P1Harmony Rocks the House in Washington D.C.
On a blustery Sunday evening in the nation’s capital, a great number of fans gathered at the entrances of Warner Theater, excited to finally meet P1Harmony in person. Despite the chill in the air, the excitement was palpable as everyone piled into the venue in time for the show to start promptly at 7:30 p.m.
The boys wasted no time in bringing unbelievable energy and excitement into the crowd, opening the show with “Pyramid,” “Bop,” and “Do It Like This.” The energy in the room showcased the dedication of P1ECE, but also how much many of us have missed the chance to see live music during the pandemic. Even for someone who wasn’t a massive fan of the group, there was an infectious feeling in the air. P1Harmony had an undeniably strong performance and presence and captivated the audience in their opening tracks.
The crowd broke into loud cheers as the first ment took place and each member introduced himself in his own unique way. Even from the start, Jiung’s energy was particularly infectious, and he managed to keep that up throughout the show. After the introductions, the boys shifted to a slower tone with “Before The Dawn,” easing the energy in the crowd from excitement to a more tender note as the boys expressed their sincere feelings through the song. The energy returned to the nines as they kicked it up a notch with “That’s It” and “Reset.” The group’s strong performance ability was noticeable as the sharp choreography was particularly captivating and it felt like the vitality of the performance itself made each track so much more hype.
As the second ment commenced, Soul scampered off the stage while Keeho kept the crowd occupied in a discussion to give Soul time to prepare his solo stage. Once enough time had passed and Soul was ready, the unit stages began. The dancer kicked off with a solo dance performance, one that showed that the young boy has some serious talent despite his age. Dancing along with his music and the on-beat crowd chant of “Go Soul!,” the teenager's strong dance seemed complicated even for a senior performer.
Next up came the vocal duo of Theo and Jiung who performed a duet of Justin Bieber’s “Off My Face.” Their stage stood in stark contrast to Soul’s electric performance, with vocal prowess taking up all the attention as they sat across from each other on stools. The duo’s vocals really shined in this cover, especially at the jaw dropping harmonization they displayed during the chorus. For the final unit, Keeho, Intak, and Jongseob lit a fire in the audience with their rap performance of “Big Three.” There was a point where they also staged a technical difficulty, and for a moment it was pretty believable, until they ramped it back up to 100 once again.
After a quick transition video, the boys came out again in new outfits to perform “If You Call Me” and “Butterfly.” I was really struck by the beautiful performance of “Butterfly.” The unique and strong choreography left an impression on me at how synchronized and fluid they were. After the third ment they performed “Scared” and “SIREN” before taking another quick break to ask the audience which title track was their favorite. Keeho then woefully told the crowd they would then be performing their last track for the night, “Follow Me.”
Of course, an encore followed the “final performance” of the night. During that intermission, a vlog shot by Keeho played on screen of the members practicing for the tour, and it showed a lot of character of the group. As someone who had not dived deep into P1Harmony, this vlog portion was very charming and helped in presenting each of the members’ personality, which I enjoyed very much.
For the encore, they opened up with the sentimental “Peacemaker” before taking the celebratory tour stop photo. The show closed out on the latest release “Do It Like This” English version and finale “AYAYA,” with the boys taking time to interact with the audience and each other rather than focusing on choreography.
For someone who has spent years in the K-Pop space and watched tours transform from intimate venues to stadium shows, there’s something so refreshing about seeing a new group return to those smaller venues. It’s true that K-Pop has grown exponentially and as a result, the concert experience with our faves sometimes feels less special than these smaller venues. Having the chance to experience P1Harmony’s performance up close in such a setting brought back nostalgic memories and provided a space to really appreciate the group’s talents.
Even if you’re not a fan of them, don’t miss the chance to see P1Harmony perform. I promise the experience will be a blast.
Edited by Aleena Faisal