Arizona TURNINGS mingled at The Van Buren back in April for 8Turn’s 1st World Tour [8TURNRISE]. The eight member K-pop group finally had the chance to journey to North America as part of their very first world tour and Phoenix was one of the lucky stops along the way.
Myungho, Jaeyun, Minho, Yoonsung, Haemin, Kyungmin, Yungyu and Seungheon took the stage against a dramatic silhouetted backdrop of their tour logo and had the fans on their feet for “World” and “Ru-Pum Pum”. Dressed in coordinating custom denim outfits, the members showcased their individual personalities within the structure of the group and immediately won the room. Since their debut in early 2023, 8TURN has quickly gained a devoted following, turning that into the success of this first tour.
Despite being a newer group, 8TURN performs with the stamina and synchronization of veterans- their choreography was perfectly executed and their vocals mirrored the quality of the group’s recordings. The members also took many opportunities to chat with the fans between songs, introducing themselves properly and expressing constant awe and gratitude for the turnout as the tour progressed.
8TURN garnered notice and fame in the K-pop community from their appearance on the competition show Road to Kingdom and thanked the fans with a series of medley performances created for their time on the show. Between original songs, they also split off into units for covers of other popular K-pop songs- and even a dance/original rap version of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”.
All too soon, the night was coming to a close but 8TURN wasn’t about to leave without giving everything they had to the final songs. Re-emerging in their tour merch, the group closed out the night with an encore of “Like a Friend”, “ING” and “You Are My Reason”- the last being a reassurance that they’ll always stand beside their TURNINGS as they continue this musical journey together. With such a welcome reception in Phoenix, 8TURN will hopefully brave the desert heat in the future to visit the fans eagerly awaiting their return.
