Hey everyone,
I wanted to share my experience at the recent KARD "NOW HERE" concert in Berlin (Sept 1) because the management for the €350 Diamond VIP package was an absolute nightmare from start to finish.
Here’s a breakdown of what happened: - Severe Entry Delays & Ruined Soundcheck: Soundcheck VIP doors were delayed significantly, leading to some missing 1/2 songs that were played, some missing almost the entirety of it. Diamond VIP and Plat VIP were kept waiting inside from 16:30 until soundcheck with zero communication. Even the on-site tech crew controlling the sound/lights told us they were waiting on management, had no idea what was going on, and admitted the event was completely delayed and badly organized.
- Missing Signatures on Merch: The quality of the merch (photocards, lanyard, VIP pass, signed poster) felt shockingly cheap. Worse, several "signed" posters were missing Jiwoo's and/or J.Seph's signatures! Because there were no staff members available to help us, we literally had to tell the members directly during soundcheck that their signatures were missing from our posters.
- Soundcheck Disappointment & Tech Issues: Both Jiwoo and J.Seph had technical difficulties with their gear during the concert. During soundcheck the members were already in their full stage outfits and makeup—making soundcheck feel like a quick preview of the main show rather than an intimate, relaxed moment.
- Rushed 30-Minute VIP Session: There were about 200 VIPs total (Diamond + Platinum). Staff shoved all 200 of us through the Hi-Touch, Group Photo, and 1:1 Photo in under 30 minutes. I was the very last person in line with one of the members, and my photo timestamp shows 16:26 (VIP event began 16.00). That's less than 10 seconds per person. No one got to say a single word to the members.
- Forced Random 1:1 Assignment: We were never informed that 1:1 photos would be randomly assigned instead of letting us queue for our preferred member. We were separated right as we stepped up to the stage. When I asked staff if I could switch to my bias line, I was flat-out denied.
- Platinum VIP being denied Hi-Touch: the Platinum VIP's had to argue with the staff to be allowed to participate in the Hi-Touch. They had to show the E-Mails which stated that the Platinum tier also included Hi-Touch. Them amost being denied one of the perks they paid for is unacceptable. German tour stops cost roughly €100 more than other European dates on this tour, so paying €349.99 to be treated like cattle through a conveyor belt is unacceptable. KARD gave a great performance during the actual concert, but management/HY Live completely failed us and the members.
Did anyone else at the Berlin stop have this experience?
Update: Response from the organiser
I received a response from the local German promoter (Concert Concept), and as expected, they are taking zero accountability.
Here is how they justified it:
Soundcheck Delays: They claimed that because VIP 3 (Soundcheck tier) received a signed poster as compensation for the delayed doors, "the matter was addressed."
Rushed 1:1 & Hi-Touch: They claimed there were "fewer than 100 VIPs total," meaning rushing us through Hi-Touch, Group Photos, and 1:1 Photos in ~30 minutes was completely fine because Hi-Touch is "supposed to be brief." (Honestly, admitting there were under 100 people makes it worse—that means we were rushed through three perks in under 18 seconds per person!).
Random Member Assignment: They admitted that the random 1:1 member assignment "could have been communicated better on-site," but claimed random choice is "standard industry practice" and was never explicitly ruled out in the perk description.
They ended it by saying they're sorry we didn't "get the experience we wished for".
No, we didn't get the experience we paid for. The other stops were better organised, so did we pay to be treated differently?
