Finding Family With SEVENTEEN RIGHT HERE

Finding the right artist sometimes feels like finding a long lost friend. For those lucky enough to attend SEVENTEEN’s world tour SEVENTEEN RIGHT HERE, you’re likely to find that and much more. It’s been two years since the K-Pop act last visited the Chicago area and their bonds with each other and their fans seem to have only tightened over time, making for what is sure to be a very treasured tour for any in attendance.

The aura around K-Pop concerts has always been unique: it’s easy to make friends when you already know you have a common interest. But, in the two days that I was able to see SEVENTEEN in concert, it was actually their fans that created what would become a magical atmosphere. It’s usually an artist’s music videos on loop that build the hype for the show, but for me, it was meeting people in line, exchanging fan-made goods, connecting with new-found friends on social media, and bonding over our shared love of SEVENTEEN. I’ve never witnessed such an outright pouring of love from fan to fan in a concert setting and that made me more excited than anything else.

Once the arena had reached capacity, the stage lights burst on, dousing the stage in red as crimson-clad backup dancers entered from every side before Vernon, Wonwoo, and Hoshi rose up on pillars in the middle of the stage. Concerts usually start with high-energy recent releases, like Be The Sun with “HOT.” SEVENTEEN RIGHT HERE, however, took an unorthodox approach, kicking things off with 2019’s “Fear,” a bold choice given its age and the fact that Jeonghan, who is undoubtedly one of the stars of the song, was absent due to military enlistment. And yet, neither circumstance could detract from the experience, especially as the audience grew louder when “Fear” transitioned into its sister track, “Fearless.”

SEVENTEEN are known for their performance energy, but starting things off in this way felt almost feral, and that ferocity only multiplied when they broke into “MAESTRO.” Flexing his skills, performance leader Hoshi began the stage with a conducting baton in hand. The energy was already off the charts, but you could feel that the group was excited to perform this one: the vocals felt otherworldly, especially Seungkwan in the second verse. By the time the stage ended and the members gathered for their introduction, I needed just as much of a breather as they did.

The boys set the mood for the night early on, with Seungkwan and DK already cracking jokes (DK, of course, mentioning his love for Chicago pizza), and fans proved they would match that energy, giving some of the loudest cheers I’ve heard on a tour. Following Hoshi’s signature horanghae introduction (which now includes its own background music), the boys launched into one of their most anticipated performances of the night: “Ash.” SEVENTEEN then moved to the extended stage, continuing with “Crush.” While I was mostly left in awe at their star power (especially at their close proximity at this point), I also found myself impressed at the naturalness with which the other members covered Jeonghan and Jun’s parts. “Crush” requires a supreme air of confidence—something the remaining 11 members easily had despite lacking in numbers.

Following a VCR, the group broke up into unit performances, starting with the Hip-Hop Team’s newest track, “Water.” Despite being released only weeks ago, this song is already a fan-favorite and quickly has gone viral, and you could feel the energy pulsing in the venue. S.Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon then made their way to the extended stage with “Monster,” another song that easily had the crowd at its limit as purple and green lights strobed around the arena.

Performance Team was next, with Hoshi, The8, and Dino carrying the weight of Jun’s absence (he is pursuing his career in China) as they began with their latest release, “Rain,” and yet they more than delivered. “Rain” is an alluring pop track that puts their vocals on display as much as their dancing skills; with the stage covered in soft blue as they performed some of their smoothest choreography yet, it was hard not to be hypnotized. But that did nothing to prepare fans for the next song on the setlist: “Lilili Yabbay.” The song has long been one of their most impressive since its release in 2017, and while they did perform it for Ode to You, the energy was vastly different this time around. The only thing that would have made this performance more lethal would have been seeing it with all four members.

The Vocal Team rounded out the unit stages with their newest song “Candy,” set against a backdrop of a night sky as Carat Bongs (SEVENTEEN’s lightstick) twinkled like stars in the audience. Notably, and wholesomely, they left Jeonghan’s vocals in the recording instead of covering his parts. As Joshua, Woozi, DK, and Seungkwan transitioned into “Cheers to youth,” the concert reached what was one of the most memorable moments for me. Carats know there is something special about the way Seungkwan looks at fans, and on the first night in Rosemont, I was lucky enough to be close to his side of the stage. Hearing his voice live is already a blessing, but being able to see his face as he looked at Carats with such love brought tears to my eyes. I have been to many concerts of many different artists, but there’s just something different about Boo Seungkwan that made the moment feel very human.

