Checkmate: K-pop band ITZY brings energy on tour

 K-pop group ITZY played at MGM music hall in Fenway Park. PHOTO CREDIT: David Broccoli | Staff Reporter

My brother and I both love K-Pop and share music with each other a lot. We both have our favorite bands, his being ITZY and mine being Stray Kids. 

I had just been to my first concert five months prior, so I was excited and prepared for my second show last weekend when I saw ITZY in Boston. My family got tickets really close to the date, and once we got them, my brother, my mom and I were so excited to go see ITZY.

My brother was bouncing off the walls every day from excitement because all the seats  at the MGM Music Hall, where the show was held, were close to the stage. Our seats were so close that we could see all five of the members in ITZY clearly. 

We got there around four o’clock in the afternoon and waited till about six at night to walk over to the venue and wait in line. We got into the line and waited for about half an hour before we were allowed to walk into the music hall.

We got into the hall and immediately went into the line for merchandise, where I got my shirt and my brother got a shirt and a light ring. We then went to our seats and eagerly waited for the concert to begin. While we waited, the group’s music videos were playing on the big screen, and there was also a video showing all the groups under their entertainment label JYP Entertainment. 

The stage was bright white, and once 7:30 p.m came, the whole stadium shook and vibrated from the bass of the music. ITZY finally appeared and kicked off the show with their hit single “In the Morning” from their album “Gue?? Who.” This song got me and the entire audience dancing and singing along with them even though a lot of the audience didn’t speak Korean. 

They went on to perform “Sorry Not Sorry” and “SHOOT!” from that same album. They then introduced themselves to the crowd, but my brother and I already knew all their names. Yeji is the oldest and the leader, Lia is the main vocalist and the English speaker, Ryujin is the main rapper, Chaeryeong is the main dancer and Yuna is the youngest and the visual/face of the group. Everyone cheered for their bias, their favorite, in the group; my brother cheered for Chaeryeong, and I cheered for Ryujin. 

The group members talked with the crowd and asked them how they were feeling so far and if they were excited for the rest of the night. When they finished talking, they went on with their performances and performed songs from their latest mini album, “Checkmate.” 

I kept looking over at my brother throughout the entire concert, and he had the biggest smile on his face watching his favorite band live. The songs that he played for me in the car when I’d drive him somewhere were being played even louder, which he loved. 

Each member also had their own solo performance throughout the concert. It wasn’t one right after the other, though, they did group songs and then had two solo performances where they covered songs from other artists. 

Ryujin was the first, performing “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat after performing six songs with the group. Ryujin is my favorite, and I am biased here when I say that her solo performance was the best. She added choreography to the song, which I loved, and her rapping really complimented the song as well.

The other members then joined her on stage to perform their next set of songs which the crowd went wild for. My family and I were having the time of our lives, and my mother kept recording my brother and me. She told us that going to Stray Kids for me and ITZY for my brother was the best money she spent all because of the pure joy she saw on our faces.

Some of my favorite songs that were performed that night were “Cherry,” “What I Want,” “#Twenty,” “Wannabe,” “Not Shy” and their first full English single “Boys Like You.” All of those songs are so upbeat and catchy, and hearing them live was so much fun.

Yuna got on stage for her solo cover of “Maniac” by Conan Gray, which was so sweet and so good. She danced all across the stage and was having the time of her life, which I loved. 

After her, Lia got on stage and covered Taylor Swift’s song “Red,” which was one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever heard. Her vocals are often very soft, but hearing her sing this song and belt out a high note gave me goosebumps.

After their solos, they got off stage for a costume change, and when they came back, they performed my all-time favorite song of theirs called “LOCO” from their album “Crazy in Love.” This song shook the entire hall, and I honestly think I lost my hearing after it purely from them singing to the crowd screaming and singing. 

There’s a dance break in this song that they skipped over, and I was really sad, but then I got excited because Ryujin stayed on stage alone when the song finished and did the dance break herself with the backup dancers. 

After that song and some others that were enjoyable, the last two members did their solo covers. Chaeryeong did a cover of “Bloodline” by Ariana Grande, which my brother screamed and cheered so loud he lost his voice. She added intense choreography to this song which made it even better. 

The last solo performance was from Yeji, who did a cover of Dua Lipa’s “Hotter than Hell,” which was a lot of fun.

The members joked after her performance that she added a new move every performance, which Yeji laughed and agreed with. The concert didn’t end until 10:00 p.m, and they kept teasing the audience by saying they had to go and then do an encore which I wasn’t complaining about.

After three encores of their songs “Trust Me (MIDZY),” “It’z Summer,” and “Be In Love,” they said their thanks and goodbyes to everyone in the crowd. 

This being my second concert ever, the first being Stray Kids, this was the second best experience of my life, and I loved it so much, but not as much as my brother did!