Photo Cr. Emma Vurdien // KpopWise
On July 20, K-Pop powerhouse ATEEZ returned to Los Angeles for the third stop of their 4th world tour, “TOWARDS THE LIGHT: WILL TO POWER.” The 8-member team, consisting of HONGJOONG, SEONGHWA, YUNHO, YEOSANG, SAN, MINGI, WOOYOUNG, and JONGHO, performed to a sold-out show at the impressive open-top BMO Stadium, which has a capacity of 22,000 seats. This concert marks the group's first stadium show in the U.S. The sold-out stadium show is one of many impressive moves by ATEEZ recently. In April, ATEEZ became the first K-Pop boy group to perform at Coachella. Following their Coachella performances, the group released “GOLDEN HOUR: Part.1,” which is now their first album to spend 6 weeks in the top 100 of the Billboard 200.
Before ATEEZ even hit the stage, J-Pop boy group BE:FIRST opened the night with their first performance in the U.S. The rising stars from Japan started off with plenty of energy to hype up the audience for the night, performing their hits such as “Boom Boom Back,” “Mainstream,” and the recent release “Masterplan.” To conclude, the group thanked ATINYs (ATEEZ’s fans) for the warm welcome and gave an enthusiastic introduction to ATEEZ.
ATEEZ began the show on a strong note, filling up the stadium with impressive pyrotechnics and smoke during their performances of “Crazy Form” and “WIN.” Following such energetic performances, the group delved into their storytelling and lore with impressive acting and performance scenes by HONGJOONG and YUNHO, who appear to attempt to escape a dark fate as they get taken away by guards. Following these scenes, the group launched into energy-packed performances of hits such as “Guerilla” and “Cyberpunk.”
While the 8 members are an absolute powerhouse performing together, they effortlessly highlighted their individual talents and styles when they separated into units for several performances. YEOSANG, SAN, and WOOYOUNG showed off their captivating charms in a dynamic and mesmerizing performance of “IT’s You.” JONGHO, the youngest but one of the team’s most powerful voices, displayed incredible vocals in his soulful solo ballad “Everything.” Leader HONGJOONG and SEONGHWA formed a fiery duo performing their track “MATZ,” which the duo name they created for themselves, short
for “madhyungs or eldests.” “Youth,” a sentimental and cheery song, was performed by YUNHO and MINGI, giving the audience an insight into their deep friendship that goes back even before their trainee days.
To further turn up the heat, ATEEZ continued the lore and ventured into their familiar wild west theme. The stage transformed into a Western bar, reminiscent of their Coachella performances. The group launched right into a colorful, confetti-filled performance of their recent title track “WORK,” followed by “ARRIBA,” “DJANGO,” and “BOUNCY.” Throughout these performances, ATEEZ once again stunned with their versatility, showcasing various acting moments and interactions with props as they perfectly conveyed the tour theme.
ATEEZ choosing Los Angeles to hold the milestone of their first U.S. stadium show is fitting. In their ending talking segment, SEONGHWA emotionally mentioned how the members share many memories in LA from “even when there was no such thing as ATEEZ” to the current moment “where we fill up an entire stadium.” HONGJOONG shared his thoughts on the group’s success over the years, saying, “Even when it was 6 years ago, it feels like yesterday that our eight members were learning to dance.” He reminisced on how the group had trained in dance studios in LA before their debut years ago.
MINGI stated in his message, “We’ll always be by your side,” as he proudly looked out toward the audience. As a group, they asked ATINYs to make a promise with them. HONGJOONG led it, saying, “Let’s make a promise to always keep moving towards the light.” After the concert concluded, it was quite clear that as long as ATEEZ keeps doing what they’re doing, it’s only up from here and that as a team, they’re a light that will only shine brighter.
Check out the gallery below!
Special thanks to KQ Entertainment and BMO Stadium[📷] TODAY ATEEZ
— ATEEZ(에이티즈) (@ATEEZofficial) July 26, 2024
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ATEEZ 2024 WORLD TOUR [TOWARDS THE LIGHT : WILL TO POWER] IN PHOENIX
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ATEEZ와 ATINY의
오늘 하루 만족도는 1117%💞#TowardsTheLight #Will_To_Power#TODAY_ATEEZ #ATEEZ #에이티즈 pic.twitter.com/bJZzFDCwky