K-Pop Giants SEVENTEEN Bring "Be The Sun" Tour to the US
By Adrianna Dreckmann
Roughly sixty days ago is where I could pinpoint the moment when my fascination with K-Pop became a journey into real "standom". Like most, I’ll credit BTS with being the crack into that world. Then after, by sheer coincidence, I stumbled into the live performance aspect of K-Pop when I saw Stray Kids live at the United Center in Chicago last month (you can read that review HERE). At the time, I didn’t think K-Pop could get any more excessive than eight members, then I met SEVENTEEN. No, they don’t have seventeen members, but they do have thirteen. When I planned to see SEVENTEEN in Chicago I thought it would be more fun to go in blind, look up a few songs, and enjoy the experience as it happened to me. Then one search on youtube and suddenly I find myself watching a few hours of a variety show called “Going Seventeen” and googling “What is The8’s real name?." You could say that I was going into this concert anything but blind now. My credit card could also agree when four days before the concert I bought a rare and last minute opened fifth-row VIP ticket. I’m embarrassed to admit to the impulsivity but it’s true.
Thursday morning comes around, I arrived at the United Center at 8 am where about a hundred fans were already queuing outside for an early merch shopping opportunity (myself included) but the most coveted item was the official SEVENTEEN Light Stick that has been sold out at every store and online shop for months ahead of their upcoming United States Tour. Once in line, fangirls from all spots in the line went down the row passing out fan-made items like photo cards, bracelets, candy, and other gifts completely for free and for the love of their favorite group. My purse was full of packaged goodies of my “bias” (favorite member of the group) before I even got my fancy new diamond pink and blue light stick in my hand that afternoon. The United Center in Chicago was completely dressed for the arrival of Seventeen. Every LED board was covered in bright orange and promotional photos of the group. Free boba drinks were given out from local vendors, customized cup sleeves, and more freebies, and giveaways were organized by the staff and the fans. The energy was positive from the beginning.
Around 5 pm was soundcheck time. I haven’t felt this sort of excitement about a VIP experience since I was sixteen. Granted back then those experiences were a tad less expensive, a little bit longer, and didn’t have covid restrictions but the joy and excitement of feeling special and important still felt the same. Very suddenly and unannounced, all thirteen members took the stage in casual attire and greeted the VIP fans all around the long catwalk. I’ll be honest it kind of took my breath away just to see such a casual viewing of a K-Pop group right in front of me.
Chicago was the first show since their Oakland stop a week prior where all thirteen members were healthy and free of a COVID diagnosis. During VIP it was clear the joy on their faces to have a complete unit of thirteen members again. The soundcheck consisted of three songs, all of them on the setlist that night, "Crush", "Darling", and "Rock With You" (all personal favorites of mine by the way). Member Joshua did most of the general peaking in between each song while other members made face time with their fans (Carats) from the front to the back of the stage. At one point even I got a little nod and a personal wave from my current favorite member, The8. The whole experience was maybe 15 minutes and I’ll admit that it was still a lovely 15 minutes despite the price point.
As fans piled into the arena they were greeted with a playlist of music videos but no reaction was quite as loud as when the official music video for the SVT LEADERS track “Cheers” played on screen. “Cheers” is an official Seventeen song but only done by the Leader Unit consisting of members S. Coups, Hoshi, and Woozi who each lead their own “unit” which are the Hip Hop, Performance, and Vocal units respectively. "Cheers" is SEVENTEEN’s own started-from-the-bottom-now-we’re-here anthem. With its melodic and attention-grabbing flute introduction and punchy choreography, it’s easily become a fan favorite in the short time it’s been released and fans are begging to see live.
Then when the show began, in true K-Pop live theatrics, all thirteen members took the stage facing away from the audience and turned to us in a flash of orange light and pyrotechnics as if to scream “we are here!”. Then the driving chords of their current hit song, “Hot” began and you could hear nearly every patron in that place scream before the climax even came. After the first stage, the members took the time to introduce themselves one by one in their best (and most practiced) English. I was surprised by how seamless it was for the audience to understand what was being said via their translator. They didn’t depend on their translator a whole lot and the audience clung to each word in varying degrees of silence just to be sure they wouldn’t miss anything. Hell, there are thirteen members. There were things that happened that I didn’t even know happened until I went on Twitter that night and saw a video of it.
