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Despite the reliably sunny Las Vegas weather, a dark cloud loomed over Mandalay Bay as organizers prepared for its inaugural We Bridge Music Festival and Expo. Slated as a K-pop concert-meets-celebration of all things spotlighting Asian creatives, the three-day event from April 21-23 took a day to respond to the April 19 news that beloved Korean singer Moon Bin of ASTRO had died in Seoul the night prior.

While some parts of the K-pop industry continued as usual (like live TV broadcasts, including the April 20 finale of popular boy-band survival competition Boys Planet on Mnet, or the April 21 episode of KBS’ Music Bank), some plans did shift (a single by K-pop veteran Kangta was postponed from its original April 20 release day to the 22nd with SM Entertainment citing wanting to pay respects to the recently deceased). As some fans called to cancel the event, particularly worried that artists wouldn’t be able to pay their respects in Korea properly, We Bridge shared how they would honor the fallen star.

“On behalf of the We Bridge team, it is with a heavy heart that I am addressing the tragic and sudden loss of K-Pop icon Moon Bin of ASTRO, who recently passed away,” wrote Alex Kang, the event producer for We Bridge under Infinite Prospects Entertainment. “Our heart goes out to his family and loved ones, and the fans and community worldwide who are mourning his loss. It’s our united goal to honor his memory and legacy with a special “Light up Tribute” and moment of silence for the fans to all come together as one and shine a light in his memory. This light up tribute will take place on Friday evening, inside the theatre ahead of our first concert performance.”

Day 1 of the festival opened with business-oriented panels, on-site activities like choreography lessons and art galleries, and Grammy Museum interviews performers. Despite the anticipation for the first night of concerts that included headliner Monsta X, the evening opened on a meditative note with the tribute to Moon Bin opening the show.

As MC for the two nights of We Bridge concerts, actor Yuri Park told audiences, “I want you all to raise up your phones with the lights on, and can we please have a moment of silence.” A soft piano track played throughout a quiet Michelob Ultra Arena as a montage of Moon Bin photos, most featuring his unforgettable smile, played on the stage’s massive LED screens—all quickly put together by a team with the festival’s publicity reps, Miller PR, Billboard learned. 

While most support was for the night’s performers, there were a few posters in remembrance of Moon Bin spotted in the crowd too. Boy bands CIX and ONEUS, girl group Dreamcatcher, and solo star Kang Daniel all delivered the on-point, intense choreography. Rapper Jessi was the highlight with her un-K-pop candor as she made jokes about back aches and nip slips while roaring through viral hits like “Zoom” and “Nuna Nana.” Multiple times throughout her set, Jessi would pop into the crowd to hug a fan or sign a T-shirt as a refreshing display of intimacy between K-pop artists and fans not typically seen.

Even as Monsta X wore all black when departing the Seoul airport in honor of Moon Bin, members Kihyun, Joohoney, Hyungwon and I.M also brought a more relaxed performance, focusing less on their athletic dance moves and more on connecting through their recent English crossover releases like “You Problem” and the R3HAB-assisted “Burning Up.”

Despite We Bridge’s successful launch, there was extra concern around Day 2 as female trio VIVIZ had members SinB and Umji who counted Moon Bin as a close friend—all three were the same age and SinB counted Moon Bin as her best friend for more than a decade. Fans were calling on We Bridge and VIVIZ label Big Planet Made Entertainment to entirely excuse them from the event while mourning.

Early in the morning hours before the Saturday programming began, VIVIZ’s social media accounts shared that the group would be pulling out of their Grammy Museum interview and the festival’s red-carpet “due to the artists’ conditions” but would still perform at the concert “out of love and respect to the fans.” Hours later, Big Planet Made Entertainment added that SinB and Umji would not participate in the trio’s “hi-touch” fan-meeting event that day “due to poor condition.” Still, the remaining member Eunha met VIVIZ supporters with a bright smile and connected with each individual in line for the hi-touch (i.e., a high five).

That same accommodating atmosphere extended into the concert when SinB shuffled off stage after the group’s opening number “Pull Up.” Eunha took the lead in speaking to the audience as Umji appeared visibly concerned, checking behind the stage for SinB, amid waving and smiling at fans. When SinB wasn’t back after a minute of stage remarks, Umji spoke up and said, “Would it be okay if you guys just gave us a little of time before our next song?” with the audience screaming in encouraging recognition of the group balancing performing and mourning.

Rising singer-rapper BE’O joined VIVIZ for Day 2 concert, as did Thailand-born GOT7 member BamBam, ONEUS, plus headliners ENHYPEN. As the cheers grew throughout the evening until ENHYPEN performed the final chorus of their encore song “Polaroid Love,” one could easily catch host Yuri Park saying the goodbyes on behalf of the festival before adding that he’d see fans next year.

Even as We Bridge Day 3 was less elaborate when it came to programming with a panel that included Crazy Rich Asians actor Chris Pang and former Marvel designer Anthony Francisco, plus fan meetings with Jessi and BE’O, attendees were still out in droves for the final day of Vegas festivities even without a concert that night.

We Bridge Music Festival and Expo faced a significant, unexpected difficulty hours before its official kickoff. Still, its ability to be flexible and rise to the moment instead of shying away or pushing ruthlessly forward gave a noted human element among all the K-pop superstars. Ideally, 2024 will be kinder to We Bridge, with the festival-expo able to prove itself even further in the increasingly competitive K-pop event space after such a test run.