was one example, and BTS’ ‘Love Yourself Tour’ in 2019 was another. Both times, I risked bankruptcy and emotional breakdowns to fly to Thailand to see them, and so when the cast of KinnPorsche: The Series announced the commencement of their world tour in Bangkok, I realized it was time to risk it all again. 

KinnPorsche: The Series joins the list of the truly great TV shows that made a difference in my life (others, if you’re curious, include Brooklyn 99, The Untamed and The Good Place). In addition to the mafia-centric plot and sleek cinematography, one of the biggest appeals of the series is its charming and talented cast. After getting to speak to some of them for an interview about the show, I knew I had to see them all in person. I wrestled with myself for weeks before the do-or-die won over, and booked my tickets. I thought I had a small idea of what I was in for – a press showcase from a couple of months ago served as a glimpse into the set-list for the world tour – but the actual event was a massive level-up and had me in shock numerous times. Spread across four hours and jam-packed with detailed sets, dance performances, band performances, special guests, scene reenactments and more, the ‘KinnPorsche World Tour’ in Bangkok was a feast for the eyes, the ears and the soul. 

I attended day two of the concert that took place on July 25th at Impact Arena, one of the biggest venues in the country. Throughout both concert days (the 24th and 25th) hundreds of fans arrived early to spend time around the arena, getting to know each other and the area and buying merch – always a good plan. My hotel was right across the street from Impact, and while driving in on day one, the first sight that greeted me were the numerous posters and billboards of the cast draped across the surrounding buildings and sky walkways – all efforts by various fan clubs. Over the years, I’ve learned that K-pop and BL fandoms provide some of the most wholesome concert experiences. You’re surrounded by like-minded people of all ages, and because they are female and minority-led fandoms, it’s a safe space where you can be yourself completely and make friends. If you’re a female fan traveling alone for a concert, try and book a place as close to the venue as possible – I can’t recommend this enough. You’ll be surrounded by women as you head back at night, and chances are that many of the other attendees are staying close by as well.  

I arrived about an hour early to give myself enough of a window for merch shopping and entry lines (both processes extremely well-organized and seamless). I bought the official ‘KinnPorsche World Tour’ light-stick and a couple of T-shirts, but if fans couldn’t afford merch, there were also free posters and mini light rings being handed out by the staff. The show began bang on time at 7 pm, with dramatic orchestral surges of the series’ theme song, “Free Fall” by legendary Thai rock band Slot Machine. Soon after, the cast appeared onstage, clad in glittering suits and jewelry as they stood single file and elevated on a platform to survey the audience. Sixteen gorgeous men, dressed to the nines and surveying an audience of thousands – a truly well-designed and unforgettable concert opening. Each actor began introducing themselves and speaking to the audience, and it was at this point that one of the flaws in a plan that involves flying to another country to watch a concert made itself clear – everything was in Thai and I understood not a lick of it.  

This is a common situation I find myself in when I travel for a show. Attending GOT7’s concert in Paris in 2018 involved more hilarity, where even with a translator, the language switched from Korean to French, my knowledge in both rudimentary. There were moments of clarity thanks to the group’s international members–Jackson Wang, Mark Tuan and BamBam– providing some words in English. It was a similar case when I watched BTS in Bangkok with leader RM filling in some blanks in English and at the ‘KinnPorsche World Tour,’ actor Bible Wichapas Sumettikul (who plays the show’s charismatic antagonist, Vegas) took on that role, translating some of what was said by the other actors and delivering a portion of his own message to the audience in English. The larger part of the speeches, however, escaped my grasp and that is something you will definitely encounter if you choose to travel to a country where the majority of the audience prefer the local language.  

