In a cutthroat industry full of corruption and maltreatment, we always want to see an authentic and genuine success story. It’s rare to see a group from a small company succeed in the industry, with many groups disbanding quickly and never even getting their first music show win, despite how talented they may be. ATEEZ is one of those groups we’ve watched build their popularity over the past six years, finally gaining recognition for their hard work, creativity, and talent. From small concert halls to sold out stadium stops, ATEEZ continues to prove why they have earned this popularity in the U.S. with their latest tour, Towards the Light.

Excellent performance is what has made ATEEZ stand out from the crowd thus far in their career, and that continues to reign true as the group greeted the stage in black sparkling jackets. The show kicked off with energy at a full 100% with “Crazy Form,” the arena in D.C. erupting in roaring cheers. The crowd would continue their energy as the boys moved to the extended stage to perform “Say My Name” and “WIN” before taking the time to move backstage for their first costume change of the night. 

Much of the theatrical performance related to ATEEZ’s deep and explorative lore was put on display for the next series of songs on the setlist. Their extensive universe is another point that many people praise, and much of that lore was incorporated into the story of Towards the Light. With costume changes, Hongjoong, Yunho, and San all had brief solo acts, and many fans commented on Yunho’s acting abilities during his brief solo dance performance at this point in the show. The next two tracks performed, both from The World EP.2: Outlaw EP, caused probably the most discussion online when the performances first dropped. “This World” opens from San’s dance solo, and the following “Wake Up” performance has caused huge waves through the entire K-Pop industry for the surprisingly provocative choreography. And yes, I would argue it’s as lethal as it appears on videos online.

Continuing through their rebel space pirate lore tracks, Hongjoong came out for his killer electric guitar solo to introduce a fan favorite track, “Guerilla (Flag Ver).” The absolutely iconic “Break the Wall” chant shook the arena, as it has in every stop on the tour thus far. After all the heart-stopping excitement, the members took a break for their first ment and introduction to a roaring crowd. The immersion of the show continued as Mingi opened up the next stage with a solo rap before the members joined to perform another fan favorite, “Cyberpunk.” Personally, I was extremely excited for the next track, “HALAZIA,” which hadn’t been performed on U.S. soil before. This song is particularly iconic for Seonghwa’s center moment in the chorus where he rolls his eyes into the back of his head, with many joking about his stellar ability to portray being possessed during the performance. There was a lot of power in this performance too, as the arena reverberated with fans singing along loudly with the boys, showing the collective excitement for the setlist addition. This portion of the show would close with a dance number from Hongjoong, Seonghwa and Yunho, an artistic depiction of their rebellion being quelled by law enforcement as the stage fades to black. 

From that point the unit performances began, opening with San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang’s track “IT’s You.” For this tour, there was a lot of chatter about the camera work, particularly the zooming in moments (if you catch my drift), and “IT’s You” is definitely one of the songs most viral for this reason. The next unit was Mingi and Yunho, who performed their track “Youth” and opened with a cute skit reenacting a phone call the two exchanged the day before their auditions at KQ Entertainment in a telephone booth. Up next came Jongho’s solo, an emotional and moving ballad that only a vocalist of his caliber could master. He stood alone in a tower to perform, and you could feel the heartstrings of the audience being pulled at his powerful vocal performance. 

Wooyoung’s dance solo then opened up the next group performance, “Silver Light.” There was a very ethereal feel to this performance in particular, which made it stand out in my opinion. “Crescent Pt 2” and a VCR were then followed by “WAVE,” where the boys took a break from performance to interact instead with the audience as they sang. For the next ment, there was some teasing between the members, as San directed Hongjoong to perform his iconic move from “IT’s You.” “Dancing Like Butterfly Wings” came next in the same vein as “WAVE,” giving a more lighthearted, playful atmosphere to the whole show.

After another VCR came the final unit performance, the iconic “MATZ.” The crowd immediately got hyped back up to 100%, the energy shooting through the roof thanks to the intense rap track. Once the duo was finished, the rest of the members returned donning their cowboy outlaw outfits to perform their latest comeback track “WORK” for the jazzed audience. “ARRIBA” followed, and the audience was graced with the iconic Mingi wonka. “DJANGO” came next, and the performance for these two tracks was very fun and different thanks to the set props. I was extremely excited for Yunho’s solo moment in “DJANGO” as well, which definitely lived up to my expectations.

“BOUNCY (K‐HOT CHILLI PEPPERS)” followed and got the crowd extra hyped going into the final track before the encore: “WONDERLAND (Symphony No.9 "From The Wonderland").” I have to say that using this track as a closer is an amazing move–Seonghwa’s iconic sword choreography and Jongho’s earth-shattering high notes left all attendees with their jaws on the floor.

Of course no show is complete without the encore, and ATEEZ had a huge one in store for ATINY. They returned to the stage, some donning Washington Capitals jerseys and others in their tour merch, to the tune of “Eternal Sunshine.” The boys ran around the stage engaging with the audience while performing this track, along with “Fireworks (I’m The One)” and “The Real.” The final ment had each member expressing their gratitude before performing the emotional “Turbulence.” The show officially closed with the much more energetic “Dreamy Day” and “UTOPIA.”

I’ve said it from the beginning that ATEEZ had immense potential, even upon their debut. Getting to watch them grow into such a successful name in the K-Pop industry in the last few years has been amazing to see. Every tour that they do is stellar, and their performances are always top notch. If they’re in your area, you don’t want to miss the chance to see them perform.

Thank you again to KQ for inviting us to cover the show!