“If you are asked what’s your 'Best Concert of 2023,'” SEVENTEEN’s Joshua told the tens of thousands of fans watching FOLLOW to Seoul, their latest concert comeback, “I hope you can confidently say that it's SEVENTEEN's concert.” ('2023[년]에 가장 최고의 콘서트'가 뭐 했냐고 여러분들에게 물어보면, 저희 세븐틴 콘서트라고 자신있게 얘기할 수 있었을 좋겠어요.)

Surpassing their own expectations, SEVENTEEN had been peaking charts and breaking records with their latest comeback, FML. Two months later, in this headlining 2-night concert, they built a more enormous stage than ever before – a scale up from that of their biggest world tour to date, Be the Sun, which kicked off over a year ago at the same venue in Seoul.

“Before, we had doubts if we could fill the Gocheok Sky Dome. But this time around, it’s even big enough,” said Performance Team leader Hoshi on the last show of their 2-part affair, alluding to how difficult it had been to secure tickets. (저희가 예전에는 사실 고척돔에서 한다 하면은 여기를 채울수 있을까 했었는데, 이번에는 정말 고척돔도 모잘라서.)

Eight years into their storied career, the 13-member powerhouse group is at the top of their game, yet leaving no room for doubt, they still manage to outdo themselves every time.

Pulling up on their flying cloud like Son Ogong (손오공; Son Goku) himself – banger after banger in tow – SEVENTEEN did not let up on this 4-hour ride. With a career-spanning set that included the likes of their astronomical hit ‘Super (손오공)’ and their first-ever single ‘Adore U (아낀다),’ these superstar idols took along their much-loved CARATs for quite the thrilling journey.

Wasting no time with a killer triptych of an opener, SEVENTEEN had set the wheels in motion.

Woozi soared to celestial heights – literally – above the other members, as the stately overture of ‘Super’ ushered in Wonwoo’s steely opening bars, “I looked at the ground and kept climbing to the top / Faced everything, like I’m so proud, I always win (땅을 보고 계속 올랐지 정상까지 / 많은 시련은 보란 듯이, I always win).” Leaning into the Dragon Ball imagery (or Journey to the West, if you like), they brandished their famously complex moves for the FML single.

With barely a moment’s rest, they turned the page to another epic tale and launched into ‘Don Quixote.’ A notable fan favourite, this Face the Sun B-side finally got its moment to shine on the live stage (at least not since its premiere at their Golden Disc Awards appearance earlier this year). It was a signal of what was to come: SEVENTEEN giving CARATs what they want and showing them what they truly need.

They’re still on message, too: hold on to those lofty goals no matter how, well, quixotic the endeavour would seem – “내가 미쳐도 좋아 (I don’t care if I’m out of my mind) / Feeling like Don Quixote).” Never stop at it, defy the adversities, and ‘Clap (박수)’ – until your hands are on fire (“손에 불 날 때까지”); until the song ends (“이 노래 끝까지”).

After they had dialled down the heat for a bit, SEVENTEEN let the emotions burst and flow in revisiting crowd-favourite belters ‘Don’t Wanna Cry (울고 싶지 않아)’ and ‘Thanks (고맙다),’ as well as the no less potent eponymous title track from FML, ‘F*ck My Life.’

Just 6 songs in, SEVENTEEN had already laid the groundwork for what would be a stacked setlist, much to the delight of CARATs on the ground and online – who were all holding their breath for even more surprises. So, when the time came for the unit stages – a mainstay of every SEVENTEEN show – it was still hard to predict what was coming next.

With the iridescent synth-wave jam ‘Dust (먼지)’ and the warm embrace of the ballad ‘Pinwheel (바람개비),’ SEVENTEEN’s vocal team opened the show’s second act.

While Woozi, Joshua, DK, and Jeonghan were missing their irreplaceable maknae (막내), Seungkwan, they, the other 8 members, and CARATs, too (who kitted out in orange, Mr. Boo from Jeju Island’s colour), cheered him on – patiently waiting for him to build up more strength. “Our Seungkwan is still SEVENTEEN, he's just taking the time to grow up and mature more,” said Hoshi. (우리 승관이 세븐틴이고, 한단계 더 어른으로써 성장하기 위한 시간을 갖고있는겁니다.)

Mingyu mentioned that their dearest Seungkwan had indeed felt the love – and heard them all, as he wasn’t even too far away.

