13-member K-pop group SEVENTEEN is no stranger to missing members during performances—sometimes, schedules are misaligned, and sometimes, someone falls ill. During these instances, however, there’s never more than one or two members MIA. When four of the members took a hiatus due to compulsory military enlistment over the past two years, however, fans were left wondering if the full group would take a hiatus or focus on only promoting in units.
Taking everyone by surprise, the nine active members announced a world tour, [NEW_]. Though four of the 13 members were not present, the performing members still carried a stage presence that filled the entire stage in Los Angeles at BMO Stadium. Taking this opportunity to show different stages and sides of themselves, the group known as the “theatre kids of K-pop” put on a show that was fresh and new, even 10 years into their careers. Their fans, known as CARATs, were constantly in awe, screaming, laughing, and cheering the whole time during their hours-long concert.
As always, the group showed off their natural, playful personalities, bringing smiles to their fans’ faces with their silly antics. SEUNGKWAN read off a fan’s sign that asked him to be their boo (since his surname is Boo), repeating the question back to CARATs with a tinge of embarrassment. DK, decked in full Dodgers gear, made sure to pay homage to the city’s beloved baseball team. He mimicked the team’s celebratory gesture for home runs, declaring his love for performing in LA because he can wear his Dodgers gear, announcing their NLCS win, and shouting “Go Dodgers!” whenever he could. LA native JOSHUA mentioned exploring the city with his members, feeling a little sad at how much has changed around LA, but not letting that dampen his mood because the one constant was CARATs and their love.
THE 8 also shared the group’s thoughtfulness with the crowd when explaining this year’s tour slogan. Each year, the members come up with a slogan that begins with “SEVENTEEN, CARAT, 짝짝 (clap clap)” and the tour title, along with a symbol or movement, to represent the tour. This year, the group’s symbol was the shaka sign (
). THE 8 explained that it was a combination of representing SEVENTEEN’s new group rings, since they always wear the rings on their pinkies, and the fact that CARATs are the best, hence the thumbs up. Throughout the night, this symbol was ever-present.
SEVENTEEN really emphasized their love for CARATs throughout the show through the thoughtful production of the show, high quality performances, and their to fan-favorite long-lasting bits like the never-ending “AJU NICE” encore. Nearly every song had some special effect, whether it was confetti, streamers, or pyrotechnics, and oftentimes, even the confetti and streamers themselves had extra details. In many instances, the confetti and streamers were Rose Quartz and Serenity colored, honoring the group’s beloved official colors. During “Darl+ing,” the group opted for rainbow confetti instead, but even made them heart shaped. After the show came to an end, fans could be seen scrambling around the floor and lower bowl trying to collect them as keepsakes.
The show also surprisingly featured a mix of older and newer SEVENTEEN tracks, along with several B-side tracks. Of course, newer tracks “HBD,” “Thunder,” and “Domino” kicked off the show, but deeper cuts such as JOSHUA, JUN, THE 8, and VERNON’s “Network Love” and Performance Team’s “Highlight” also spurred on raucous cheers from the unsuspecting crowd. Choreography-centric title tracks “HOT,” “HIT,” and “Rock With You,” also made it to the setlist, with leader S.COUPS even doing his best to perfectly execute the difficult choreography despite his knee injury. Even during talking segments, the group threw in a few snippets of tracks such as JOSHUA and VERNON’s “2 MINUS 1,” “Ready To Love,” “DON QUIXOTE,” and “Rock.”
Though SEVENTEEN has performed solo stages in the past during their annual Caratland fanmeeting, this was also their first time bringing their official solo tracks stateside. Each member showed off a different, new side of themselves, fitting for the title of the tour. These performances were prepared thoughtfully, with lightstick color synchronization to match the large stage screens and overall atmosphere of each song, and transitions between each solo track to connect each performance. DINO kicked off the solo performances, before facing off with JUN. Their contrasting black and light purple outfits were visually striking. JUN ended his performance with a dramatic blackout, only for the lights to immediately reveal VERNON onstage with an electric guitar, ready to serenade the crowd.
