Thousands of Arizona ATINY were drawn towards the light at Footprint Center last month when ATEEZ’s massive world tour made a grandiose stop in the desert. The eight members brought a stunning spectacle to the iconic arena, leveling up their production and showmanship from their last visit to the Valley and taking their fans on a wild three-hour ride through new and familiar favorites.
After whipping the sold out crowd into a frenzy by playing their own music videos, the group emerged from darkness, resplendent in their all-white opening outfits. Opening with “Crazy Form” is a crazy choice (in the best way) and set the tone for how this marathon of a set was going to go. Their tightly choreographed dances to accompany each song only added to the full experience of the show and the group made their way down the catwalk to the secondary stage by the second song of the night.
Spending as much time up close to their ATINYs as possible seemed to be the goal and the members- Hongjoong, Yunho, San, Seonghwa, Wooyoung, Yeosang, Mingi and Jonho- waved at and interacted with fans in the pit all night. The provocative, shriek-inducing choreography of “Wake Up” segued right into the rock version of “Guerilla” that found leader Hongjoong shredding a solo on his guitar before the venue broke the wall with their powerful fanchant.
The show climbed to new heights as the setlist continued, adding in solos from the members before the pulsating “Cyberpunk” took center stage. ATEEZ also took their storyline and acting to higher levels, with Seonghwa putting on a performance unlike any we’ve seen at a show before as a fallen angel in “Halazia”.
The group treated their fans to a few more deep cuts and unit songs, giving each unit a moment to shine in the middle of the setlist. From the playful duo of Yunho and Mingi on “Youth” to Hongjoong and Seonghwa’s fur coat swag on “MATZ” to Jongho’s angelic vocals on “Everything”, each member gave the fans everything they had.
ATEEZ’s music is incredible and their stage presence is transcendental but the real power of this group lies in their genuine love for each other as people. The members were smiling throughout the set- both at the fans and at each other, soaking in the reality of their dreams coming true in front of thousands of people each night. Their camaraderie was highlighted during “Dancing Like Butterfly Wings”, a cheerful setlist staple that we hope never leaves the rotation just for the joy it brings to the group and all of their ATINYs.
Between songs, the group bared their collective soul to the fans, speaking from the heart about gratitude, love and, of course, keeping the party going. The second portion of the set had the room working up a sweat on the aptly-named “Work”, “Arriba” and “Django”- all huge favorites from their last two albums. ATINYs barely caught their breath before we had to slow it down and make it bouncy with the K-Hot Chili Peppers themselves and a room full of lightsticks did its best to keep up.
It wouldn’t be an ATEEZ show without giving Seonghwa a sword and they upgraded his stage weapon of choice for a killer ending to “Wonderland”. By this point, the show was coming to a close and both the group and the fans were not willing to let them go. After a medley of upbeat favorites, ATEEZ unleashed one last fountain of pure joy on “Utopia” to officially end the night.
ATEEZ has come so far in just a few short years and their jump to arenas is perfectly fitting for how much effort they put into the theatrics of their live shows. The Towards the Light: Will to Power Tour was a fully interactive experience from start to finish, with the group putting the fans first and their own love for entertaining firmly at the forefront of the performance. Now that the tour is over, fans will already be clamoring for the group’s next appearance- and we’ll be front and center as usual when they do.
