Hours before SEVENTEEN dropped their new greatest hits album, 17 Is Right Here, on April 29, the K-pop sensations seized the moment by holding two electrifying concerts at the Seoul World Cup Stadium to preview the record and celebrate nearly a decade of hits together.
Against the backdrop of the stadium, SEVENTEEN leader S.Coups noted the sentimental moment, telling the crowd, “Standing here, I feel like I’ve been running towards this very moment up until now,” a testament to the journey they’ve undertaken alongside their devoted fanbase known as CARATs. Seungkwan added, “Our goal today is to present all CARATs here with the best day they ever had.”
With a five-piece live band noticeably elevating the SEVENTEEN musical experience to new heights from opening tracks “Super” and “Don Quixote,” the SVT crew delved into a slightly adjusted setlist for the closing shows of their ‘FOLLOW’ AGAIN tour that previously hit Osaka and Kanagawa in Japan, as well as Incheon, South Korea. Offering fans a glimpse into their upcoming album, the live premiere of four new songs — including their maximalstic, break-beat single “MAESTRO” — made the tour finale all the more montemous. Mingyu reflected that they “were both nervous and excited to showcase the first performance of ‘MAESTRO’ here,” with Hoshi noting, “We wanted to show our ‘best’ selves for the CARATs. We really put our best efforts into this performance.”
As the concert drew to a close and each of the 13 members shared parting words with the crowd, Woozi encapsulated a collective sentiment, saying: “The ‘Best [Of]’ album will be released the day after tomorrow. It’s an album dear to me, embodying SEVENTEEN’s beliefs. Today’s show was also like that in some sense. Performing today, I was strongly reminded of all the memories tied to each and every song. Today may have been an ordinary day for some, but for everyone here and us, it was a day of 10 years, making it so much more valuable. This moment is so special to us, so we always try to capture and remember everyone with our eyes as much as possible.”
Read on for more from SEVENTEEN’s Seoul shows, and see exclusive photos of S.Coups, Woozi, Hoshi, Seungkwan, Mingyu, Jeonghan, The8, Joshua, DK, Wonwoo, Jun, Vernon and Dino below:
