SEVENTEEN has BEcome THE SUN, visiting fans across the world for the first time after a wait of some two years and four months. The group is scheduled to perform 27 times across 20 different cities, the first having been their stellar performance in Seoul. After the North American leg of their tour finishes up in early September, they will return to Asia for stadium performances and wrap up by year’s end with a number of concerts in Japan. True to their reputation as a self-produced group, the members of SEVENTEEN are also active in deciding on the set list, performances, arrangements and outfits for the tour, thus contributing to what could be described as a three-hour team project conducted by the members of the group, their staff and CARAT as well. Knowing how SEVENTEEN has prepared for and produced their concerts will make their performances that much more enjoyable. If you’re interested in hearing more about SEVENTEEN’s tour, take a look at our report below, which includes detailed behind-the-scenes looks and comments from the members themselves about how the group is putting their concerts together.

1. Tour dates 

SEVENTEEN kicked off their tour at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on June 25 and 26 and are currently performing in 12 cities across the United States and Canada. In September, the group returns to Asia, first for a series of seven concerts across four cities—Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila and Singapore—then in November and December holds their first series of stadium concerts in Japan under the name BE THE SUN - JAPAN, with performances in Osaka, Tokyo and Aichi. Doing a tour of the different Dome stadiums in Japan is considered a particular marker of success for K-pop artists. SEVENTEEN had been scheduled for just such a tour in 2020 but had to cancel due to the pandemic, so it’s great they’ll finally be able to play the shows they were always meant to. 

2. The set list 

With SEVENTEEN now in their eighth year since debuting, the group has a number of unique songs across a spectrum of genres. The concert set lists are created with fans in mind and given great consideration by the members of SEVENTEEN as well as their staff. “The artists and the staff talk a lot together to make their concerts perfect,” Yi Hyo Jin, head of A&R at PLEDIS Entertainment, the group’s label, said. “We meet a lot to talk about it and the members don’t miss a single detail, giving ideas like, ‘What do you guys think if we did this?’ or, ‘What if we tried it this way?’” And given that the performance in Seoul was going to be the first proper concert since the pandemic started and the one to open their BE THE SUN world tour, they had to make particularly intricate preparations in order to meet fans’ expectations after such a long wait for SEVENTEEN’s return. Yi went on to say that they “chose the songs knowing that the Seoul concert was to be the first in-person concert in two years, four months, and we wanted to give the fans the performance they deserved. We thought about how we could show even more of SEVENTEEN’s journey than we already had and created the set list by mainly considering songs the fans hadn’t seen performed much because they’re off albums that were released during the pandemic,” laying out a list that “considers the atmosphere of each section of the concert and as a whole and brings the excitement up and down to follow.” They also “arranged the opening songs in a rock style to take advantage of the group members’ energy and enthusiasm” and “wanted the concert to portray the concept of SEVENTEEN having become the sun, so we opened with a performance that could fully capture the intensity of the group’s energy. We also sprinkled songs all throughout that show off the unique characteristics of each unit and also put in some parts that emphasize the unique way SEVENTEEN has of bringing the fun.”

The concert in Seoul takes Face the Sun—their fourth studio album—as well as the BE THE SUN concert and their repacked album SECTOR 17 and spins it all into a narrative that revolves around the sun; SEVENTEEN appears in concert as the sun itself, while the repackaged album that came out afterward shows how they harness all that energy to bring warmth back to the world. “The schedule was really tight since the Seoul concert landed right after the release of their fourth album and just before the repackaged album came out,” Yi said, “so the staff suggested it would be best just to work on the main songs from the studio album and plan more for the next concerts, but the members were more ambitious and so we ended up including songs that the fans hadn’t seen in a long time that they wanted to show off as well.” The song “Shadow,” for example, was added in to be performed in concert for the first time ever on the recommendation of the SEVENTEEN members, as was “March,” another song linked to the group’s storyline and that was worked in to show a different side of the group to fans. It’s no wonder the concert in Seoul went so well. 

3. Behind the scenes

“I’ve been working a long time, but I’ve never seen a group like them,” Yoon Hye Lim, leader of PLEDIS’ performance directing team, said, explaining what makes the boys’ performances so outstanding. “The members of SEVENTEEN are always saying, ‘I can work really hard when it comes to practice.’ That’s how good their teamwork is. They’re always working really hard.” Despite the huge number of performances the group has put on to date, every single one is full of sincerity and shows how much effort the group members and their staff put in. “For concerts, the staff brief them on everything from the prerecorded videos to the set list, at which time the members give a lot of feedback, after which there’s a meeting to put on the final touches. The set list for this concert was an equal effort between the staff and the SEVENTEEN members. I think the best performances are for the songs the members choose themselves, so we listen to pretty much 100% of their ideas and work them in.”

From amazing performances by each of the units to musical interludes accented by the members’ ad libs, SEVENTEEN’s concerts are the most fun you could ask for. Unit songs are where the members have the most input, with each unit having complete control over which songs they perform and how the music is arranged. “The performance unit ended up performing a new song, ‘Wave,’ which they came in early every day for five days to work on with the choreographers despite their busy schedule,” Yoon said. “The members of the vocal unit wanted to hear their fans’ voices as much as possible, so we put in a part where they could sing along with the boys on their advice. The hip hop unit was determined to perform ‘Back it up’ live, so we arranged the song to make sure they and the fans could have the most fun possible together.”

