‘K-pop’ Concert Comes to Carlsbad

By R. Gabriel Villalobos

Carlsbad is about to see something it has never seen before: its first K-pop concert.

On April 11, the Walter Gerrells Performing Arts Center will host “K-POP WARRIORS: THE SHOW,” a high-energy performance that organizer Curtis McKinney says is part concert, part dance production, and part theatrical experience.

“This is kind of a unique show,” McKinney said. “When I was first approached with it, I didn’t even know what K-pop was.”

That changed after he started reading online about the genre and its growing popularity. K-pop has become a worldwide phenomenon, known not just for catchy songs but for polished choreography, elaborate visuals, and a fan base that spans generations and continents.

“I was like, ‘My gosh, we’re really missing the boat,’” he said. “It’s everywhere.”

McKinney’s path to the concert business began long before this show was ever imagined. Though he was born in Chicago, his family moved to Carlsbad when he was three years old. His father worked first in the potash mines and later at WIPP before retiring, and McKinney said he has spent most of his life in the community.

“I’ve lived in other places, but always came back,” he said.

His career started in radio, where he eventually built a syndicated rock show that aired on about 200 stations across the United States and also reached listeners in Japan and Europe. For McKinney, though, the desire to produce live events in Carlsbad goes back even further. One of his earliest efforts involved asking Aaron’s Rent to Own if he could hold a concert in their parking lot.

“I didn’t have any money,” he said. “I was really broke.”

When it came time to promote the show, he said the cost of advertising seemed out of reach. Then he caught a break from Don Hughes at Carlsbad Radio, who offered him a Friday night slot for $300. McKinney maxed out a credit card to pay for it, but the gamble paid off.

“I did a rock show on 104, and it just took off,” he said.

That early success helped launch a career that eventually brought him back to Carlsbad in a bigger role. McKinney books all the shows at the center. Now, he said, the goal is to turn the venue back into a regular concert destination. The K-pop show is part of that effort, but it also reflects a broader change in how McKinney thinks about programming. As he has gotten older, he said, he has come to place more value on diversity in entertainment and on bringing in events that appeal to different audiences.

That has led to newer offerings such as Norteno shows, youth-focused events, and family-friendly productions. He said the K-pop concert, he said, fits that direction well.

“We’re trying to get into more kids’ shows,” McKinney said.

Ticket sales, he said, have been strong, but the show also has a charitable side. McKinney said he and co-promoter Sergio Jimenez are setting aside tickets for foster children and children with special needs, including some through the CARC Farm. CARC is a Carlsbad nonprofit that serves children and adults with developmental disabilities through housing, work, day care, and other support programs. Every foster and special needs child are welcome to attend the 3 p.m. show free of charge.

He said the show’s success gives him the ability to make that kind of donation without hurting the event financially.

The concert is also part of a much larger schedule for McKinney this spring. Along with the K-pop show, he is preparing for Hawgfest, an 11-day event beginning April 23 that will feature concerts, a carnival, food trucks, charity involvement, and multiple stages.

But before Hawgfest gets underway, all eyes will be on April 11 and a performance that promises to bring something new to town.

For Carlsbad, that first K-pop concert is more than just another show. It is a sign of how the local entertainment scene is broadening and opening itself to audiences whose interests may not have been reflected on stage before. And for McKinney, who has spent much of his life trying to build that stage, it is another chance to give the city something it has never had before.