ITZY Is The New Girl Group That Could - CHECKMATE THE WORLD TOUR IN CHICAGO REVIEW
By Adrianna Dreckman
I would like to say from the beginning that girl groups in K-Pop are not my expertise. I know a good amount about TWICE and Blackpink. Still, my level of boy groups is still astronomically high in comparison. But this year a little song about putting your favorite pair of tennis shoes on has dominated the kpop space. Sneakers by ITZY is a song I hum every time I put on my sneakers and I wish that was a joke. So when I was asked if I would like to attend the Chicago date of ITZY’s first world tour, Checkmate, I couldn’t resist the opportunity. Like I said, I am a hardcore boy group enjoyer, this was the perfect time for me to get outside my own personal kpop preferences and try something new.
ITZY is one of the junior girl groups signed to JYP Entertainment where big groups such as Stray Kids and TWICE live. ITZY debuted in early 2019 but with COVID sidelining a lot of developments of new projects into 2020 ITZY is still a relatively new group. ITZY consists of five members ranging in age between 19 and 22. Those members are Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryong, and Yuna.
I’ve noticed more during this concert than in previous performances that JYPE is very meticulous about the live show experience for every group under their label. Before the show even starts you are greeted with a preroll “hype” video of every group signed to JYPE and their most recent release. It feels very much like a commercial or a preview of an upcoming showcase. I do enjoy these videos before the show because it gives fans something to do and look at rather than a void of production. I saw this same video back in July during the Stray Kids Maniac World Tour when I first started writing about Korean pop music. This time this preroll was updated with the most current releases of each group which was met with ear-piercing fanfare each time. After the preroll the ITZY opening VCR* began with a mysterious and captivating video about two themes. Chess and Revenge…and by the way, I love chess. 10/10 for the aesthetic so far.
*VCR in kpop means a time in the show where a prerecorded video is shown. This is a time for audience members to sit and take a break while the idols usually change outfits and prepare for the next stage of songs.
I want to take a moment to admire ITZY’s light “sticks”. As I’ve mentioned in previous reviews, nearly every K-Pop group shortly after debut puts on sale a Lightstick. A lightstick is a intricale part of every K-Pop show. In bigger shows and in newer models these lightsticks have the ability to sync with the venue and create beautiful visuals in the audience. Think, Coldplay or Bad Bunny’s light up wristbands given out to fans on their respective tours this year. Except the difference between those is that a lighstick is a essentially a high tech bluetooth device that can be used in and outside of a venue and it comes with the pretty price tag averaging around $65 to $90 dollars. They’re an investment for sure but very important to the experience and ultimately is considered one of the most valuable pieces of merchandise you can have to support your favorite group if you can get your hands on one. ITZY’s lightstick gets rid of the concept of a “stick” and switches it out for a literal ring. Yes, a light ring. I kept calling them the TRON discs during the show, referencing the 2011 Disney remake, Tron Legacy because it looks straight out of the movie. Honestly, its the coolest one I’ve seen so far on the market.
Right from the jump, the stark difference in the crowd for girl groups versus boy groups is very clear. The most notable? The men. The first row was completely filled with men. Again, I’m a boy group gal, even before K-Pop I’ve always just never seen men at pop shows before or if I did there are very few. It was fun to see both men and women just going absolutely berserk when the opening stage began. I, myself, found a completely absurd scream leave my mouth when I watched all five members of ITZY begin the dance break of “What I Want”.
Girl groups, in my opinion, are under complete scrutiny when it comes to boy groups. Everything must be perfect and precise so it seems. They must look and act a certain way and I felt like in the first stage of the performance you could see how poignant those factors were. Each move was perfectly timed with no room for error. It actually made me a little sad because you could see how much work and effort they were putting in and ending up breathless and tired by the time the next Ment* started.
*kpop slang for dedicated time in between stages for speaking between idols and fans
One of the biggest highlights of the night for me was the individual member solo performances. Member Ryujin covered Boss Bitch by Doja Cat with a fiery performance on par with Doja’s signature style. Member Yuna covered Maniac by Conan Gray with a very fun performance including a bike ride around the stage. Member Lia did a beautiful cover of Taylor Swift’s Red that had everyone on their feet. Later, Member Chaeryong covered Ariana Grande’s bloodline in a very seductive performance complete with table walking and intricate dance breaks. Then finally, Member Yeji kept the powerful women in music covers going with a performance of Hotter Than Hell by Dua Lipa which had everyone barking…yes, BARKING at her afterward. There was actually quite a bit of barking during a lot of the brief breaks during the show that ITZY very innocently called “Oohs” when they were very clearly…aggressive dog barking sounds (something Chicago specifically is known for lately).
In the last few stages of the show the group powered through a bunch of punchy songs like their most recent English single, Boys Like You (my personal new favorite) and of course, their recent hit Sneakers. The crowd was never bored. I watch grown men and women go into the aisle to copy the moves they were watching on stage. I watched middle school girls probably do their first act of concert rebellion and sneak their way to empty seats closer to the stage to watch their idols. Towards the end of the show, member Chaeryong made the formal announcement to the crowd about their upcoming Comeback* that was announced earlier that day called, Cheshire which will be out on November 30th. The crowd whipped into a frenzy considering that’s just less than 3 weeks away.
*in kpop, Comeback essentially means upcoming new release. This is usually a single preluding an album or just a date where a mini album will be released and the promotion that follows it. They’re a big deal. When you see Comeback just think Big Deal.
I feel like ITZY, who debuted in 2019 prior to the pandemic, are on the cusp of a really great stride in their career at the moment. With the success of Sneakers, there are lots of fresh eyes on them from fans who may have stuck by the sides of Girl Groups such as Blackpink and TWICE. The five women on stage feel happy to be there and seem grateful to finally be embarking on their first proper world tour. I think that ITZY is just at the beginning stage of their career still and is still trying to differentiate themselves from the crowd of girl groups saturating the kpop market right now. In my opinion, there is still plenty of room for them to musically and I look forward to seeing what that looks like. Confidently I can say that I think in two years from now there’s going to be a whole lot of people who will regret not seeing ITZY this early in their career.
Cheshire, the mini album by ITZY is expected to release on November 30th, 2022.