Unlike the first Midsummer Night Music Festival, when the episode had not yet aired the music festival segment, and the audience present could not convey their excitement through words, only some clips went viral online.
But when the program content reached the music festival, the atmosphere on the internet changed dramatically.
With more people following the show, the vibe of the music festival instantly transmitted through the screen to the public. Whether it was the audience around the stage jumping along with the music rhythm, or the fireworks that rose after the New Year's Eve countdown, it made those watching on screen yearn for the experience.
Winter is cold, with few outdoor activities, yet the program team decided to go against the grain and hold an outdoor music festival in winter.
The audience, already longing for warmth due to the cold weather, became even more enthusiastic in their discussions after seeing the fiery atmosphere of the music festival.
Random Entertainment's projects have been a hit one after another, and the popularity of "Back to Midsummer Night" seems inevitable.
Soon, everyone was talking about the show, as if not watching it meant falling behind.
During the second music festival, "Back to Midsummer Night" launched a live broadcast. The stage situation could be seen by opening Random iWatch and entering the Midsummer Night column.
While the stage could be seen, the atmosphere on-site was something only those in the audience could feel.
Ling Cheng used her annual leave and bought a ticket to the venue.
As she entered, the stage had already started. Ling Cheng was looking around while rummaging through her bag, trying to send a message to Jiang Liuxing and the other two to ask where they were.
But as soon as she took out her phone, she heard someone call her name, "Ling Cheng!"
Before she could react, she saw three people rushing towards her, screaming and putting something on her.
"What, what, what?" Ling Cheng panicked for a moment, then used her phone to illuminate herself. She found a headband on her head, stickers on her face, and necklaces around her neck.
All of these were Midsummer Night Music Festival merchandise, and her three friends were similarly dressed.
Looking around, the audience was dressed in light and stylish clothes. Some even took advantage of the sun still being out to wear tank tops and shorts, with a thin jacket tied around their waist.
In contrast, Ling Cheng, who had just arrived on a morning flight, was only wearing comfortable long sleeves and pants. She looked more like someone who had come straight from work rather than attending a music festival.
And indeed, that was the case.
Her three fangirl companions chattered around her.
"You'll be hot in that, won't you?"
"But it'll be cold at night, only about ten degrees."
"You'll warm up after a few jumps. Should we go change your clothes?"
"There's no time, is there?"
Only when she saw them did Ling Cheng's fangirl feelings start to surface. Although she was a fan, for Ling Cheng, who had been working for a long time, this trip felt more like a vacation for herself.
She grabbed the excited Jiang Liuxing, "Alright, alright, calm down. I'm wearing a short-sleeved shirt inside. I can take it off if I get hot."
Ling Cheng glanced at the stage, "Is it still possible to squeeze in now?"
The three fangirl girls in front of her smiled mysteriously.
-
The Midsummer Night Music Festival spanned from noon to evening. Viewers watching the live broadcast needed to follow the program schedule.
It's unclear what happened during the selection of the performance order, but this time the music festival saw the groups from Random Entertainment performing consecutively.
As soon as the program started, discussions erupted on the forum.
"Title: Gossip Discussion/Four groups together, let's first argue for the top performer today."
"The program schedule is out. AIcho at 4 PM, Timetrain at 5 PM, Equals3 at 6 PM, and NiGHT at 7 PM."
"The other three have an hour-long stage, while NiGHT has only half an hour."
"This performance order is quite intriguing."
Comments:
"Our NaiDi should close the show (not really)"
"NaiDi performing after the other three would be crushed, right?"
"Our Live's three gods will effortlessly sweep them."
"Suddenly, today's live broadcast seems very promising. Four gods will perform new songs, five androids should also warm up for their new album, and Equals3 will perform new stages from their album and covers. We don't know about NaiDi."
"I said it, the sparks outside the venue are more interesting than the fireworks."
"The true intention of the program is revealed at this moment, hoping they'll clash."
"Five androids have held so many concerts, they're not to be underestimated."
"Looking at it now, it seems Random Entertainment's groups are all quite powerful on stage."
"sjyl's family fans love to watch this."
There are few groups within the circle that can be compared, only Random Entertainment's internal groups can compete. The purpose of this program is to use fan friction to increase the discussion around the groups.
