After twelve dates across Canada and America, Seventeen wrapped up their "Be The Sun" tour in Newark, NJ. Seventeen's "Be The Sun" in North America was announced in May this year. It would be the first time Seventeen toured in North America since their 2020 "Ode to You" world tour. "Be the Sun" in North America also marks the first time all thirteen members were present overseas since their first world tour, "Diamond Edge," in 2017. Seventeen began their North American tour in Vancouver, Canada, in early August before heading to America.
Seventeen voyaged through the U.S., stopping in Seattle, WA, and Oakland, CA, as a whole before the youngest member, Dino, tested positive for COVID-19 the day of the L.A. show. The thirteen-member group performed as twelve in L.A. Although they were down a member, they didn't let that stop them from putting on a show full of energy and positivity for their carats, whom they hadn't seen in person in two years. Two days after their reunion with L.A. carats, hip-hip unit member, Mingyu, tested positive for COVID-19. Mingyu's positive status left the thirteen-member group as eleven for their Houston show. Despite being down two members, Seventeen didn't miss a beat and gave Houston and those viewing the Houston Livestream an unbelievable night to remember. Dino's return to the stage in Fort Worth was a hot topic for carats and the members celebrating their Maknae's recovery. Not only did Chicago mark the first thirteen-member show since the beginning of the tour, but it was also the first time Chicago had seen Seventeen as thirteen members. The thirteen-member reunion was cut short on the day of their Washington D.C. date when members Joshua and Hoshi tested positive for COVID-19. In addition to their absence in Washington D.C, Joshua and Hoshi missed out on their Atlanta show but reunited with their fans in New York, Toronto, and New Jersey to close their tour.
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| Image Source: Courtesy of Hoshi's Instagram |
Seventeen opened their show with their smash hit "HOT" to show carats a performance with fire, passion, and a giant flame thrower operated by performance unit leader Hoshi. Following "HOT," Seventeen performed "March," another fiery rock anthem from their Face the Sun album. The group then took it back to their album "An Ode" and performed the upbeat, energetic single "HIT" to close out the first portion of the concert. The medley of lively songs got carats out of their seats and ready to party alongside their favorite group. After energizing the crowd, the members stopped to introduce themselves and let the fans know how happy they were to return to the stage. The members then strutted down the catwalk to perform "Rock with You" from their album Attaca. All the members left the stage except Vernon and Joshua, who opened up for the unit performances with their early 2000s-inspired punk pop song "2 minus 1."
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| Image source: Courtesy of Pledis Entertainment |
Following "2 Minus 1," the performance unit consisting of Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino appeared behind smokey mirrors in elegant pieces of clothing to perform "Moonwalker" and "Wave," two sultry songs perfect for the summertime. Their captivating stage presence and sharp dance moves showed why they were the performance unit.
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| Image Source: Courtesy of Pledis Entertainment |
Surrounded by plants and a galaxy came the vocal unit, Jeonghan, Joshua, Woozi, DK, and Seungkwan. Their silky blue shirts and sparkly shoes shined while singing "Come to Me" and "Imperfect Love." Carats were encouraged to join in and sing a beautiful duet with the vocal unit as the lyrics to "Imperfect Love" were shown on the screen. Their eyes lit up, and their smiles grew as they heard their fans sing along to the music they'd worked so hard to make for them.
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| Image Source: Courtesy of Pledis Entertainment |
The Hip-Hop unit kicked onto the stage with their fun, colorful song, "GAM3 BO1." Immediately the four members, S.Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon, bounced across the stage and shouted lyrics along with carats. Once soothed by the vocal unit's voices, the calm audience jumped and sang along with the members on stage. The quartet hopped around the extended stage with "Back it Up." Each member made their way to various corners of the stage to get the face of their carats to match the vibe of this adrenaline-pumping track.
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| Image Source: Courtesy of Pledis Entertainment |
The Hip-Hop unit closes out the unit stages and the stage for all thirteen members to come back together. The stage lit up, revealing a gate with yellow street signs, garbage cans, bikes, and a graffiti backdrop. In a short but meaningful skit performed by the members, now dressed in red jumpsuits, Vernon being the topic of the skit, would sing a snippet of a random song (different songs for every stop) as he made his way to the stage with his members after them noticing he wasn't there. This skit transitioned into the song that I most anticipated, "Mansae." "Mansae" was the oldest song they performed in the setlist, which was a fun way to introduce newer carats to older songs. 'Mansae' transitioned into a more recent piece, "Left & Right," Seventeen, and their carats danced to the catchy choreography together before their icon song "Very Nice."
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| Image Source: Courtesy of Pledis Entertainment |
"Very Nice" is usually performed at the concert's end, but members expressed how they wanted to throw it in the middle of the show to throw carats off. "Very Nice" is a funky tune with a catchy chorus that will stick with you even after the concert. Seventeen traded their red jumpsuits for black and silver leather outfits to perform their smooth dance track "Shadow." Following "Shadow" was one of my favorites, "Crush," the high-tempo, groovy song that fit the setlist tremendously. Seventeen then performed their latest title track from Sector 17 titled "_WORLD." "_WORLD" is a sweet-sounding track with beautiful horns, vocals, and a catchy chorus.
After exiting the stage, carats shouted for Seventeen's return. The thirteen wore casual and comfortable outfits in contrast to their flashy ensembles shown throughout the night. Each member spoke about how happy they were to return to the stage after an unexpected pause in live entertainment. Many members were so excited that they may have spoiled the next world tour as members kept mentioning how they could not wait until next year to see carats at a bigger venue. Seventeen then performed their first English single, "Darling," followed by their tranquil summer track, "Our Dawn is Hotter Than Day."
"Snap Shoot" soon followed; that was when the members wanted the crowd to perform with them. Members went through the group seeking carats willing to dance for them and the big screen. "Snap Shoot" was not the only time carats became the performers. Seventeen decided that a second performance of "Very Nice" was because one performance was not enough. How could you perform "Very Nice" without it being never-ending? During the never-ending "Very Nice," Seungkwan rushed to the crowd searching for people to sing for not only him but the members and the crowd of thousands of people. This part of the concert where the members were very interactive showed how much they missed their carats and how much fun they wanted to have with them.
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| Image Source: Courtesy of Pledis Entertainment |
Although the North American portion of the tour is over, Seventeen are far from finished with meeting their carats as they begin their Asian leg of the tour later this month and their Japanese Dome Tour in November. As the members mentioned, another world tour will take place sometime in 2023, so carats, be ready!
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