Okay-Pop tribute dubbed ‘money seize’ after UK area present left ‘children crying’

A mother and her six-year-old daughter attended the K-Pop Forever Tribute Show at SSE Arena Belfast on Thursday night expecting a family-friendly performance but say the event fell far short of expectations

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A mother who attended the K-Pop Forever Tribute show at SSE Arena Belfast on Thursday evening has branded the event a “cash grab” after taking her six-year-old daughter along. The woman, from Newtownards, Northern Ireland explained that tickets to the show were a Christmas gift for her child. She said the event was marketed as “no other K-pop act show will come close to this”.

The duo turned up anticipating a family-friendly tribute performance, but claimed the experience was hugely disappointing. She thought the show would pay homage to the animated K-Pop Demon Hunters franchise.

“Thousands of children were dressed up like the characters,” she said. “There was K-Pop merchandise flying out the door, even though it was expensive. We knew we weren’t going to see the characters themselves, but we expected the performers to sing the songs and dress like them. We thought it would be a proper tribute show – but it wasn’t,” she told Belfast Live.

She explained that merchandise for sale included bags, glow sticks, hoodies, hats and clothing. The mother revealed her daughter became distressed shortly after the main act appeared on stage.

“My six-year-old said straight away, ‘You’ve brought me to the wrong concert,'” she said. “She started crying and said she wanted to leave. Within 10 minutes, a lot of other children were crying too.”

She also expressed worries about the performers’ costumes and dance routines. “The clothing they were wearing was not appropriate for children of that age – they were half-naked,” she said.

“Some of the dance moves were sexualised. There was no attempt to look like a K-pop tribute act aimed at kids.”

The mum also alleged that before the interval, the performers enticed audience members to leave positive reviews in return for a chance to win free merchandise.

“They said if you leave a good review, they’d pick a winner for free merch,” she explained. “People were actively encouraged to leave positive feedback.”

She further noted that when the performers – around six in number – spoke into the microphones, they were hard to hear, leading her to question whether parts of the performance were mimed.

The mother revealed she shelled out £105 on two tickets for herself and her daughter.

“It was absolutely a cash grab,” she declared. “The venue was sold out – there wasn’t an empty seat – but people were leaving early. Some were sitting watching YouTube on their phones. It’s a big deal to sell out an arena, and they’re holding several shows.”

She claimed parents were advised by other attendees to contact Ticketmaster about refunds, but were told they were not eligible.

“This show was advertised as suitable for all ages,” she stated. It was not age-appropriate for a six-year-old. If I had known how they’d be dressed or how they’d be dancing, I would never have taken her.”

She went on to say that despite the show featuring numerous Korean-language songs, the audience seemed disinterested.

“They sang songs nobody had heard of. If they had mixed in more familiar tracks, people might have stayed interested,” she commented. “They finally sang one of the Demon Hunters songs after the interval, but by then people had lost interest.”

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She painted a picture of an atmosphere that was distressing for families.

“It was bad enough for parents to sit through, but seeing children crying was devastating,” she expressed. “Some people asked, ‘What did you expect?’ We expected a K-pop tribute act. It wasn’t what was advertised.”

In response to the event, SSE Arena Belfast released a statement on social media acknowledging the feedback whilst defending the production.

The statement explained that the show was part of a world tour and aimed to represent the broader K-pop genre, featuring music from BTS, Blackpink and Katseye, as well as eight songs from the Demon Hunters franchise.

“Whilst the majority of customers enjoyed the show, we understand this was not what some expected,” the statement read. “However, we are content that the show delivered was an arena-standard tribute to the entire K-pop genre.”

The mother remains sceptical. She concluded: “I think refunds are warranted. The venue says the majority of parents were happy – I’d like to know where that information comes from, because social media and the reaction around me showed the opposite.”

She went on to say: “There was a queue of people trying to lodge complaints. I had to go home and put K-pop on the TV so my daughter could dance and calm down. She told me it was the worst night she’s ever had – and this was her Christmas present.”

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