It was only two in the afternoon, two hours before the fan war, but the Weibo square was already in chaos.
Marketing accounts also used the four groups as topics, provoking arguments and comparisons.
Fans weren't stupid; they could see that these accounts were using them to complete their KPIs. They would control the comments under high-traffic marketing accounts but ignored smaller ones.
On the square, they only promoted their own groups, while secretly opening posts on the forum.
"Title: Watch the four gods' stunning stages [Summary]"
"Title: Why the five androids are the white moonlight of the fandom—because of their unmatched stage charisma."
"Title: Who's watching the three little butterflies' fancams again?!"
"Title: To be honest, NaiDi is a bit lacking."
Among the various forum discussions, only provocative posts could attract passersby.
The post titled "NaiDi is a bit lacking" successfully made those scrolling through the screen stop.
"Among the three groups before NaiDi, only the five androids and four gods are pure idol groups. The androids attract fans through planning and solidify them through the stage. The four gods attracted a large number of stage fans with their initial performance and gained popularity through the stage during the debut competition."
"The three male butterflies don't need to be mentioned, Live or die, taking all the fans that the other two couldn't."
"NaiDi is different, relying on the tagline of 'all-female beauty' for marketing, and throughout the program, relying on the sisterhood of dozens of girls to gain popularity. Once on stage, there are various mistakes and car crashes, with only a few trainees from sjyl doing well."
In the final, they eliminated all the talented ones, leaving only the popular and good-looking ones. If the sjyl trainees had all made it, I wouldn't have worried, but now only three from sjyl are left.
"I'm worried for NaiDi. A slight mistake on stage tonight and no one will sleep, the group will be full of mocking posts."
Comments:
"You're already mocking in the group?"
"Thinking about it, I don't remember any impressive stages from their program."
"Welcome to learn about our Live or die three male butterflies."
"Report! The battlefield has expanded to our group."
"The whole post is honest, why are they attacking the author?"
"...I really don't have high hopes for their nine."
Everyone knows that AIcho and NaiDi are at odds, mainly because of Random Entertainment's own survival show. In the program, they seemed to be at odds, and although Pei Zhiping and Xia Simiao had shared the stage and had some interactions, the edited content was minimal.
At the time, Pei Zhiping was undoubtedly the top, and Xia Simiao was still a few places away from Pei Zhiping when they started to be bundled together as rivals.
This move angered Pei Zhiping's fans, feeling like they were stuck to them like a sticky plaster.
Not only was this the case in the survival competition of Random Entertainment, but it was also the same when they went out to participate in the talent show. Fans openly and secretly compared Pei Zhiping, trying to use Pei Zhiping's current status to elevate Xia Simiao.
This post started with discussions among passersby in the group, but it quickly turned into a battlefield between the two fan bases.
Pei Zhiping's fans, acting out of love, used AIcho's achievements and stage performance to completely overshadow NiGHT, who, not having officially debuted, couldn't present any stage that could prove themselves.
People love to watch dramatic stories. With so many naysayers online, if NiGHT were to make a stunning appearance tonight, that would be quite interesting.
Due to this online buzz, everyone became even more excited for the afternoon live broadcast of the Midsummer Night Music Festival.
Originally the worst time slot, it was pulled up in popularity by the enthusiastic discussions of netizens, causing the number of viewers in the live stream to surge.
As four o'clock approached, crowds had gathered in front of the other two stages without anyone noticing.
The Midsummer Night Music Festival has three stages, each of different sizes and located far apart.
The group currently performing is on the main stage, which, though not large, has no boundaries in the audience area, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people.
The closest sub-stage to the main stage is over a kilometer away. Although it is larger, it is an enclosed type with a large roof covering both the stage and the audience area, limiting the number of spectators it can hold.
This sub-stage is rarely used during the day, only being activated at night when the temperature drops.
There is one more stage left, which is where AIcho will perform later.
Its stage is large, with an extended T-stage and no restrictions around it, capable of accommodating many people. However, being in a corner without any vendors, one needs to take an internal park vehicle to get there, which is somewhat inconvenient.
Even so, there are already many spectators gathered in front of the stage.
Due to their failure in the pre-match game, AIcho was assigned to this sub-stage. The four of them are now backstage, trying hard not to think about those things.