“He must've watched us as we were here talking,” he revealed how the Variety King had dropped by earlier, quipping, “He said that we've lost our touch, that we were no fun. So today, we will try to be more fun." (중간중간에 토크를 하는 저희의 모습을 봤나봐요. 감이 많이 떨어졌다고 하더라고요. 오늘은 좀 더 신경써서 해보도록 할게요.)

A short while later, Seungkwan posted on Instagram, stamping it with a single orange heart emoji.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by 승관 SEUNGKWAN (@pledis_boos)

Performance Team members Hoshi, The8, Jun, and Dino – in their crisp black suits – claimed the stage next. Supported by members of frequent SEVENTEEN collaborators Team SAME, the dance-focused quartet revisited the powerful ‘HIGHLIGHT’ (their first music video). They also proved how much of a beguiling presence they could be onstage with a live debut of their FML track ‘I Don’t Understand but I Luv U.’

Pulling up in a monster truck – not so understated at all – the Hip-Hop Unit scorched the stage with turbocharged numbers and engulfed the dome in their blazing hot bars. With anthems ‘Back It Up’ and ‘Fire’ manifesting SEVENTEEN’s proud, renegade, and unrelenting spirit, S.Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon smugly rapped verses about how far the band had come. And if any of their lines aren’t forthright enough, their youngest hammered it home in ‘Fire’: “Been touring domes now, haven't you heard now? / Stadium tours now.”

They’re no longer the scrappy crew from PLEDIS HQ’s Melona green basement room, for sure, but as they’ve shown time and time again, they like to keep the same grit and determination they’ve had since then.

“Today, with the mind of a super rookie, with high spirits, I will try my best to enjoy this last day of FOLLOW,” as a chipper DK exclaimed. (오늘은 신인의 자세로써, 마지막 FOLLOW 콘서트, 마지막 날을 아주 신명나게 즐겨보도록 하겠습니다.)

SEVENTEEN drew the curtains for their next act, dubbing it the “FOLLOW Festival,” a bright and exuberant event that might as well be the centrepiece of the entire concert. With a mix of recent singles and throwbacks, it showed off SEVENTEEN at their most upbeat (suitably called “Freshteen” by some CARATs).

As the big band horns of ‘HOME;RUN’ blared, the aptly named Theater Kids of K-Pop stepped out in preppy outfits, boogieing with Bob Fosse flair, as if calling the stage their true home.

It wouldn’t be a SEVENTEEN show without a moment or two of rambunctious banter and shameless mischief. In ‘Left & Right,’ the group reprised a move from their own prank playbook. On Day 1, all the members did the same finishing dance move, a nod to a trick Mingyu fell for 2 years ago. But on Day 2, after resident trickster Jeonghan arranged a group chat sans an unsuspecting Mingoo, they pulled it off again – live, in front of thousands. Thankfully, the tall rapper had always been a sweet sport.

Colourful flowers lined the stage as the members regaled everyone with a classic from their Going Seventeen mini-album. “Our CARATs are (우리 카럿들은) ‘Beautiful,’” they shouted.

Then, an iconic tune’s opening riff begins, with Jun whispering its unmistakable prologue, “These days, I have a lot on my mind (요즘 말야, 내가 말야, 생각이 많아).” It had been quite a while, but there’s no denying that SEVENTEEN’s debut song, ‘Adore U (아낀다),’ could still get everyone’s attention.

“When we were on tour for Be the Sun, I felt like, ‘We made it here. We've made it,’” leader S.Coups shared. “This time with FOLLOW, I'm reminded a lot of our debut days. I’m not sure if it's because we performed 'Adore U,' but definitely, while preparing for the concert, our early days come to mind.”

(Be the Sun 때는, 뭔가... ‘참 여기까지 잘 왔구나,’ 조금 그래도 ‘세븐틴이 성공했구나’ 하는 것들이 조금 많이 느껴지는 콘서트였다면, 이번 FOLLOW 는 조금 데뷔 때 생각이 많이 나는 공연인 것 같아요. 그게 '아낀다'가 들어있어서 그런지 모르겠는데, 준비하면서 옛날생각이 정말 많이 났던 콘서트 준비였고 콘서트였습니다.)