The full group then came back for their typical mid-show antics, where they cranked up the comedy. Honestly, it’s hard to explain what was happening, but that’s the charm of SEVENTEEN. They started with “Oh My!” where they battled inflatable versions of their representative animal counterparts before bursting into “Snap Shoot.” Leave it to SEVENTEEN to have a full-blown circus in the middle of their own concert. 

“God of Music” wrapped up the sillier portion of the show, with the circus vibes going full festival as the boys, very appropriately, sang about the universal language of music as streamers rained down on the audience. In my opinion, if there was one song that encapsulates the pure joy that is the SEVENTEEN RIGHT HERE tour, it’s this one.

The members took a breather, cracking more jokes and singing small portions of songs not on the setlist. Once the mood calmed down, they transitioned into a song I’ve been waiting to hear for nearly six years: “Home.” The song is already sentimental, but as much as I’ve longed to hear it, I’ve longed even more to do the fanchant with them in person. Any U.S.-based K-Pop fan knows that fanchants are not widely known stateside; as such, “Home,” released in early 2019, is not the song for which I expected a full U.S. arena to know the fanchant. And yet, as I cried my way through the chant, I could hear the entire audience doing the same. On the second night of the show, I sat quite close to the stage and the pleasant surprise was evident on both Mingyu and Seungkwan’s faces as they took out their in-ears to do the chant alongside Carats. It will undoubtedly remain one of my fondest memories as a K-Pop fan.

A final VCR brought the main portion of the concert to a close with an English version of the group’s newest title track, “LOVE, MONEY, FAME (feat. DJ Khaled).” SEVENTEEN wrapped up the main setlist with “March” and finally an incredibly powerful performance of “Super.”

As the members left the stage, a karaoke session began for fans featuring the likes of “CHEERS,” “Rock with you,” “Back it up,” and more. SEVENTEEN rejoined the party with their debut song “Adore U.” They then bounced around the stage to “‘bout you” before returning to the main stage for their ending comments. Earlier in the week, composer Woozi had written a very honest post on Weverse, where he alluded to personal struggles regarding his music and more. When it came time for his farewell, the screams were deafening—particularly on the first night of the tour. I’ve been in very loud audiences. And I’ve seen foreign audiences not know when to step down and let the idol talk. But these unending cheers felt different, and Woozi, who is usually quick to cut them off, just sat back in awe and listened. It felt like an incredibly personal moment of communication, in which the barrier of language did not matter, between artist and fan. It’s hard to explain the difference in words, but I’m sure any person in Allstate Arena felt it.

“Campfire,” a song about SEVENTEEN’s memories with each other, served as the perfect pick-me-up to lead into the encore. Here, the members took turns between performing and singling out fans with song and dance challenges to “VERY NICE,” “Snap Shoot,” “CALL CALL CALL!,” and “HIT.” The second night in Rosemont proved even more candid, with SEVENTEEN forgoing the available prerecorded instrumentals, choosing to accommodate fan wishes in a capella fashion such as when the members of BSS sang their song “Fighting (Feat. Lee Youngji)” for a trio of fans dressed as Seungkwan, Hoshi, and DK.

After a half hour of directly engaging with fans in the closest seats and the nosebleeds, the group closed the night with several rounds of “Holiday,” reminiscent of the encore for the Seoul stop of their Ode to You tour. They also continuously busted into the dance move from the 2018 music video for “Holiday” directed by Wonwoo. SEVENTEEN encores are always fun, but this one especially felt like I was watching a close group of friends have fun with thousands of their other friends as well. While some may have been surprised at the lack of a traditional never-ending “VERY NICE” encore, I love that the boys changed things up and I personally couldn’t have thought of a more perfect ending to a wonderful night.

It’s hard to put into words how special these two concerts were for me. Recency bias will typically have you thinking the last concert you attended was the best. But for me, this experience was by far the most precious: not just because of SEVENTEEN, but because of the beautiful relationship they’ve fostered with their fans and the way that admiration has further blossomed between fans themselves. Long before SEVENTEEN graced the stage, I was making memories with some of the nicest strangers I’ve ever met. It was a space filled with love for an artist and the little corner of K-Pop that they’ve made into a home. I’ve had better seats, I’ve seen SEVENTEEN as 13 instead of 11, and I’ve seen the group perform songs newer fans could only dream of experiencing live, and yet, the SEVENTEEN RIGHT HERE tour might just be the one I hold most dear. Because of SEVENTEEN, because of Carats, and because of what it feels like to have found a family with both. And if there really is a God of Music out there, I thank them for giving us SEVENTEEN.

EventsKelly SipkoSEVENTEEN, Pledis Entertainment, Boy GroupsComment