Queueing up online and spending tens of millions of VND to see the "Brother" show: An unprecedented ticket frenzy?

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Experts have commented that the Vietnamese performing arts industry and audience fan trends have shown many positive signs following the phenomenon of fans rushing to buy tickets for "Brother" concerts.

Over 150,000 people raced to get tickets for the "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" concert.

Recently, the frenzy to get tickets for the "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" concert has caused a social media frenzy. On November 12th, when tickets for the Hanoi concert went on sale, the distribution system crashed within seconds. After the system was restored, over 150,000 people lined up online, and tickets sold out within 50 minutes. Ticketbox – the ticket distributor – reported that in the first minute of sales, the number of people accessing the channel reached 126,000. "If each person lined up 0.5m apart, the line would be about 63km long," Ticketbox stated. In total, within nearly an hour of ticket sales for the "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" concert, the distribution channel received 8.3 million page views. These impressive numbers highlight the unprecedented "ticket frenzy" for a domestic music event.

The artists of "Brother Who Overcame a Thousand Obstacles" pose for photos with fans at the concert rehearsal in Ho Chi Minh City on October 19 (Photo: Organizers).

Sharing with a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper , audience member Vu Thanh Huyen (27 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) said that she and her group of friends had prepared themselves to hunt for tickets to the " Brother Overcomes Thousands of Obstacles " concert, but ultimately failed. "I had a phone and a laptop ready, waiting for my turn to buy tickets, but the system crashed. When I was able to access it again, there were tens of thousands of people ahead of me in line. A few minutes later, all the tickets were gone. Having missed this opportunity, I just hope the organizers will hold more concerts," Huyen said. Previously, on November 7th, when tickets for the "Brother Says Hi" concert in Hanoi went on sale, a similar situation of people rushing to buy tickets, queuing, and tickets selling out quickly occurred. According to Dan Tri reporters, ticket prices for the "Brother" concerts ranged from 500,000 VND to 10 million VND. Immediately after the two concerts "Brother Says Hi" and "Brother Overcomes a Thousand Obstacles" in Hanoi sold out through official distribution channels, the "black market" for tickets became bustling with numerous offers, with prices inflated many times over. For example, Cat1 tickets for the "Brother Says Hi" concert, originally priced at 900,000 VND, were being resold on the black market for 3.5 million VND. Similarly, tickets for the "Ginger Jam" category of "Brother Overcomes a Thousand Obstacles, " originally priced at 1.2 million VND, were being sold for as much as 10 million VND.

Black market ticket vendors are driving prices up many times over due to the fans' "ticket frenzy" (Image: Screenshot).

On social media, the group "Pass and exchange tickets for 'Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles' - 'Brother Says Hi'" has nearly 69,000 members, with dozens of posts daily about "ticket seekers, people seeking tickets" or sharing experiences in "black market ticket" transactions. While some audience members are hesitant and afraid of being scammed when hunting for tickets outside, many fans are still willing to spend large sums of money to find reliable ticket resellers. Audience member Tran Huong Thao (30 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) said she needed to find two seated tickets for the 'Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles' concert: "At 30, I can't stand to watch a concert for 4-5 hours. I can spend 5 million VND/ticket for 'Ding Noc' and 'Kich Tran' (original price 3.5 million VND), 4 million VND/ticket for 'Bay Phap Phoi' (original price 2.5 million VND), and 3 million VND/ticket for 'Tinh Hoa' and 'Sao Sang' (original price 2 million VND) as long as the transaction is reputable." There have been numerous cases of fans being scammed when buying tickets online. On a ticket exchange group, fan Tran Ngoc Trang (Hanoi) shared her story of being scammed out of 14.6 million VND after placing a deposit for 6 tickets to the "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Thorns" concert. "After transferring the money, the seller blocked my phone number and Facebook account," Trang recounted. Given the chaotic situation of the black market and ticket resale, fans of the "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Thorns" concerts believe that fans should seek out reputable ticket exchange sources and not abet fraudsters.

Are Vietnamese audiences no longer obsessed with foreign products?

The frenzy to buy tickets for the "Brother" concerts in Hanoi, and previously the concerts in Ho Chi Minh City, has been recognized by audiences and experts as a bright spot in the domestic music market. Previously, the phenomenon of hundreds of thousands of people queuing to buy tickets online and rushing to get tickets to concerts in Vietnam usually occurred with international artists, such as the Korean group Blackpink with their two concerts in Hanoi in July 2023. The record-breaking ticket sales figures for the "Brother Overcoming Thousands of Obstacles" concert, "Brother Says Hi..." , were even considered to surpass those of Vpop stars like Ha Anh Tuan and My Tam...

Audiences cheer at the "Brother Says Hi" concert on October 19th in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: Organizers).

Recently, a concert featuring many Korean stars, scheduled for November 16th and 17th at My Dinh Stadium, had to be canceled due to low ticket sales, forcing organizers to refund tickets to attendees. The fact that the Korean star concert was poorly sold out while the Vietnamese "brother" concert was highly anticipated has led netizens to believe that the Vietnamese music market has shifted. Some online comments include: "Even though both concerts were held at My Dinh Stadium, the 'Brother Says Hi' concert sold out, while the concert featuring Super Junior, Apink, Highlight, etc., was poorly attended. This could be the moment when Vpop and K-pop take over"; "I've watched many Korean star concerts and been fascinated by the international 'idol-chasing' culture, but now I realize that domestic music and singers are just as appealing as international ones"...