There’s a lot of history inscribed on ‘아낀다,’ a legend of a debut track in the K-Pop canon as a whole. Since debuting with the song in 2015, SEVENTEEN have hit milestone after milestone and made their mark with a massive catalogue of hits – with more new material to come later this year, as they tease.

Yet their very own Woozi, vocal team leader and the composer behind most of their discography, admitted how after ‘Super’ did its rounds, he was a little incredulous.

“Because we got so much love, it was unexpected. 'Fighting (파이팅 해야지)' and 'Super' became hits... Then 3 consecutive hits, I was like, 'Wow, seriously, really...’ There was so much such pressure,” he shared, getting candid with the crowd. (왜냐면 저희가 예상치도 못한 너무 큰 사랑을 받았기 때문에, 이게 '[Fighting] 파이팅 해야지' 히트치고, '손오공' 히트치고.. 이제 3연속히트가, 이게 '와, 진짜, 너무...’ 이게 진짜 부담이 오는구나.)

“How foolish I was to think that way,” he quickly added. “It’s going to work!” (어리석은 생각이였어요... 되더라고!)

Having a well-loved discography made it a difficult task to edit a setlist that let deep cuts and other fan favourites of the ilk get their moment to shine, alongside their more popular fare. But past the halfway mark, the boys had a crack at it with a string of some of their most gratifying and unforgettable B-sides.

They serenaded the crowd about the romantic promise of an ‘April shower,’ before promptly hitting everyone hard with a tearjerker of a ballad, ‘Kidult (어른 아이).’ “Over this pitch black world / I want you to paint it with your pure white heart again (검게 덮혀진 이 세상 위로 / 새하얀 마음을 덧칠해줘),” they sung, like a heartfelt encouragement to hold onto your inner child.

Switching things up once again, the live stages for ‘Anyone’ and ‘Good to Me,’ replete with its so-called killing parts, filled CARAT Land with even more chatter for days to come.

SEVENTEEN reached FOLLOW’s climax with ‘HOT,’ the high-octane opener of their previous tour. This scorcher of a title track had never failed to pump the crowd up, as the members enjoined everyone to shout out loud together with them, “Face the sun, set it on fire (태양을 향해, 불붙여라).”

As they neared the end of their 24-song set, the members shared how some tracks made the cut after hearing the clamour of their fans. But they asserted that their work didn’t finish there.

“We're really happy to be here onstage, but I must add, while preparing for the concert, we were so conscious of things,” shared Mingyu. “We were careful about each and every detail, looking at the outfits, cue sheet, setlist – checking and revising them repeatedly.” (정말 콘서트를 준비하면서, 무대위에서는 너무너무 행복하지만 그전까지는 저희 정말 예민하거든요. 사실, 의상도 하나하나 디테일하게 예민하게 보고 있고, 큐시트, 셋리스트도 굉장히 디테일하게 확인을 하고 또 수정하고.)

The members emphasised how collaborative the entire effort had been, acknowledging their Team SVT dancers from the crews of TEAM Same and Team Aura, as well as the countless staff who had been working behind the scenes.

A special mention must be made – as S.Coups did – for choreographer ZDAE, who was tapped to fill in for Seungkwan so the 13-member global act could maintain its tight and intricate choreography.

“So many staff members worked so hard to make this show possible, I would like to say thank you to them,” Mingyu added. (제 시간에 많은 스탭분들이 너무나도 많은 고생을 했을 거라 생각합니다. 그 분들에게 정말 감사하단 말씀드리고 싶구요.)

To kick off their usual encore segment, the SEVENTEEN boys rode moving carts to get closer to the crowd, singing ‘Run to you (지금 널 찾아가고 있어)’ and ‘To you (소용돌이)’ while CARATs responded in kind with ‘Love Letter (사랑쪽지).’ None of these, however, was a true portent of the epic face-off that was to ensue between these peerless idols and their fans.

After dropping the 음악 (music) in ‘HIT,’ it was time for the obligatory big finish of every SEVENTEEN show and the subject of legends: Neverending ‘아주 Nice.’ Hopping around and shouting their signature “Everybody jump” call for minutes on end (The8 was happily on 아주 Nice Police duty for a bit), the boys had been so used to it – even doing this in stadiums and arenas across continents. But everyone still wondered where they got their boundless energy from.