The second stage of the show consisted of the units and subunits having dedicated time on stage away from all thirteen total members. The performance team consists of Hoshi, The8, Jun, and Dino graced the stage in sheer, white, and diamonds against the backdrop of what I can only describe as a sort of sauna sexy steam shower-like stage production design. In short, it was sexy. Their refreshed version of the song “Moonwalker” was easily one of the main highlights of the show with how in sync and calculated each choreographed move was. The confidence of the performance team was so focused it was almost like the crowd wasn’t there to them and it was just the four members.
The second unit, the vocal team consists of members: Woozi, DK, Joshua, Jeonghan, and Seungkwan graced the stage in all blue and a stage design that was like a dichotomy of space and the earth. The vocal team’s performance was like the calm eye in the center of a storm. The vocal team’s performance "Imperfect Love" off their 9th EP, Attacca, was a heavily fought-for addition to the setlist from Carats online. Rightfully so, as the gorgeous performance ended with slowly falling white confetti that fans were already scooping up to put in their light stick as decoration.
The third and final unit, the hip hop team consists of members: S.Coups, Mingyu, Vernon, and Wonwoo. Arguably the most anticipated unit performance of the night as the two Hip Hop unit songs “GAM3 BO1” and “Back It Up” brings high pulsating hyperpop-like beats and confident flows that brings everyone in that crowd to their knees. I heard several patrons near me say all sorts of levels of profanity and “that's so hot!” before, during, and after.
After the individual unit teams performed, the thirteen members returned to grace the stage with rehearsed skits and the most interactive songs in their catalog. As a group, their personalities on stage don’t falter compared to the content put out by their official channels. They appear to be unapologetically themselves and happy to be present with each other. Left and Right was a prime example of this. Then, everyone’s favorite and most meme-d song: "VERY NICE". It began and fans knew wouldn’t be the last time they’d hear it tonight, the members themselves knew it too. Later, the iconic "VERY NICE" (or "AJU NICE") was played a total of seven times to the dehydrated crowd who would gladly take one more "AJU NICE" over a glass of water if asked.
Towards the end of the show, the members came back out with their own merchandise and casual attire. They took a seat on stage and spent time personally thanking the crowd for coming and reflecting on how a few years ago they barely filled this exact same room. When I listened to these final speeches of the night I only had one real thought in my head about how this made me feel.
While BTS has taken a brief step away from the live stage and the intense schedules as a group, there leaves a space in the now of K-Pop in America that is waiting and wanting to be filled. There won’t ever be another BTS or a group that will be able to replicate the success they’ve had. However, there is a SEVENTEEN and I do think they have the chops to break the American mainstream, and right now feels like we’re witnessing the cusp of that big break. As much as I am a huge fan and it breaks my heart a little to not have them as my own little secret enjoyment anymore, I think the success that is awaiting them beyond Korea is just around the corner. I could feel that hunger from the thirteen men from South Korea in that room that night.
The last stage consisted of the Carat dedicated track “Darl+ing” and the sentimental “Our dawn is hotter than day”. Then with every last bit of energy left in the crowd, the members kicked into their fun and fan-interactive “Snap Shoot”. At one point during the dance break member, Mingyu did what I could only describe as an “I just watched Magic Mike for the first time” style body roll dance and was then ultimately chased around the stage by Seungkwan and DK who were trying to get his shirt off much to the crowd’s delight. Little moments like that all around the stage by different members capped the night and later flooded Twitter in the form of fancams and TikToks. And finally, before leaving the stage the never-ending "AJU NICE" played a whopping *six* times. The high note each time was sung by different fans, and the dance breaks were done by different fans with a spotlight shining on them in different sections. To put it simply, it was all so much fun. Serotonin was burning out of me and before it was all over I looked to my left while the crowd was looking right and I caught a little personal wave from DK that later caused me to shed a tear in the lobby of the arena.
Leaving the SEVENTEEN concert caused me to be "hungover" for two days after. I just felt emotionally exhausted from all the fun I had and the serotonin I burned. However, I think that’s a testament to the type of show they try to put on. You’ll never be bored at a SEVENTEEN concert and you’ll never leave with regret that you showed up.
Rumors have already been floating online and from the members themselves about a 2023 US tour with even bigger venues to be expected. The group recently won a VMA for Push Performance of the Year with their live video of Rock With You and was also nominated for the legacy Best New Artist VMA as well. Sector 17, their latest release, is available now and you can watch their most recent music video “_World” below!