"We are here to make unforgettable memories," NewJeans member Haerin told the K-pop group's fanbase at their first fan meeting, aptly titled Bunnies Camp, after emerging through the crowd alongside Minji, Hanni, Danielle, and Hyein. The five members of NewJeans passed teenagers, full families, as well as young people of all genders before reaching their final destination, the main stage, which was adorned with ferns, grass, and larger-than-life flowers to transform the indoor arena into an outdoor mirage.
Just twenty days shy of their first official anniversary, NewJeans finally got to meet their fans, known as Bunnies, in person during the fan meeting, which marked their first-ever major solo live event. On July 1 and 2, the five-member group from ADOR, a subsidiary of HYBE, gathered thousands at Seoul's SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium for their sold-out, two-night run that was also live-streamed online for fans around the world via Weverse Concerts.
Fully committed to the concept of camping, the girls wore matching Nike Cortez sneakers (the group currently has an ongoing partnership with Nike Seoul), pleated skirts, and crisp white shirts with neckers reminiscent of girl scout uniforms to kickstart the show. As soon as they got to the stage, they didn't take long to let us know the two-and-a-half-hour-long event had a tight timetable. The event started with the members taking attendance, followed by a brief explanation of rules and orientation before kicking off the fun with a performance of NewJeans' debut song, "Attention," which immediately got the crowd riled up.
After three minutes of dances, fan-chanting, and non-stop Binky Bong shaking, it was time for rest and recreation, where the members took time to play games and chat with the fans. Despite technically being rookies in the game, there were no awkward silences between them and Bunnies. The quintet kept up the show's pace marvelously, finishing off the section with a rendition of "Cookie."
After a quick VCR and outfit change, the members reemerged clad in sportswear pieces by New York-based brand Telfar, which they donned during a fierce dance battle segment that seamlessly carried over to an energetic performance of "Hype Boy," with Bunnies chanting (and some even dancing) in unison.
Another VCR ushered the members off stage for another outfit change. When they returned, they wore matching, all-white casual school uniforms. This time, instead of entertaining the crowd with non-stop moves, they sat around a semi-realistic bonfire, which even featured wood-crackling sound effects. It was time for the long-awaited campfire.
After singing a remix of their slow ballad "Hurt," the members took turns to read "rolling papers" with messages hand-penned by Bunnies themselves as well as fellow members before serenading each other with a series of covers. Hanni's pick was J.ae's “Like Yesterday (어제처럼),” Minji's was Hyukoh's “Wi Ing Wi Ing (위잉위잉),” Haerin's was Nell's “Time Walking on Memory (기억을 걷는 시간),” Hyein did Oohyo's “Youth (청춘),” while Danielle sang Lauv's "Paris In The Rain."
The quintet followed up the small covers with an acoustic snippet of their critically acclaimed hit single "Ditto." They immediately followed up with a rearranged full version of the song, dubbed "1998 ver.", complete with the song's playful choreo.
For the encore, NewJeans changed once again, this time into Bunnies Camp athleisure merch, to sing "OMG," interact with the crowd once last time and close off the event with a snippet of their upcoming single "ETA," which stands for Estimated Time of Arrival.
The song will be one of three lead tracks on their second EP, Get Up, slated to release on July 21, 2023. Get Up will feature six songs in total — including title tracks "Cool with You," "Super Shy," and "ETA," as well as "New Jeans," "Get Up," and "ASAP." All six songs will reportedly have their own music video. Ahead of the EP's release, delayed streaming of Bunnies Camp will be provided for ticket holders on July 8 and 9 via Weverse Concerts for those who missed it this past weekend.
If the shows prove something is that NewJeans sure knows how to give fans things to look forward to. Though music is usually not the main aspect of a fan meeting, NewJeans managed to make it the core point of the show, weaving it into almost every little interaction and game throughout the two nights. The show was a thorough look back on their momentous year — and, sure, their limited discography played a hand in that — but also a moreish taster of what's to come, both in terms of new music and bigger spectacles.