K-pop groups like Highlight and Apink were scheduled to perform at My Dinh Stadium on November 16-17, but the show was canceled due to low ticket demand (Photo: Instagram). Speaking to Dan Tri newspaper, many experts believe that singers, music, and concert organization in Vietnam have improved, creating value that connects with audiences. Therefore, the trend of fans no longer being obsessed with foreign music and are willing to spend money and flock to buy tickets for domestic concerts is increasing. Expert Hong Quang Minh said: "If Vietnamese artists can build a strong audience community, fandom will not only stop at one concert but will develop into a positive cultural movement." Mr. Hoang Huy Thinh – founder of the music website Co Dong, a channel providing information on culture and indie music in Vietnam – believes that the recent concerts attracting tens of thousands of viewers are a positive signal and wave for the Vietnamese music market. "It's been a long time since Vietnam has seen this kind of wave again. Many years ago, with veteran divas and divos like Tan Minh, Ha Tran, Hong Nhung, and Thanh Lam, the fan community only enjoyed them through television. The term 'following idols' originated from the K-pop wave and once faced much controversy, even extremism. But today, the phenomenon of 'Vietnamese fans following Vietnamese idols' creates very positive values, reviving national identity, just like the story of Vietnamese people using Vietnamese products," Mr. Thinh shared.

Vietnamese singers today possess many strengths in terms of appearance, style, and ability to interact with fans (Photo: Hai Long).

To avoid being just a "quick fix phenomenon"

Experts believe that programs like "Brother Overcomes a Thousand Obstacles," "Brother Says Hi," etc., have many elements that attract viewers. Therefore, when the game shows finish airing, the production team can easily organize music nights, taking advantage of the rare explosive effect. Media expert Ngo Ba Luc shared: "Vietnamese music is on the rise, that's the truth. The Vietnamese music performance industry is being supported and admired by domestic audiences." According to Mr. Ngo Ba Luc, VIP tickets for the "Brother" music nights, ranging from 8 million to 10 million VND, are quite expensive, comparable to many shows by international stars who have visited Vietnam, but they are still highly sought after by audiences. "The performances were incredibly elaborate, with a spectacular and creative stage and sound and lighting system utilizing the most advanced technology available today. Regarding the quality of the artists, whether established or new, the performers in both shows are talented, have attractive appearances, and compelling stories. It's the behind-the-scenes stories and moments that are the most sensational, contributing significantly to the show's immense popularity," expert Ngo Ba Luc commented.

A performance in the "Brother Says Hi" final (Photo: Hai Long).

According to Mr. Ngo Ba Luc, the Vietnamese performing arts market, thanks to the aforementioned programs, has been elevated and has risen strongly, rivaling countries with developed performing arts industries such as South Korea and China. "Hopefully, building on this success, production companies will continue to create new shows to further develop the entertainment industry in Vietnam in a more professional and robust way," the expert said. Expert Hong Quang Minh believes this is a "golden opportunity" for production teams and artists to build their brands and consolidate their position in the hearts of Vietnamese audiences. "Thorough preparation and smart marketing strategies are needed to create not only quality performances but also memorable experiences for the audience. Consider it a powerful communication campaign; if executed well, it will not only bring profits but also strengthen the artist's position in the hearts of the audience," Mr. Minh added.

The craze surrounding "Brother Overcoming a Thousand Obstacles" and "Brother Says Hi" presents a golden opportunity for the Vietnamese performing arts industry to develop (Photo: Organizing Committee).

Expert Hoang Huy Thinh commented that the entertainment preferences of Vietnamese audiences are increasingly sophisticated. "Now, audiences have many choices. For example, on November 10th alone, there were four different music events in Hanoi. I hope that from entertainment music to traditional culture and other forms of theatrical arts, everything will develop, contributing to stimulating tourism in the country," Mr. Thinh said. Responding to a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper about the trend of Vietnamese fans "returning" to Vietnamese music and idols, and the opportunity for "Vpop to dethrone Kpop" in its home market, Mr. Thinh replied: "I very much hope this trend will happen and continue to spread. Vietnamese artists today not only perform well domestically but can also have a foothold in neighboring music markets. However, in terms of long-term sustainability, I dare not make any definitive statements. When the trend of 'Brotherhood' concerts cools down, let's wait and see if the Vietnamese performance market repeats the phenomenon of people scrambling to buy tickets and Vietnamese fans showing such enthusiastic support as recently." The expert believes that Vietnamese audiences today are capable of researching, filtering information, and making calculations. When international idols come to Vietnam to perform, if they like them, they will still find ways to see them. "For example, 2NE1 will have two concerts in Ho Chi Minh City soon, and I'm sure fans will prepare money and wait for the ticket sales to hunt for tickets," Mr. Thinh said.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/xep-hang-online-chi-chuc-trieu-xem-show-anh-trai-con-khat-ve-hiem-co-20241117103735641.htm