With the greetings out of the way, the concert kicked off with a reenactment of the night Kinn and Porsche met each other. The series’ two leads – Mile Phakphum Romsaithong (Kinn) and Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat (Porsche) – took center stage as they led the fight scene, complete with spin kicks and stunts. Other outstanding scene reenactments included Pete (played by Build Jakapan Puttha) and Vegas’s (Bible) toxic yet emotional dynamic and Kim (Jeff Satur) and Porchay’s (Barcode Tinnasit Isarapongporn) bittersweet relationship. The absolute crown jewel of the reenactments, however, was the scene where Kinn and Porsche share their first kiss at the pier in episode three; the chemistry between Mile and Apo is as brilliant live as it is onscreen and the decision to have the live performance transition into Satur delivering a live rendition of the OST “Why Don’t You Stay” (which appears as the background music in the episode) was genius.  

As the show progressed, it became clear that watching the cast of KinnPorsche: The Series live is truly the gift that keeps on giving; each actor took turns presenting solo and group dance covers in rapid succession. There were plenty of K-pop covers (a smart move since the audiences for BL and K-pop often converge) and Build shocked everyone present with a saucy performance to K-R&B legend Jay Park’s single, “Mommae.” Actor Us Nititorn Akkarachotsopon (Tay) continued the streak with a vocal and dance cover of Thai rappers F.Hero and Milli and Stray Kids’ Changbin’s collaborative number “Mirror Mirror,” before joining forces with Build for Big Bang’s 2015 hit, “Bang Bang Bang.” Barcode joined in on the K-pop tributes by showing some love to Blackpink with a cover of their 2020 track, “Pretty Savage.” The Main Family’s bodyguards (Notd Nutthasid Panyagarm, Perth Nakhun Screaigh, Bas Asavapatr Ponpiboon and Job Yosatorn Konglikit) were another absolute highlight with their sensual Magic Mike-inspired strip performance set to Ginuwine’s “Pony,” sending the audience into absolute hysterics.  

Tong Thanayut Thakoon-auttaya, who plays the eccentric Tankhun, delivered a performance as delightfully ostentatious as his character; the actor gave us a Bollywood-inspired dance number set to “Hindi Sad Diamonds” from Moulin Rouge! and while it was the absolute last thing I was expecting for his solo stage, there isn’t anything else that would have fit him better. As an Indian, hearing snippets of “Chamma Chamma” at a concert by the cast of a Thai BL show felt like an out-of-body experience, making it one of my favorite stages of the night. The show was then stolen—unsurprisingly– by the Minor Family. Bible (Vegas), Ta Nannakun Pakapatpornpob (who plays Vegas’ brother Macau) and Ex Piya Vimuktayon (who plays Vegas and Macau’s father, head of the Minor Family), combined drama, danger and sex appeal for their performance. I sat stupefied in my seat for the next five minutes as they gave us everything from aerial stunts and flips to shirtless choreography, set to Imagine Dragons’ “Believer,” the Black Eyed Peas’ “Pump It” and Gary Clark Jr’s gritty rock cover of the Beatles’ classic, “Come Together.” 

Since several members of the cast are also musicians, an entire section of the event was dedicated to live performances by their self-formed band, Cumulus. The group comprises Mile and Bas on guitar, Pong Pongsakorn Ponsantigul (Tem) on bass, Nodt on keys, Build on saxophone, Apo on vocals and Ping Touchchavit Kulkranchang (Jom) on drums. They delivered an hour-long set of covers of Thai classics followed by a double encore. Prominent Thai artists including Slot Machine, Got Jakrapan and Season Five also made surprise appearances and were joined by various members of the cast for special renditions of their own tracks, plus songs from the show’s soundtrack. Mile’s solos as lead guitarist as well as Build’s solos on the saxophone were particularly outstanding and seemed effortless in execution. The lighting and stage design especially stood out during the musical performances and did wonders to shift the moods between the parts of the shows that were concert-focused, and others which were skit-focused.  

The show ended with montages of behind-the-scenes moments from the series’ development and emotional speeches from each member of the cast. Again, if you’re attending a show in Thailand and you’re not fluent in Thai, this might be a little difficult to sit through, but it’s a small price to pay. If you do attend future dates of the ‘KinnPorsche World Tour,’ stay till the end because the final 20 minutes of the concert were the most delightfully chaotic – Ta took the reigns as DJ to unleash Latin pop and EDM blends, sending the arena into party mode. All 16 actors spent the time dancing with each other, showing off hilarious moves and interacting with their fans. It was the most wholesome part of the entire show and supremely feel-good, highlighting the chemistry and charm of the cast as a group and their bond that made KinnPorsche: The Series a global success. To top things off, the show’s production company, Be On Cloud, had one last surprise up their sleeve – we were the first audience to see the trailer for an upcoming untitled historical film about a Khon dancer starring Apo and Mile. The trailer was finally unveiled to the general public online two days later, on July 27th.