“SEVENTEEN has done a lot by themselves ever since they were trainees and have experienced a lot, so they have a specialty for making any style their own,” Yoon explained, saying the way “each part of their concerts change drastically thanks to the members’ acting chops” is what makes the group’s concerts so uniquely alluring. From the passionate openings, ever-changing unit performances and musical segments that allow the group members to talk with the fans, to the way they snap back into the performance again at the end, “their ability to give the audience something with such a wide variety of exciting things is what makes a SEVENTEEN concert so special.” According to Yoon, the musicals are where the group really shines. “The musicals are a consolidation of everything the members have to give. When I present the subject matter to them and explain the rough outline for the choreography, the members come up with ways to deliver the lines and when each of them should enter, and even at the concert they give more ideas. It’s created with their total involvement.” SEUNGKWAN said he thinks “being comfortable and natural are more important than anything else, so we give the lines like we’re having a real conversation and throw in a lot of ad-libbing. I think those parts are just as important as all the singing and dancing in making the concerts work, so the members all talk together to decide what would make them more fun.” DINO added, “For this latest concert, I really tried to use different facial expressions and express myself in different ways during each part. I’m going to practice really hard so when I talk to the fans and ad-lib during the concerts overseas I can do it all in those languages, and I really hope the fans like it.”

In addition to the performances, the outfits require a great deal of effort and careful planning on the part of the staff. SEVENTEEN’s wardrobe for the tour is handled by Kim Hyodahm, head of the PLEDIS Visual Creative Team, who said they decided to make gold a key color to represent the group members becoming the sun and to have the greatest impact. Kim emphasized that it’s “important to have a series of costume changes planned for each part of the concert so the group members can show off different sides of themselves” since they’re much longer than live performances on television, noting how “SEVENTEEN, who are very involved, give feedback whenever they’re able and they have endless discussions and consultations from the planning stages of the concert and up to before and after wardrobe fitting.” Many of SEVENTEEN’s performances require them to move very energetically, so the members check thoroughly for any discomfort from their clothing or shoes during their fittings, and the VC team adjusts them accordingly, including if they receive feedback from the boys during rehearsals. Kim said many of the group members’ ideas were incorporated into their concert wardrobe for this tour as well. The outfits for the vocal team’s unit performance were made based on a suggestion from WOOZI to make them look like the stars sparkling in the night sky. JEONGHAN’s cast, which were designed to match his wardrobe, was given to him in multiple colors on his request. “The day before the performance, JEONGHAN suddenly asked us to draw some angel wings on his white cast, so we did,” Kim said. “Not only did he influence the design, but we also got his feedback while he was practicing the choreography and altered his clothing appropriately—for example, the location of buckles, different strap lengths and extra material to stop the clothes from rubbing against his neck.”

The song arrangements for the concerts, too, are made in a collaboration between the performance directing team, A&R and the members of SEVENTEEN themselves. “There’s a part in ‘BOOMBOOM’ during this concert where they open their jackets, and the members recommended we add a certain sound to the music to make the performance feel more energetic,” A&R head Yi revealed, saying, “SEVENTEEN’s performances are, in a word, all about fun and excitement.” The way they shout out and improvise make every SEVENTEEN concert a once-in-a-lifetime experience. “You hear performances at SEVENTEEN’s concerts that have their own charm when compared to the studio versions. It’s a special kind of experience that fans can only get in concert.”

4. CARAT

SEVENTEEN’s concert in Seoul wasn’t just notable for how well the members performed on stage but for how they interacted with their fans as well. A SEVENTEEN concert is an opportunity for CARAT to experience and enjoy the chemistry of putting on a concert together with the group. From the wit-filled “slogan time,” to the chants necessitating perfect memorization of all 13 members’ names, to the group’s signature never-ending “VERY NICE,” CARAT have a lot to prepare to get the most out of a SEVENTEEN concert. SEUNGKWAN said he “was really pumped up during the encore of ‘VERY NICE’” at the recent concert in Seoul. “I kept asking the fans to jump because I wanted to share in the excitement together, but I felt sorry after reading some of their reviews saying that the concert was exhausting.” Now able to see his fans in concert after a long time apart, MINGYU said it “used to be normal to have concerts, but then we could only address the fans online for a while, so now I’m so grateful and happy during every concert. It’s been so long since I could sing and dance with CARAT, and doing it again reminds me how precious that feeling is. And I was once again thankful for all their love after waiting so long for us for the same reason.” SEVENTEEN concerts provide CARAT plenty of ways to get involved and have fun. With the group giving their all to put on the best performances possible and CARAT putting everything into cheering them on, SEVENTEEN concerts are the very definition of a team project.

5. Bonus for CARAT waiting for SEVENTEEN’s tour

MINGYU: It’s been a long time since we did a world tour so there’s a lot of things I’m looking forward to. I hope we’ll trade good vibes with the fans and make some good memories with them. We haven’t seen them in forever, but I’m so thankful they waited for us all this time.

SEUNGKWAN: The concert is filled with our gratitude toward all the fans who waited patiently to see us perform, and I think we’ll be able to put on a show worthy of their expectations. I hope everyone is looking forward to our performances of the songs from the repackaged album because they’re going to be even more emotional than in the videos from before!

DINO: We took songs we released during the pandemic and put together a performance of songs that we thought CARAT would most want to see and put a lot of effort into it so they could enjoy it all on a much bigger scale. I think all the time we had to spend apart will make the concert that much more fun and spectacular. We’ve really grown a lot as SEVENTEEN and I hope everyone will enjoy the performance. I hope CARAT can relieve all that stress building up in their lives when they come to see our concert, too!