There are five minutes left before they go on stage, and the staff at the sub-stage are already busy.
The four of them hold hands and gather together, encouraging each other.
"Even if there are only a few spectators in front of the stage when we go up, we must not show any disappointment."
The other three would occasionally change, but only Pei Zhiping had kept the same high ponytail from the debut competition to the debut album.
Fans didn't understand the company's intentions, only knowing that Pei Zhiping, who was always criticized as the "royal family," hadn't changed her hairstyle for eight hundred years.
With Pei Zhiping's hairstyle change excitement, fans directly pushed the heat up, and the hot search tag climbed to the top three.
While netizens were still listening to Pei Zhiping's fans recounting Random Entertainment's sins, related tags for Timetrain also climbed onto the hot search.
#Master-type Idol Yao Shuo#
After AIcho's stage, ten minutes of rest brought Timetrain's performance time.
The public's attention to male idols was lower, and netizens were still immersed in AIcho's beauty and highly infectious stage when Timetrain's stage began.
If it weren't for Yao Shuo's tag surging, passers-by might not have noticed.
Normally, they would have skipped it, but because it was part of the Midsummer Night Music Festival, they clicked into Yao Shuo's tag out of curiosity――
The top post was from their own big fan.
"@To say you're cute: #Master-type Idol Yao Shuo# Not pretending anymore, we're just perverts."
The first picture was a fan photo of Yao Shuo at the Midsummer Night Music Festival, followed by eight screenshots of other solo fans calling them perverts.
In the picture, Yao Shuo stood tall, wearing a silk shirt with an open collar.
He looked down at the fan taking photos, one corner of his mouth curling up, as if he knew exactly what the fan was excited about.
The comments under that post were also full of Yao Shuo's fans joking.
"Yao Shuo: I see through your little thoughts."
"Husband, if you prosper, don't forget me."
"Yao Shuo: I knew you'd like this."
"Old enough, not pretending anymore."
"His look of disdain is what I love the most, (passers-by, please respect fans' preferences)"
"Yao Shuo: Before coming out, I knew you guys would like this outfit."
"Love it, wear it more."
"This makeup and styling really deserve a 4K long clip."
Originally just a post for fans to joke and have fun, but because a few big accounts from other fandoms reposted it, their "masochist" attributes were exposed.
The post that originally had a few thousand reposts directly broke ten thousand, and the reposts kept increasing, with the tag they played with also making it to the hot search.
Thanks to Yao Shuo's fan photo, everyone became curious about Timetrain's stage.
With the power of the fandom and the curiosity of the public, Timetrain's stage entered the public's view.
Appearing on the stage via the lifting platform, the five members of Timetrain exuded a kingly aura, with Ye Xing in the middle holding a cane studded with gems.
As the music started, fire columns shot up in front of the stage, forming a word――Destiny.
It was destiny.
This word was only noticed by the audience far away and those watching the live stream.
Fans thought they were going to adopt a different concept, but as the music played, the familiar style brought them back to reality.
"I thought they were going to adopt a different concept, I was shocked."
"Please don't, I haven't had enough of my high school boy style yet."
"Stable, this time it's another fairy song."
Timetrain's songs were mostly based on light orchestral music, paired with fine drum beats, easily creating a sense of destiny-like youth.
Their lyrics were about youth, but the emotions conveyed were like reminiscing about the lost youth, singing sad words with a cheerful tune, which was their specialty.
Ye Xing holding the cane wasn't for the concept but because he was injured.
Because of his injury, his dance moves couldn't be too intense, mostly done in coordination with the cane. Watching their stage completion, it seemed like they had practiced with the injured Ye Xing long ago, but in fact, Ye Xing was injured last night.
Last night, during a rehearsal, Ye Xing accidentally twisted his ankle when stepping off the stage. During the time he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, the team quickly came up with a plan for the next performance.
If Ye Xing's injury was severe, the remaining four members would have to complete the stage. If it was just a minor sprain, Ye Xing would sit on stage while the other four performed.
The doctor's diagnosis was a minor sprain, but still recommended against going on stage. However, Ye Xing was determined to perform. He had rehearsed so long for this new stage and wanted to show the fans the complete performance.
The five of them secretly practiced in the hotel conference room, changing the synchronized dance parts so that only four danced in unison, while Ye Xing showcased hand dance moves from the side.