JOSHUA’s stage was highlighted with beautiful warm tones. As he walked down a road, DK walked up the same one with a bright smile. DK’s performance finished with a burst of yellow confetti as he stood on the extended stage, looking back towards the main stage, where SEUNGKWAN appeared with a grand piano. A greatly appreciated consideration is that the lid of the piano was transparent, ensuring the main vocalist’s face would be visible through the piano.
Up until this point, the solo performances were calm and cool and then the final segment took a turn. Lighter tones turned darker, and the beats grew heavier, as THE 8 performed “Skyfall,” an EDM track paired with intense choreography suited to the Performance Team member. At the end of the song, the blue lighting suddenly turned red, and MINGYU appeared nonchalantly on stage. The rapper continued the energetic vibe as he performed his upbeat EDM rap track, and the final notes of his instrumental remixed into S.COUPS’ song, “Jungle,” as the leader himself appeared center stage.
The connected yet separated solo stages brought the show toward its end, when they finished off with “Rock with You” that featured a drum solo by DK. As fans know, a SEVENTEEN show is not complete without a lengthy encore. Their iconic character BONGBONGIE appeared on stage for a special DJ set, remixing songs from all eras of the group’s career to keep the energy up, and soon enough, the nine members reappeared on stage for the highlight of the show: the encore.
For the first three songs of the encore, SEVENTEEN went around the floor of the venue on push carts, similar to what they did during last year’s tour. This time, however, the group went even further as they paused between each song, letting the fans towards the back have an opportunity to really see them up close for a longer period of time. This new experience was also paired with a comical yet meaningful set of songs, as SEVENTEEN performed “A-TEEN,” “9-TEEN,” and “20.” Each of these tracks are from a different era of the group’s career, including a sweet treat with one of the Vocal Team’s first unit songs, and the comedic tie-in by counting from 17 to 20 was a inside joke for fans. Diving deeper, it also served as a reminder that the group spent their teen years and early twenties with CARATs, sharing their youth and growing up together.
The encore itself was nearly an hour long, with an onslaught of various other songs from throughout the group’s career. “Eyes On You” kicked off this final burst of energy, along with snippets from songs “Left & Right,” “CALL CALL CALL!,” the Performance Team’s “Spell,” the Hip Hop Team’s “BACK IT UP,” the Vocal Team’s “Come to Me,” and “SUPER.” This was yet another new experience for CARATs, as the group usually dives straight into their last song. This new never-ending experience did eventually lead to the infamous “AJU NICE,” which was performed a total of four times. As tradition goes, SEVENTEEN would invite a fan to sing the prelude before everyone joins in to sing the chorus. CARATs came prepared with creative and silly concepts. On night one, one CARAT chose to do a three-part harmony with her friends, and another chose to do a manual EDM remix, much to the members’ delight. On night two, one fan prepared a Wicked version, and another prepared a “Hot Guy” version. The last “AJU NICE” of the night was done altogether with the entire crowd, befitting of a show designed for SEVENTEEN to connect with CARATs.
Once the music finally came to a stop, it was time for fans to leave the venue. The members left with promises to return for a never-ending show with all 13 members together, and fans left smiling from ear to ear with their arms full of CARAT-colored confetti and streamers, and their hearts full of love. Even 10 years into their career and whilst missing four of their members, SEVENTEEN still put together a show full of intention and love for their fans. Showcasing the music they group has shared with fans throughout their entire career, the show delivered nostalgia, yet everything felt new. The group performed songs that often are unperformed, prepared never-before-seen stages for audiences in the States, and showed their evolution as performers. For anyone doubting the group could put on a memorable show without JEONGHAN, HOSHI, WONWOO, and WOOZI, the current active members certainly proved them wrong with an unforgettable concert.