Yet for the first time in CARAT Land history, CARATs beat SEVENTEEN at their own game, in roughly over 20 minutes, around 15 rounds later. The guys had already admitted that their muscles and joints weren’t as well-oiled as they had been before, already begging everyone to stop asking for more. Besieged, DK shouted, “Be quiet! (조용히해),” while S.Coups roared back with a piercing “No way! (안돼)” – all in good fun, of course.

“When it was time for us to jump, I was thinking, ‘Ah, I'm losing my stamina all of a sudden,’” said Jun, even though he didn’t seem like it, being one of the last men jumping. “But with CARATs here, it seems like I can still take on anything on this stage.” (사실 뛸 때 뛰다가.. ‘아, 체력이 부족하다 갑자기,’ 그 생각이 난 거예요... 역시 캐럿들이 있으니까 이렇게 힘차게 할 수 있는 것 같아요.)

“As I said, you are our sun,” the performance team stalwart and ‘Psycho’ singer added. “Because of you – because of your light, we are reenergized, getting our vitamins and nourishment from you, and we feel stronger here onstage.” (얘기한 것처럼, 여러분은 저희에 태양이에요. 여러분이기 때문에, 여러분의 빛이 있기 때문에, 저희가 비타민 더 생기고, 영양제 더 생기고, 더 힘차게 무대에서 할 수 있는 것 같습니다.)

“My energy, my motivation, thank you as always for being those things to me,” Jeonghan said, echoing everyone else. “As long as you're by our side, we'll keep on going.” (저의 에너지,  저의 원동력, 이 되주셔서 항상 감사하구요. 그걸 받아 항상 여러분들이 옆에 있어주는 한열심히 계속해서 해보도록 하겠습니다.)

“Some of you have been cheering for us since our debut – or even before that,” Seungcheol, a.k.a. SEVENTEEN and CARAT’s beloved leader S.Coups, pointed out. “There are CARATs who have been cheering for us and silently walking along this path with us, up to this very moment. I'd like to say thank you once again.” (데뷔 때부터 혹은 그 전부터, 저희를 응원해주시고 묵묵히 걸어주신 캐럿들, 그리고 계속해서 지금 자리에서 걸어주시는 캐럿분들에게 한번 더 감사하다는 말씀 전해드리고 싶구요.)

As the night drew to a close, their maknae Dino reassured CARATs, “Don't worry too much. Don't be too sad. Don't feel too sorry that today is ending. Let's treasure this fun memory, and the next time we meet, we'll be happier.” (너무 걱정하지마시고, 너무 슬퍼하지마시고, 너무 아쉬워하시지 마시고... 우리 재밌는 추억으로 남아서 다음에 만났을 때 더 행복한 모습으로 만나자구요.)

Whether it’s their next comeback or world tour on the horizon, SEVENTEEN will always find a way to top their own act. And it feels like there’s no limit to it all, as they score goal after goal.

“Since debut, it took 8 years to come this far to see you all in this kind of way,” The8 said. “But I feel it's just the beginning.” (대뷔를 하고 이렇게까지 볼 수 있는 게 8년 걸렸는데. 근데, 뭔가 이제 시작한 느낌이 더 [들어요.])

SEVENTEEN’s FOLLOW Tour will head to Japan in September, with 14 shows across 6 cities and regions in venues such as Tokyo Dome, Belluna Dome (Saitama), Vantelin Dome Nagoya, Kyocera Dome Osaka, Fukuoka PayPay Dome.

FOLLOW to SEOUL Setlist:

• Super (손오공)
• Don Quixote
• Clap (박수)
• Don’t Wanna Cry (울고 싶지 않아)
• F*ck My Life
• Thanks (고맙다)
• Dust (먼지) <VOCAL UNIT>
• Pinwheel (바람개비) <VOCAL UNIT>
• HIGHLIGHT <PERFORMANCE UNIT>
• I Don’t Understand but I Luv U <PERFORMANCE UNIT>
• Back it up <HIP-HOP UNIT>
• Fire <HIP-HOP UNIT>
• HOME;RUN
• Left & Right
• BEAUTIFUL
• Adore U (아낀다)
• April shower
• Kidult (어른 아이)
• Anyone
• Good to Me
• HOT
• Run to you (지금 널 찾아가고 있어)
• To you (소용돌이)
• Campfire (Day 1) / Love Letter (사랑쪽지) (Day 2) <w/ CARAT>
• HIT
• 아주 Nice

Additional 한글 Transcription by Ian Ha & Paolo Abad