Psy has new music video. World hits 'play' button.
Suppose they gave a war and everybody decided they wanted to go to a dance party instead?
That鈥檚 pretty much what happened on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, at least for today, as pop-star Psy performed his new song 鈥淕entleman鈥� in a mega concert broadcast live via YouTube.
OK, the whole world wasn鈥檛 tuned in live on April 13. After all, Psy鈥檚 鈥淗appening Concert鈥� in South Korea occurred at a time when the typical resident of New York was rolling out of bed to walk the dog.
But it鈥檚 safe to say that lots of people will be clicking online, one way or another, to find out if Psy鈥檚 latest number compares to his 鈥�Gangnam Style,鈥� the dance number that set YouTube records last year.
That global response remains to be seen.
But those who tuned in to the 鈥淗appening鈥� show were treated to the theatric equivalent of a 鈥渟hock and awe鈥� bombardment. Fireworks. Thumping upbeat rhythms. Giant video screens on which Psy鈥檚 head merged at one point onto Beyonce鈥檚 body. And of course, Psy and his backup dancers gyrating up and down a massive stage.
North Korea, your missile tests have just met their match.
Really. Such an overwhelming show of indulgent, pop-culture force is enough to distract everyone from real tensions in the region. Or so it seems if you watch the video. Saber rattling generals might as well just put down their binoculars and go home.
Psy, for one, has expressed something along that line 鈥� saying he hopes North Koreans enjoy his songs.
At a press conference before the concert, he described the political division of the Korean peninsula as a "tragedy" and said he wanted North Korean people to share in the "fun and happiness" of his music.
"Tonight me and 50,000 Korean people 鈥� we are going to sing out loud. We are going to shout out loud and we are really close to them, so they can hear," he said, according to the news agency AFP.
Perhaps Monday will bring back headlines about diplomatic tensions. (In fact those headlines were there Saturday, too, right along with coverage of Psy鈥檚 concert.)
But consider again: With so many hips moving like that onstage, who needs nuclear weapons?
