There’s no question that Jay Park has legions of supporters around the globe, and as part of his national ‘Verizon APAHM Tour‘ this year, fans received the chance to talk to the star at Meet & Greet events across the nation.
allkpop had the opportunity to join Jay on his adventure in New York and San Francisco. Seeing the fan support at each stop was nothing short of impressive.
From chatting with people in line, it was clear that many attendees had waited a long time and traveled far to meet Jay in person. ”I’ve been a fan of Jay since his 2PM days, so I’ve wanted to meet him for three years,” one girl shared. Two others explained, “We came from San Jose which is about an hour away. It took forever to convince someone to drive us here.”
Fans waiting outside made their enthusiasm clear with fansigns and ‘Jay Park’ tees. Occasionally, the excited chatter would crescendo into unified chants and screaming.
As we were waiting indoors, Jay confided to me, “Whenever they chant my name like this, I never know what I’m supposed to do!” He proceeded to dance and pop & lock, sparking even more screams from fans pressed against the store’s glass windows.
Soon, the doors opened and fans began filtering in under the close eye of security guards and door staff. Indoors, Jay Park was waiting behind a table with a silver Sharpie in hand and an amicable grin on his face. One by one, fans stepped behind the table to receive a signed ‘Verizon APAHM Tour’ poster, a handshake and a photo.
Although staff had underestimated the turnout for both events (in New York, the team had prepared for 500 guests and were met with over 700), Jay even took time to make small talk and sign merchandise that fans had snuck in. ”We’re not sure when the event will end because Jay wants to meet everybody waiting in line,” one of his representatives explained. “That’s just his nature.”
Sure enough, Jay was all smiles throughout the afternoon, opening his arms for hugs and posing with hand hearts in photos whenever requested. When the staff ran out of gift posters, Jay posed with the attendees in front of the Verizon step-and-repeat backdrop instead, chatting with fans and thanking them for coming out.
At one point, one fangirl landed a surprise kiss on Jay’s cheek, to which he raised his eyebrows and exclaimed, “Oh wow!…” When the fan right after her did the same thing, Jay turned to his friend from Art of Movement standing nearby, joking, “Hey, I thought you were supposed to be my bodyguard or something!”
Upon walking outside after the Meet & Greet, many ecstatic girls let loose their jitters, screaming and admiring their freshly autographed posters. One fangirl in New York gasped, “The pain of waiting outside for his concert and this Meet and Greet has been worth it. I can’t even breathe right now!!”
Following the NYC event, Jay was rushed out of the store into an allkpop staff member’s car to be brought to the 6Theory office for an exclusive interview. Stay tuned for further coverage of the ‘Verizon APAHM Tour’ this week!
Photography & coverage by: Jenny Tszeng
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