It’s obvious that this isn’t their first rodeo. K-pop self-producing superstars SEVENTEEN brought more than enough energy to power the entire National Stadium for the two-night Singapore leg of the [RIGHT HERE] World Tour. Nearly overflowing in a sea of pink and blue, fans streamed in wearing their best pastels, ready to welcome the group back to Singapore after two long and arduous years.
Though the 13-member group performed as an 11-member team this time, the strength of their performances made it almost impossible to notice any gaps. The atmosphere was electric from the start, as the members appeared donned in red for their opening song, 'Fear'. SEVENTEEN’s synergy and energy more than compensated for the absence of Jun, who’s currently on set with Jackie Chan, and Jeonghan, who’s fulfilling his military obligations. In a skit that harkened back to their pre-debut days, the members joked, “Where are Jeonghan and Jun?” before snapping a picture of themselves facing the glitching Sokcho sea as they promised to throw whoever’s changed into the sea. Subtitles flashed across the screen: “Let’s save spots for Jeonghan and Jun,” drawing a heartfelt "aww" from the crowd and filling the stadium with love for the two absent members. The callback to Jumanji — complete with a large purple portal — added an extra layer of playfulness to the moment, fully immersing fans into SEVENTEEN’s world.
As expected, the opening introductions featured the usual encouragement from the members to have fun, let loose, and “relieve their stresses” for the night. Yet, each message carried heartfelt sincerity, setting a warm tone for the evening. Of course, tiger-loving Hoshi got the crowd going by getting the entire stadium to wave their tiger claws in the air, after which Seungkwan, DK, and Hoshi treated fans to an impromptu rendition of their BSS track 'CBZ (Prime Time)'. SEVENTEEN also shared their awe at performing in the sold-out National Stadium, leading the audience to shout their slogan, “SEVENTEEN Right Here,” complete with hand gestures.
The concert kicked off with a high-energy setlist, including 'Maestro' from 17 is Right Here, before the group split into their three sub-units. The Hip Hop Unit — S.COUPS, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon — brought intense energy with their anthems 'Water' and 'Monster', while the Performance Unit — Hoshi, The8, and Dino (with Jun) — delivered mesmerising synthwave and dream pop tracks like 'Rain' and 'Lilili Yabbay'. The Vocal Unit — Woozi, Joshua, DK, and Seungkwan (with Jeonghan) — softened the pace with the more lighthearted 'Candy' and 'Cheers to Youth'. Each group showcased their signature style, keeping the audience enthralled along with the dazzling and otherworldly visual effects that accompanied each song on the jumbotron. As they came back together to perform their other songs as a full unit, the visual effects worked overtime to keep up — from a pile of stacked up virtual furniture bathed in orange light during 'Home', to flying satellites and smiling daisies in 'God of Music'.
One of the most memorable parts of the night came when SEVENTEEN brought themselves closer to their fans, streaming into four separate carts that circled the stadium while performing 'Adore U', '’bout you', and 'Campfire'. Fans leapt to their feet to get a closer look, the entire stadium feeling united in their excitement. While it was a little disappointing that the audience in the stands didn’t stand up till the very end of the show after the audience segment, it was certainly an interesting experience to be part of a crowd that listened to their idols on stage. SEVENTEEN’s playful banter extended to audience participation, with fans eagerly standing or sitting at their command—much to the members’ amusement when they teased, “You say your legs are not hurting but you’re sitting really fast,” as fans on the floor immediately sat down to rest their feet despite protesting otherwise.
There was no drop in energy from SEVENTEEN during the entire concert, even during the slower songs. The group even sang songs outside of their setlist during their talking segments of the show, gamely flowing through several songs from 'Darl+ing' and 'Ready to Love' to 'Hot', sometimes with the help of their live band, but mostly a cappella. It was as if they wanted to go through their whole discography, no matter how briefly, because they knew fans would love hearing the songs performed live. Even their signature never-ending 'Very Nice' encore got a few other songs added into the mix, as the members performed, danced, and harmonised right till the very end. From heartfelt moments to playful antics (there were six mentions of chilli crab from DK alone), the night felt like a never-ending very nice celebration of the bond between SEVENTEEN and their Carats.
- gig report by Georgia Ho
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