SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 16 (UPI) — American pop singer Ariana Grande on Wednesday was bombarded with negative feedback from South Korean fans over her Seoul concert held the night before.
Criticism centered around Grande’s arrival in the country on Tuesday just three hours before the concert, allowing no time for rehearsal for the show at the Gocheok Sky Dome, part of her “2017 Dangerous Woman” world tour.
The 24-year-old arrived via Gimpo International Airport at 5 p.m., just hours before the concert. While she didn’t find the time to rehearse, the singer uploaded a short video of herself practicing inside a bathroom at a hospital near the venue on her Instagram.
“How can you come to Korea just two hours before the concert?” Korean Instagram user “mipavloma” posted on the video. “Never come to Korea again,” wrote “jerome_kim10.”
Local actress Kim Ji-woo, who watched the show Tuesday evening, also vented steam on her Instagram.
“Arriving three hours before the show and leaving at midnight. I wonder how much she received for her concert,” Kim wrote, adding “I want to delete Ariana’s songs I bought on iTunes from my playlist.”
Among the tickets sold were $570 (U.S.) VIP tickets, which included entry to watch the rehearsal. Some ticket holders have reportedly asked for refunds after learning there would be no rehearsal.
“The VIP tickets were sold through Grande’s U.S. management company through an American website,” a Hyundai Card representative said.
Others pointed to Grande’s seemingly indifferent attitude toward the audience. The pop singer churned out some 20 of her best-known songs, but rarely spoke in between. Despite the show being held on Korea’s Liberation Day, there was no mention of it either.
Due to her belated arrival, a pre-show fan meet-and-greet that had been scheduled was nixed, too. Press coverage-wise, Hyundai Card representatives allowed zero photo coverage by the media but promised to hand out photos taken by their staff. However, Hyundai Card, too, was denied access to take photos of the concert by Grande’s management due to security reasons.
