Seventeen’s Back-to-Back N.Y.C. Shows Were More Than a K-Pop Concert, They’re Communion

Any number of idioms could be used to describe what Seventeen did at UBS Arena during two sold-out shows this weekend — brought the house down, would be one. But the more fitting choice might be: they took fans to church. 

Their three-hour set is a spectacle, as anyone familiar with the world of K-pop might expect, with elaborate sets, ornate costuming and intricate choreography. But it’s also a therapy session, a release, a hangout — and many Carats (as the group’s fans are known) would no doubt say, a religious experience.

After all, there are mantras to be recited in unison (“Seventeen right here!” and “Horanghae!”) and rites of passage to undergo: Anyone in the crowd might be challenged to a dance battle by Hoshi or a sing-off by Seungkwan. There’s even the possibility of a baptism by water bottle as Mingyu and S. Coups are known to gleefully spray the floor seats.

And it all culminates in the fervor of “Never-ending Aju Nice” — a final, fan-favorite song where the members and Carats all jump and chant together in a swirl of giddy chaos raised to the rafters.

There was a tangible sense of community, celebration and purpose among the nearly 38,000 people that packed the Elmont Park, N.Y. venue. on Friday and Sunday as the 11 active members (S. Coups, 29, Joshua, 28, Hoshi, 28, Wonwoo, 28, Woozi, 27, Mingyu, 27, DK, 27, The 8, 26, Seungkwan, 26, Vernon, 26, and Dino, 25) of the normally 13-member group took the stage. (Jeonghan, 29, is currently fulfilling South Korea’s mandatory military service and Jun, 28, is on leave filming a TV show.)

The 2024 best group VMA winners shook the arena with performances of their anthemic singles like “Maestro” and “Super,” deeper cuts like “Ash” and “Campfire,” and four songs off their latest album, Spill the Feels, including the DJ Khaled collaboration “Love, Money, Fame.”

The group is made up of serious performers, singers, dancers and rappers, but they manage to flip between absolute professional perfectionism and almost startlingly silly bits.

The last third of the show is really what sets a Seventeen concert apart.

Gone are the fancy costumes in favor of outfits of tour merch and jeans as they hang out, goof around and of course entertain, with some of their most sing-a-long-friendly songs and interactions with the crowd. 

You can see and feel how much they enjoy their jobs. When Carats beam up at Seventeen on the stage, Seventeen is grinning right back. 

And they better, to do it for three hours a night for ten shows across five U.S. cities — Chicago, New York, San Antonio, Oakland and L.A. — before heading to Japan and Southeast Asia for another 15 that will carry them through February.

Before leaving N.Y.C., however, they’ll appear on Good Morning America on Wednesday, Oct. 30, where they’ll encounter a much broader audience they’ve not yet anointed, but will no doubt win over with talent and charm. As the members say, “Seventeen, to the world!” — a mission statement that’s become gospel.