All photos by Kelly Sipko

This past week, SEVENTEEN embarked on the North American leg of their Ode to You World Tour. Spanning eight cities coast to coast in their most expansive stateside venture yet—and their first since 2017—SEVENTEEN’s Ode to You is a follow-up to the group’s record-breaking September full-length album, An Ode.

Ever since becoming a Carat and watching the group soar to new heights throughout 2019, it has been my dream to see SEVENTEEN live. After months spent anxiously waiting for tour announcements, I was lucky enough to attend both the Newark and Chicago stops on the tour, making for two of the most unforgettable nights of my life and many others’.

A Triumphant Return, Years in the Making

Aside from annual performances at KCON, SEVENTEEN has not performed on U.S. soil since their 2017 Diamond Edge World Tour, so it’s safe to say anticipation for the group’s return was off the charts. Having grown immensely as artists since 2017, the new-and-improved 2020 version of SEVENTEEN opened the show with their explosive EDM track “Getting Closer.” The past year has seen SEVENTEEN move away from their token “freshteen” concept in favor of darker themes, and the opening to Ode to You highlighted this the best with the boys donning ominous headgear as they lined up around the stage. “Rock” and “CLAP” followed suit, with the group showcasing their incomparable energy and stage presence. Though only three songs in, SEVENTEEN made it clear they had not come to play.

After some of the most hilarious opening introductions including performance team leader Hoshi instructing the crowd on how to correctly pronounce his nickname 10:10 in Korean—10시10분 or yeolsisipbun for inquiring minds—the group launched into some of their more sentimental classics, “THANKS” and “Don’t Wanna Cry.” Despite having already performed three of their most intense choreographies, the boys’ energy had not waned as they sang their hearts out to their fans (I’ll be the first to admit that “THANKS” instantly moved me to tears).

The next segment of the concert featured each of the three units: hip hop team, performance team, and vocal team. The hip hop team started things off with a rock version of “Trauma” and their funky take on winter wonderland “Chilli.” Though the hip hop team and group leader S.Coups was dearly missed due to his ongoing hiatus, Mingyu, Vernon, and Wonwoo filled the arena with infinite swagger. Performance team was up next with a bone-chilling performance of their song “Lilili Yabbay,” followed by the fiery “Shhh,” both of which showed Hoshi, The8, Jun, and Dino’s dancing prowess. Vocal team rounded out the unit performances with touching renditions of “Hug” and “Don’t Listen in Secret” in which members Seungkwan, Woozi, Joshua, Jeonghan, and DK shined.

The hip hop team then joined DK on stage for a performance of special unit song “Can’t See the End” before the remaining members returned to the stage for one of the group’s odes to fans, “Smile Flower.” As any Carat knows, “Smile Flower” is a particularly special song between SEVENTEEN and their fans, in which both promise to be the “spring to each others’ smiles.” Particularly touching was when the group paused to let the audience sing the chorus back to them—there are few things as heartwarming as an arena full of foreign fans singing in full Korean to their idols.

For the mid-concert portion of the performance, SEVENTEEN sang some of their greatest high-energy hits against a theatrical backdrop wherein the members’ wacky personalities took centerstage. Starting off with their debut hit “Adore U,” the boys proved they hadn’t lost any of their youthful fervor. “Pretty U” was up next and particularly unforgettable in that the boys so obviously enjoyed performing it. Considering the song has been a constant on their setlists since 2016, one would expect the energy to have dulled over the years and yet the enthusiasm of each member was so genuine. Recent summer hit “Oh My!” continued the fun, including a particularly funny slow-mo version of the bridge. The segment closed with a full-group performance of Booseoksoon’s (the sub-unit consisting of DK, Hoshi, and Seungkwan) single “Just Do It.”

After a cryptic VCR, the group, now donned in black and white satin, returned to the stage with a sensual performance of “Good to Me.” The Korean version of SEVENTEEN’s Japanese single “Happy Ending” followed, and then the boys rounded out their main set to ear-splitting screams with their latest comeback “Fear.” 

Brought out by fervent cheers, SEVENTEEN kicked off their encore with “9-TEEN” as they bounced around the stage to greet their fans before delivering their heartfelt final comments. Most non-English speakers opted to use a translator, though several members prepared English speeches such as Seungkwan in Chicago:

Thank you all for coming to see us under such cold weather conditions. We are grateful that you came all this way to enjoy the show with us. We promise to come back again. Thank you so much. Love you!

Likewise, DK made his love for Chicago pizza quite clear: “Thank you for giving me great memories of Chicago. I will never forget Chicago pizza. And I love you Chicago Carats.”

SEVENTEEN then roused the crowd even further with an ebullient performance of “HIT” and their signature never-ending encore of “VERY NICE” amidst an alarming amount of confetti. Between about five or six fake endings, the SEVENTEEN members pranced around the venue, jokingly throwing confetti at audience members and each other before finally retiring for the night.

An Ode to Carats

Objectively, Ode to You had it all: the production quality was top-notch, the vocals were live and impeccable, and the precision in the group’s choreography was unparalleled. The setlist had everything from new hits to classics and ballads to bangers. And yet, it was not this flawless formula for a concert that made this performance unforgettable.

I have attended many K-Pop concerts in the U.S. and what sets SEVENTEEN apart from my past experiences is the group’s unmitigated authenticity. It’s understandably difficult for idols to hold concerts overseas: words have to be rehearsed more carefully and in doing so, even the most fun-loving groups can lose some of their candid charm. In their heartfelt attempts to communicate with foreign fans via translators and well-prepared speeches, it can feel like you’re watching a different group from the one you fell in love with through a screen. Yet, somehow, SEVENTEEN was simply SEVENTEEN, and it had very little to do with the fact that they have two fluent English speakers. All 12 members (and surely S.Coups, had he been present) were just themselves. They bickered with each other on stage, they hilariously interjected whenever they could with whatever English they knew, and they were bluntly honest with fans. Furthermore, they flipped the language barrier on its head by instead teaching the audience Korean and instructing them to chant along in the group’s own language. Although I’ve loved every concert I’ve ever attended by any other group, I always thought I wouldn’t be able to have this genuine kind of experience outside of Korea, and yet SEVENTEEN proved me wrong. Instead, they came to me and reassured me that I was just as treasured of a Carat as every other fan—foreign or not.

At the Newark stop, Hoshi surprised fans by joining the random dance play outside the venue where, despite the fact that thousands of fans had begun to line up, no one crowded him. Seungkwan had been upfront in Chicago that they had feared they were not popular enough overseas to fill up their venues and were shocked to see so many fans. And throughout both shows I attended, fans’ cheers were perhaps loudest for S.Coups—an unadulterated expression of love for a member who wasn’t even physically there. There’s truly something special about the relationship between SEVENTEEN and their fans and personally, I went into Ode to You thinking that I had already loved and admired SEVENTEEN as wholly as I could. I left with a heart having grown at least thirteen times its original size.