Toronto fans of the K-pop group P1Harmony were greeted to a surprise fan meeting at Trinity Bellwoods Park on Wednesday evening.
The park has been a recent hotspot for celebrities to do impromptu meet-ups. Over the weekend, singer Daniel Caesar also hosted a surprise concert.
The six-piece band — fronted by Markham, Ont.’s KEEHO — were set to play a headlining show at Coca Cola Coliseum before the show was postponed due to a system outage at the Canada-U.S. border. The show has since been rescheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Despite the setback, the band decided to set up an impromptu gathering to greet their supporters, whose official fandom name is P1ece. Moments before P1Harmony touched down at the park, the group posted a livestream on Instagram to make the surprise announcement.
“We know there’s a lot of people who came to Toronto today from very far away,” KEEHO, also known as Stephen Yoon, said on camera.
“People who called off jobs [and] made a lot of sacrifices to make sure that they come to the show today. We wanted to do a little surprise.”
Within the hour of the band’s announcement, upwards to 300 fans showed up at the park. While there, KEEHO and his bandmates — INTAK, JONGSEOB, JIUNG, SOUL and THEO — treated fans to dance performances of their recent hits like “EX” and “Duh!”
During the gathering, members of P1Harmony also invited fans up to dance, challenging their supporters to perform complex choreography from the group’s songs.
Bryce Guinta, from Kitchener, Ont., was one of the lucky fans who were chosen to dance with the band. He said getting to interact with P1Harmony was a moment he would never forget, adding he even received a fist bump from THEO after performing.
“They are amazing people and they are so sweet,” Guinta said. “Even all the P1ece that danced with me helped me learn the choreography before we got on. It was amazing.”
Guinta said he first heard about the surprise P1Harmony gathering through an active chatroom on Discord, where fans often exchange information about the band’s whereabouts. Moments later, Guinta and his friends hopped in an Uber and headed over to the park.
“It was last minute, and a little bit stressful,” he said. “But it was a crazy day! We’re all here for each other as K-pop [fans].”
For fans like Becky Menmuir, the meet-up was also a nice consolation prize after travelling all the way to Toronto from Halifax. Menmuir had purchased VIP tickets to the P1Harmony show, which included a meet-and-greet with the band after the concert.
Menmuir said the experience has now made her an even bigger fan of the boy band. She plans to fly back home to Nova Scotia later this week, before flying back to Toronto in time for next Tuesday’s rescheduled show.
“I would only do this for P1Harmony,” she said. “It’s totally worth it, especially after what just happened tonight. That made my decision even more sure that I am coming back next week.”
Menmuir said the experience would have only been made possible, thanks to KEEHO’s pride in his hometown.
The 24-year-old singer frequently gives Toronto shout-outs in videos, even introducing local spots like Kensington Market, St. Lawrence Market and Canada’s Wonderland to his bandmates.
During the band’s first visit to Toronto in 2022, KEEHO also took his band to the grounds of his alma mater, Unionville High School. During his time in high school, KEEHO was scouted by the company FNC Entertainment in 2017 to train as a K-pop idol. P1Harmony debuted in the music scene on Oct. 28, 2020.
“KEEHO is amazing,” Menmuir said. “I love how much he cares about us, especially being in his hometown. I’m guessing that’s exactly why he chose to come here tonight.”
Guinta agrees.
“We love Canadian representation in K-pop, and for [KEEHO] to show his home to his members.”
And while getting to see P1Harmony up close marked a memorable night for many who made it to Trinity Bellwoods Park, both Guinta and Menmuir said it was made even more special getting to spend it with people who share the same love and passion for P1Harmony.
“One of my favourite things about the K-pop community is the way that it brings people together,” Menmuir said. “It’s just one big family and we couldn’t do this without P1Harmony.”