Ye Xing also spent the night getting used to dancing with crutches, familiarizing himself with the feel of dancing with them. The next morning, to convince the team, the five of them performed the routine for them.
Lin Jie and the other staff members watched with bated breath, fearing Ye Xing might twist his ankle again.
But they were also moved by the atmosphere among the five of them. The last time they saw such a desperate desire to stand on stage was during the final selection of "Time Train Countdown."
In accordance with Ye Xing's wish not to worry the fans, the team kept his injury a secret until he stepped on stage.
Their new main track, although a dance song, wasn't too intense; instead, it emphasized their musical characteristic—destiny.
The title of this main track is "Destiny."
The costumes lacked a sense of youthfulness, opting for satin shirts that gave off a princely vibe.
The screen played their MV, where the five of them suffered due to their respective family backgrounds, connected by a crystal ball in the room.
The five ballet dancers inside the crystal ball wore the same outfits they wore on stage.
The dance moves also incorporated many elements of ballet.
It's rare for a boy band to incorporate ballet into their concept, but when connected with the theme of youth pain, it creates a unique feeling.
Using an entirely new, unreleased song as the opening act is very risky, especially for a boy band in their rising phase. Negative online comments could easily leave an irreversible impression of failure on this comeback.
The perilous choice feels like a hand reaching out from the mud, trying to drag passersby down.
It's been over a month since the Gao Xiayu incident, and during this time, they were in disarray.
The team was demoted and ignored, the five of them were repeatedly reprimanded, their confidence repeatedly shattered, causing them to doubt their abilities. This made the past month feel exceptionally long.
Today's stage was a promotional opportunity for the team to hype the new song and warm up for their comeback. But for the five of them, it was about supporting each other through the mud.
It felt like holding their breath; as long as they successfully completed today's stage, nothing could knock them down in the future.
Before going on stage, the five of them hugged each other for encouragement.
Only they knew what this stage meant to them.
"Don't be afraid, we've practiced many times."
"After today, it's a new beginning."
"Time Train—"
"Show them!"
The operations team had frequent personnel changes during this period, causing them to be in chaos for a while.
Lin Jie's arrival put an end to all the confusion, setting rules and re-establishing team discipline with her decisive actions.
The five of them, who had been suffering from their manager's PUA, also escaped the clutches of their former manager and business manager.
Setbacks are not terrible; what's terrible is not being able to overcome the hurdle.
"You are my Destiny, guiding me out of the maze, like the rain and snow that fell on the night of my escape."
The screen showed Pei Luming running barefoot in the rain and Ye Xing covered in blood in the snow.
Gao Xiayu standing on a high building against the wind, Yao Shuo pedaling a bike up a slope, and Chi Qiao rushing out of the hospital with crutches.
The melody, filled with a sense of destiny, combined with simple, repetitive lyrics and the MV as a conceptual explanation, captivated the audience's attention, making it hard for them to look away.
The audience far away had to watch both the MV on the central screen and the stage on the side screens, their eyes darting back and forth, unwilling to miss a moment.
People often criticize Time Train as a boy band that relies on concepts, but it's undeniable that their concepts are captivating.
The song selection hits the mark, making people want to add it to their collection within the first three seconds of the intro.
While people follow the trend to criticize Time Train, they secretly listen to their songs, waiting for the digital album to go free if they can't afford it.
Everyone has to admit that they are the idol group in the current domestic entertainment industry that most deserves the title of "pinnacle."
Aliali: 67568ca3bd5e46c308c835f5
During Time Train's one-hour stage, they only performed one new song, filling the rest with their original tracks, but that one song was enough.
Because now, the trending search terms on all platforms are "#What is Time Train's new song called?"
Putting the new song in the most watched opening stage, although risky, also yielded the best results.
After a month of silence, Time Train emerged with a new look and set off again.
Although the fans who care about them don't know what happened, they can feel the sadness in their performance of this song.
"I'm still immersed in the opening song and can't get out..."
"I can't bear you five androids, with such high-quality albums, how can I run away?"
"I've watched all the angles of the live recordings, it's so painful, no official audio source..."
"I have to wait another half month... I can't take it anymore."
sjyl family fans: Who understands, both male and female TOPs are from our family.