Written by Bella Lee
As the sun peeks out from the top of BMO stadium, Ateez makes their way out onto the stage for their first-ever stadium concert. All eight members are fully prepared to deliver a night that the crowd will never forget. From their dazzling vocals to intense performances, Ateez was ready to shoot for the stars.
Before Ateez made their appearance on stage, BE:FIRST opened the night with an electric performance. It is a recent trend for k-pop groups to have openers; Ateez being one of the more active groups in promoting smaller artists. BE:FIRST is a J-Pop group who had recently collaborated with Ateez on the song “Hush Hush,” and their opening set truly set the energy for Ateez to enter upon.
Ateez continued the energy from BE:FIRST with “Crazy Form,” a recent release and a true fan favorite. Ateez’s fans, called “Atiny,” roared with excitement and gave the members more energy to perform to the extreme. Ateez is known for their dynamic and incredible performance ability, and they never disappoint in front of a live audience. Atiny could not hold still while Ateez performed “Say My Name” and “Win.” Hardcore fans sang along and chanted the fanchant dedicated to “Say My Name,” creating a connective energy between Ateez and Atiny.
The energy did not stop there, Ateez has designed their show with no long pauses. If the entire group was not performing, single members were acting out scenes to Ateez lore or performing solo acts. And each solo directly transitioned into another song as the night went on. Atiny felt as if they were as breathless as Ateez. That is the beauty of Ateez: the ability to pull fans in with their energy and make the entire stadium their stage.
Coming to L.A. was special because Ateez has returned after performing at the Coachella festival, also located in L.A. They had gained new fans from those performances, and the crowd knew that Ateez had reached a new height of accolade. L.A. is also important to Ateez because they had stayed for a time during their training period. Much of Ateez history is set in the golden state, and the members honored that history by giving their all.
The most notable moment of the concert was during the song “Guerilla (Flag Version).” The fanchant during this song is predominately in English, and all Atiny knew it well from the last tour. There are recordings from outside the stadium of the crowd shaking the surrounding neighborhood. The sound of 22,000 Atiny screaming “break the wall” in the bridge cannot be replicated. All of the effort, energy, and passion that went into Ateez’ journey could be heard throughout Los Angeles.
Every part of the show was imbued with energy. From both the fans and the members, every single soul in the stadium was giving their all. Ateez is known for their intense expressions during performances, and each close up from the camera showed their dedication to their roles. They are also known to create music across genres. One of the sections of their setlist was dedicated to their latin-inspired songs. “Work” (Ateez’s most recent release), “Arriba,” and “Django” were performed on a detailed saloon set. The likes of which have not been seen much in the K-Pop scene. Many on-stage sets stay simple, but Ateez upped the ante for this tour.
From Jongho’s clear vocals, to Mingi and Yunho’s duet, to Yeosang’s fluid dancing, Ateez kept their promise to Atiny to always do well. Their love for their fans and their love for the art has only increased in the six years that they have been active on the scene.
In their last words, Hongjoong mentioned that he will always support Atiny in their journey and their creativity. Wooyoung said, “L.A. is always in my heart.” Every member was
No concert would be complete without an encore. Ateez’s encore was a wonderful medley of “Turbulence (Orchestra Version),” “Dreamy Day,” and “Utopia.” In BMO Stadium style, the last song set off fireworks, prompted by the heavenly high notes sung by Seonghwa. Ateez jumped and laughed and danced with Atiny until the night ended and they descended into the stage. This ended the concert with a feeling of hope that the members will return even greater, and their Atiny will be waiting for them when they do. Their destiny is only partially fulfilled. Ateez will continue on.
