[Herald Review] Seventeen's extravaganza reembarks with dome tour 'Follow'

The 13-piece K-pop superband kicks off its new concert series 'Follow' in Seoul

K-pop band Seventeen holds its concert series "Seventeen Tour 'Follow' to Seoul" at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Friday. (Pledis Entertainment)

For Seventeen, a concert is what completes every chapter of their musical journey. The performance-driven 13-piece K-pop juggernaut don't just bring their music and spirit live to the stage, but enchant the whole space with their phenomenal energy and synchronization on stage.

On the shoulders of such a reputation, the band did not disappoint with their latest concert series, "'Follow' to Seoul," held on Friday and Saturday at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul.

The two-day gig marked the band's first concert in Seoul in 13 months since it kicked off its third world tour, "Be The Sun," in June last year at the same venue.

Kicking off the 3 1/2-hour show on Friday was the music video of the band's latest lead single "Super," which revved up the 17,000-strong crowd in no time. "Super" fronts the band's 10th EP "FML," which had racked up K-pop's first 6 million units in album sales.

Twelve members -- S. Coups, Vernon, Wonwoo, Hoshi, Jeonghan, DK, The8, Mingyu, Jun, Joshua, Dino and Woozi -- bounced onto the stage to give a vigorous rendition of the song. Seungkwan missed out due to health concerns.

Boosting up the heat further, "Don Quixote" came next, followed by the band's timeless energizer "Clap," during which the floor shook to the thumping beat.

Making up to its fans for a year-plus wait, Seventeen made sure the night was nothing short of a full-blown extravaganza. A massive LED screen surrounded the stage, with real-life fires spitting out from the ground with laser beams shining and moving to the beat.

The summer air had climbed to a scorching 34 degrees Celsisus, and the members promised a show "to forget the heat," as Woozi said. "I was nervous before starting, but seeing you guys, I'm only thrilled now," Vernon added, smiling shyly.

Despite the immaculate 12-member synergy, the absence of Seungkwan, the band's cheerleader, was noticeable. Hoshi was chattier than usual, trying his best to lead during talking intermissions. Members often mentioned Seungkwan in between sets.

"Seungkwan is walking 10,000 steps daily these days. He seems to be taking a good rest," Mingyu said, reassuring fans.

Following their cheerful ice-breaking with the audience, the group jumped into three of its poignant yet danceable ballad scores including "F*ck My Life" -- one of the double title songs of "FML" -- "Don't Wanna Cry" and "Thanks."

They then split into three parts according to their positions. The vocal team, consisting of Jeonghan, Joshua, Woozi and DK, softened the mood with "Dust" and "Pinwheel." Jun, Hoshi, The8 and Dino of the performers' unit reignited the stage with "Highlight" and "I don't Understand But I Luv U." Meanwhile, the rapper quartet of S. Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu and Vernon beefed up the concert further with "Back It Up" and "Fire," flexing their spitting verses and fiery attitude.

Festivity bloomed in the next section, which opened with "Home;Run." Fueled by the raucous spirit was "Left & Right," followed by an uplifting serenade of love with "Beautiful" and "Adore U."

The hall lit up further in colorful euphoria as the 12 members brought more gems from their eight-year discography, including "April Shower," "Kidult," "Anyone" and "Good To Me." Marking a brief pause to the slew of hits before the encore set was the band's highly addictive 2022 hip-hop song "Hot."

Returning to the stage, the singers presented "Run To You" and "To You" as the first of their finale songs. Here, they went up closer to the fans as they circled around the stadium on a moving stage, shaking up and making eye contact with the audience who filled the four-story venue.

The fans returned the love with a special sing-along rendition of "Campfire." From the start to the end, the multicultural crowd sang the Korean lyrics in perfect unison, with the bandmates chiming in now and then.

Before rounding out the night to a raucous repeat performance of "Hit" and "Very Nice," the members sat down in a row on the stage to say a last message to Carat, the name of their fandom.

The night's unofficial host, Hoshi, apologized for not performing in front of local fans more often.

"We know that we don't often hold gigs in South Korea. We actually planned to hold another concert next month, but we couldn't find a venue. We feel genuinely sorry. We know it's difficult for you guys to come here like this and we feel grateful and sorry," Hoshi said, adding, "We have many things ready for this year, and we'll work hard."

The band's team leader S. Coups took the mic next, saying: "The original cue sheet was different. We changed it selfishly because we wanted to bring a better concert to Carat. We caused the staff a lot of trouble."

"Life is not easy. We want to be happy all the time, but that's not possible. The same goes for me. When I get tired, I get energy from my bandmates. I hope that I can invigorate you guys when you get discouraged, and help you get back to a healthy life. We promise that the 13 of us will continue to bring you better music and albums," Mingyu said.

Promising to meet again next time, Dino said, "We know that every step you take toward us is not taken easily. As long as you guys want to see us and seek us out, we will always be here."

Meanwhile, Seventeen's dome concert tour "Follow" is set to continue in Japan. The next shows will take place at the Tokyo Dome on Sept. 6-7, followed by shows at the Belluna Dome on Nov. 23-24. They will then perform at the Vantelin Dome Nagoya on Dec. 7; at the Kyocera Dome Osaka on Dec. 9-10; and at the Fukuoka PayPay Dome on Dec. 16-17.

By Choi Ji-won(jwc@heraldcorp.com)