Technical difficulties during the ‘KinnPorsche World Tour’ seemed to be at a minimum and the only obvious glitches appeared during some of Satur’s stages – certain sections of his performance were outstanding and other sections off-key, usually indicative of problems with an artist’s in-ear device. There were also slight lags in the sound effects that were meant to line up with the kicks and punches thrown by the actors during the fight-scene reenactments, but all these issues were minor and can be easily resolved for future productions. The show’s set list and design were for the most part well-planned, but there were a few stages that didn’t quite make sense. Actors Us, JJ Chalach Tantijibul (Time) and Pong gave us a dramatic performance that involved the complex love triangle between their characters, but the problem was that while this dynamic was detailed in the original novel KinnPorsche: The Series was based on, it wasn’t explored in the show itself. This made the entire thing seem a little out of place. The live scene is especially confusing if you haven’t read the book, and it made me wish we could have seen the angst play out onscreen as well. The bodyguards’ Sailor Moon skit was a rather bizarre addition, only because it didn’t quite fit the flow of the rest of the concert. Apo and Mile delivered a Chinese-influenced skit that was a little random and seemed to drag on, but I’ll give it the benefit of doubt since I’m positive I missed the cultural context of the performance thanks to the language barrier. 

As I left Impact Arena and walked back to my hotel after the show (safely surrounded by plenty of fellow female concertgoers) all I could keep thinking was, ‘India isn’t ready for this, thank god I came to Bangkok.’ In addition to the length of the show and level of production I’d witnessed that night, the ‘KinnPorsche: World Tour’ was also way more risqué than I had expected – shoutout to the bodyguards and the Minor Family – and not something general audiences in India can adapt to right now. As unique and innovative as the plot is, this is a Boys Love series. The performances are provocative and there are no illusions about the nature of the relationships between the characters, so it’s a little tough to pitch to conservative audiences outside of the BL niche. For a country that was shocked by the tasteful, artistic nude photos Ranveer Singh took for an international magazine, KinnPorsche: The Series as a whole might be a difficult pill to swallow.   

That said, this tour is definitely worth catching if you’re a die-hard fan of the series (like me). So, even if your country isn’t on the tour itinerary, I’d recommend making plans now to head to the closest tour destination you can get to. Always begin your planning, saving and budgeting early. Of course, doing this isn’t possible for every fan; it’s a significant financial undertaking and most of the audience is still quite young, so the next best thing would be to catch the paid livestream versions and reruns of the concerts. This is honestly probably the better deal, since Be On Cloud did provide subtitles in various languages for audiences tuning in to the livestreams (so you won’t be left sitting clueless at the live show like me) and it’s easier on the pocket.  

A lot of people ask me, ‘Why travel alone, why not take a friend? Why are you taking these risks?’ and my only answer to that is, ‘Everyone is different.’ My desperation to see artists live often outweighs other priorities in life because I can’t imagine living with regret and the dizzying haze of ‘what if’ hanging over my head. A lot of people around me are more patient and can make peace with not being able to see their favorite artists live. Others are limited financially or because of daily commitments, while some just don’t think it’s worth it. I’m also absolutely aware that I’m privileged because my job encourages attending live shows, an advantage that tons of other fans won’t ever have, so perhaps I’m not the best example when it comes to taking risks like this. But my advice will always be that if you have the means, and if the opportunity to book that ticket arrives… go for it. There’s no better feeling than standing in that crowd and experiencing something you’ve only seen on a screen before – I’ve never had a single moment of regret. Sure, I’ll be pinching my pennies for the rest of the year, but I’ll be fine. And trust me, so will you.