On July 20, ATEEZ accomplished a brand new career milestone in the presence of thousands of their devoted fans. The K-Pop group brought their Towards the Light: Will to Power tour to Los Angeles for two nights at BMO Stadium, marking their very first stadium shows in North America.
Back in April, ATEEZ made two electrifying back-to-back appearances at Coachella. They became the first K-Pop boy group to ever perform at the festival, and left their fans (known as ATINY) anticipating an even bigger performance next time they returned to the United States. Honestly speaking, being able to see ATEEZ at Coachella during weekend two felt like a breath of fresh air. Much of their catalog blends electronic beats and rap together, which has always been a huge appeal for me. When ATEEZ performs, their microphones are on, and their vocals truly shine like stars in the night sky. There’s a true sense of camaraderie within the fandom, and it feels unbreakable when we’re cheering on ATEEZ in person. Being able to see and experience it all at one of the most iconic music festivals in the world was so special to me, and I couldn’t help but wonder what would be ATEEZ’s next move in the states.
How about a sold-out show at BMO Stadium?
When I arrived at the stadium on Saturday, I was met with two seemingly never-ending lines. One was to purchase official concert merchandise, and another was to participate in the ATINY Zone, which was a small tent where random photocards of the ATEEZ members were being distributed to members of their official fan club. My friends and I joined the line, and we traded freebies with dozens of ATINY to help the time pass by faster. I was in complete admiration of everyone’s creativity – many ATINY were handing out custom dollar bills inspired by the “WORK” music video, custom concert ticket stubs, and handmade phone charms with the initials of the members. In return, I handed out small photo film strips with the ATEEZ members on them. Giving out freebies is a core part of the K-Pop concert experience, but this time it felt especially sentimental receiving these gifts.
It took approximately 90 minutes to reach the front of the ATINY Zone line. It was finally the moment of truth! After having my fan club membership verified by the KQ Entertainment staff, I received a sleeve with photocards of Wooyoung and Mingi. However, this turned into a trade for my biases Hongjoong and Seonghwa.
Shortly after entering the stadium, different ATEEZ music videos started to play on the screens of the stage. The “Guerilla” music video was one of the first, and hearing the entire stadium’s fanchants gave me the chills! It was by far some of the loudest pre-show fanchants I’ve ever heard at a K-Pop concert, and definitely the loudest I’ve heard at BMO. When the time came to shout “BREAK THE WALLS,” I knew that this crowd was absolutely hyped up to the highest extent for ATEEZ, and they’d be giving the members the warmest welcome back to LA possible.
After a few music videos aired, Japanese boy group BE:FIRST took the stage to get the audience even more pumped up for the night. The seven member boy group made their debut in fall 2021 with the song “Gifted,” which topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart. Earlier this year, BE:FIRST held their first Tokyo Dome show, which sold out in three minutes. The group also recently collaborated with ATEEZ on a track called “HUSH HUSH.” I was very impressed by the group’s rapping, and could tell by their precision on stage that they hold themselves to a very high standard.
When it was time for ATEEZ to hit the stage, all the members emerged wearing glistening white outfits with hints of silver. Flashes of fire and sparks jumped from the stage as the group performed “Crazy Form” alongside their legion of backup dancers. “Say My Name” and “WIN” followed, which pieced together a truly electric beginning to the night. As soon as “WIN” concluded, a group of bandits ran on stage to capture Hongjoong. (No worries – it was all part of the story line for the concert!) A giant tower on stage had a red light that started to flicker, serving as a surveillance camera searching the crowd. Immediately, different camera shots of the crowd were shown on the screens. Some members started to run back on stage, all trying to avoid being captured. These dramatic elements were sprinkled throughout the show, and meshed together with breathtaking dance breaks. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we were to ever see all of the ATEEZ members acting in a feature film someday.
One of the main factors that made this concert so memorable for me was being able to really see ATEEZ’s personalities unfold on stage. There were a handful of unit performances such as “IT’s You,” where San, Wooyoung, and Yeosang quickly stirred up a sizzling hot mood with their seductive choreography. It was easy to see everyone valued cohesiveness, which is fueled by their strong group dynamic.
My absolute favorite unit performance though was “MATZ,” where Hongjoong and Seonghwa wore huge fur coats and rapped together with a tremendously good flow.
There were also many comedic moments throughout the night, serving as a reminder that the members do love having fun… and they have the most fun while on stage! During their opening remarks, San started barking, leading the crowd to follow in his footsteps. He even removed his in-ear monitor to hear the crowd clearly. After streamers were blasted into the air at the end of “WORK,” many strands fell on top of the members. Jongho was playing with a few strands, and Yeosang took it upon himself to tie a strand around Jongo’s head and create a cute bow. Speaking of streamers and confetti, Yunho covered himself in a huge wad of streamers and danced around with it! He also continued to play with the streamers during “ARRIBA,” just when I thought most of it had been swept away by the staff.
All of the members seemed genuinely happy to greet ATINY once again, and they even described LA as their “second hometown” due to the frequency of their visits to the city over the past year.
I was especially excited to see the members perform “This World” and “Wake Up” in this specific order. I couldn’t help but shout along to Jongho’s high notes, and the urge to do so had been building up for months. Let’s just say… there’s a reason why I’m a blogger and not a singer!
As the concert came to an end, the members expressed whole-hearted gratitude for all the ATINY who helped ATEEZ’s dream of performing a stadium show in the US come true. Jongho said, “I didn’t think I’d get to perform here in this big venue. It’s such an honor to know we’re here performing.” Hongjoong also took a moment to promise ATINY that him and the rest of the members will work harder to put on a better performance next time around! He said, “It was 6 years ago, it feels like just yesterday, us 8 members were going around here learning to dance. It’s an absolute honor to be here in such a big venue dancing and singing all together. But it doesn’t stop. We will keep going to the next step and next step with you.”
The members thanked their backup dancers and crew, and as Hongjoong shouted “AND ATINY?!” fireworks immediately shot into the sky! It seemed like a perfectly synchronized moment, and the best ending scene for what was an unforgettable day.
