From South Korea to New Jersey: How a beloved arena became a K-Pop mecca for fans

This summer, Newark’s Prudential Center has become a K-Pop mecca for thousands of fans who trek to the arena to see their favorite artists from the Big Apple.

Over the past few years, crossing the Hudson River to the Prudential Center has been a rite of passage for many K-Pop fans, eager to see artists like IU for her first stateside tour, or NCT 127 as they celebrate their 100th concert performance.  According to Tyler Bates, VP of Entertainment Book at Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, the programming approach has always been focused on diversity and inclusivity, which is why they have worked to include more of Asia’s most iconic and boundary-pushing artists to light up the stage.

“When it comes to the shows arriving at the arena, there’s a level of care and kind of understanding and expectations that we know the shows are going to have when they come here,” Bates said.

Hosting world-class productions is no easy feat, and it takes a village to help facilitate these mega productions. From loading hordes of trucks with production gear to catering to what the fans love about artists, Bates says his team of well over 200 staff work in tandem to ensure everyone, from the musicians to the fans themselves, has an enjoyable experience.

Fans excitedly watched Baekhyun at the Prudential CenterPhoto by Amanda Moses

NCT 127 at the Prudential CenterPhoto by Amanda Moses

“We make sure that we are catering to the fans and the audience, knowing that they are expecting a world-class experience when they walk in the doors,” Bates said.

K-Pop has a special celebratory culture around it, from the freebies fans give away, the light sticks, costume attire, and customized signs and flags. There are also various levels of VIP expectations, such as sound check, early access to merchandise, high touch (hi-fiving the artist), and send off (a brief interaction with the artists before they leave the venue) that often come with K-Pop concerts.

“In addition to that, we try and treat each fan like they are a VIP. And there is an experience that they can get when it comes to the Prudential Center that they’re not going to get for every other arena…Like our social media team shooting content of the fans and their experience to create an Instagramable moment on the concourse that they can share with their friends and family throughout their social media platforms,” Bates said.

Recently, JIN of BTS performed at the Prudential Center, where fans came dressed as fish in honor of his song “Super Tuna.” In light of this, the Prudential Center interviewed fans with the best costumes and even awarded a lucky winner free merchandise from the show.

Fans wrote on the floor with chalk celebrating IU’s stateside performancePhoto by Amanda Moses

Fans at the Prudential Center.Photo by Amanda Moses

“A lot of our K-Pop and J-Pop and international artists are coming to a unique and special event that’s taking place at Prudential Center, where they’re going to have a better and more elevated experience here than if they were to go anywhere else in the region or in the country for that matter,” he added.

Bates shared with amNewYork that it’s been over a decade of K-Pop at the Prudential Center with the first show being  BIGBANG in 2012, which will become a full circle moment for the group when frontman G-Dragon, returns to the arena later this month.  With every performance, Bates shared that they’ve learned more about the expectations involved with K-Pop.

From BTS to even hosting the live broadcast show KBS Immortal Songs, the Prudential Center has fostered a welcoming environment for Asian culture and music, becoming a household name throughout the Tri-State Area and even in South Korea.

Fan dressed as fish for JIN of BTS concert at the Prudential CenterPhoto by Amanda Moses

Fans cross the Hudson River to the Prudential Center for IUPhoto by Amanda Moses

“Anytime that there’s a broadcast or a big production like [KBS Immortal Songs], it’s always an exciting moment, not only to be able to be able to go through that and pull it off and be proud of such a big moment that expands beyond the four walls of Prudential Center, but also having the name into households in Korea on such a big night was quite special,” Bates said.

This summer already started off with rock and roll rebels One Ok Rock for their first arena show, EXO Alum Baekhyun captivating the hearts of audiences, JIN of BTS with his charismatic stage presence, and ADO made her J-Pop debut at the venue. But Bates says that while these are just a few examples of their amazing journey with K-Pop and J-Pop, they are striving to continue to maintain and even bolster their reputation with global artists.

Next up on the Prudential Center’s Global stage is G-Dragon on Aug. 22, Le SSERAFIM on Sept. 3 and P1Harmony on Sept. 27th.