SEVENTEEN’s “RIGHT HERE” Tour: A Bittersweet Reflection

SEVENTEEN’s concert was filled with nostalgia, excitement, and reminders of why people became fans of them in the first place.

The brief U.S. leg of SEVENTEEN’s 2024 tour is a goodbye-for-now one, as the members start mandatory military enlistments. The show made clear what they want from CARATS (aka SEVENTEEN fans) in their absence: a commitment to staying connected, both to the group and to the larger world, with the help of music. Their music will always be there for CARATS, so SEVENTEEN will always be there for CARATS, something that JOSHUA expressed in his ment (the K-pop concert term for closing remarks): 

“I hear from a lot of our CARATS that… we helped you get through hard times… we helped you get through all your struggles. That always makes us happy and always helps us work harder, ‘cause we know that we’re helping you out. And I just want you guys to know we’re not just helping you out, but you guys are also helping us out… It’s always great and amazing to see you guys smile so brightly… we really wanted to see your smiles again. Hopefully… you were able to… cut loose from all of the hardships that you’ve been through up until now… And hopefully our concert today was an unforgettable experience... Don’t worry, okay? We love you.”

The “RIGHT HERE” show was defined by classic SEVENTEEN sentiments like this, a reminder to people that they matter and a desire to spread positivity and strength. These evergreen values of SEVENTEEN’s, along with sticking to tried-and-true staples of their shows, ensured this concert would be a moving and memorable one.

The Mix of New and Old

Numerous performances had false starts, setting the scene for one song before actually leading into another one. For example, a rock instrumental for “HOT” led into “Ash.” The opening number’s intro also drew out the drama: WONWOO and SEUNGKWAN both sang their lines before a prolonged instrumental-only pause.

While SEVENTEEN remixed plenty of their songs, they also delivered the classics. They performed iconic, years-old dance routines (like “Lilili Yabbay”) as if they were as fresh in their memories as 2024 routines, and they used props and pictures that nodded to their music videos (like the “Tiny Issue Club” flier from “Cheers to youth” and the baton-twirling and organ-playing from “MAESTRO”).

The overall arc of the concert was also classic for SEVENTEEN. Their shows have a two-in-one format, starting with fast-paced, polished performances before a lengthy encore that focuses on audience interactions. As usual, this encore included dance-offs, sing-alongs, lots of sign-reading, and acapella riffs of songs of the fans’ choosing. The sense was that SEVENTEEN wanted to incorporate at least a tiny bit of as many of their songs as possible into the show, and throwing this dance party was a good way to do so!

The Skits

SEVENTEEN always include sketches in their live shows, and this one was no exception! Before performing “Oh My!,” they hung out “at the park,” playing badminton, shooting hoops, scolding VERNON for falling asleep, and making VERNON apologize and bow to the audience! 

After the song and a scene where they were “magically transported” somewhere that included lots of animals (actors in inflatable costumes!), they “time-traveled” back to 2015, their debut year. They recreated a classic picture of them all sitting in a row on a beach, and a couple of members made sure to move so that the group was sitting in the exact same order as they did then. The text on the screen was unambiguous: 

“A lot has changed, but our feelings for Carats remain the same. We love you Carats!”

They sang and danced their way back to 2024, and the animals ended up following them there! A tiger, a dinosaur, a bunny, a gorilla, and other random creatures joined the members for “God of Music.” This was reminiscent of the “God of Music” video, which has everyone from little kids to a literal bug join SEVENTEEN’s band; no creature is deemed unworthy of contributing!

The Visual Aids

All deeper meaning aside, the visual aspects of SEVENTEEN’s concert were enough to keep a lock on the audience’s attention!

SEVENTEEN made full use of the stage. They spent lots of time on both the main stage and the extended one, made the risers appear to transform repeatedly (for example, they turned into what resembled a melting pyramid of ice cubes during “Water”), and had memorable entrances and exits. They took advantage of an under-the-stage platform, rising dramatically up through it at times and jumping into it during a skit. They looked like they jumped into the ocean during that skit, timing their jumps to match the splashes of water on the screen! 

The backgrounds stayed eye-popping. Some videos made viewers feel immersed in the action, like they were the passengers on a fast-moving train (in an intermission video) or people spinning through the air (in the transition between “Rain” and “Lilili Yabbay”). Other scenes mesmerizingly transitioned into different patterns and colors. Some had additional texture and depth due to physical extensions of the 2D imagery, like puffs of fire and smoke at the front of the stage and an inflatable pop-up version of the train that appeared on the screen. 

The Story in the Setlist

The “RIGHT HERE” concert setlist appeared tailor-made to reintroduce SEVENTEEN to the world, giving the public a lasting impression of their identity, values, and promise to fans.

Part one of the show told one story across three songs: “Fear,” “Fearless,” and “MAESTRO.” “Fear” and “Fearless” are self-explanatory partner songs, and the 2020 song “Fearless” overtly references the 2019 song “Fear.” While the 2024 song “MAESTRO” is not directly linked to those two, it shares the theme of a gradual rise in confidence. SEVENTEEN went from singing about feeling too insecure and scared to try being good company, to daring to make their presence known, to realizing they were always not just worthy but essential participants. They realized their power and started using it to be the “maestros” of their own lives. 

Part two of the show included “Ash” and “Crush,” the former being a song about rising from ashes and into a new and improved version of themselves, and the latter showing what is new and improved about them: a willingness to vocalize their feelings for someone. Playing these songs back-to-back told a story about starting over with love as the first piece of the new foundation.

Part three reinforced SEVENTEEN’s team pride. Each subunit got to perform two songs, one on the main stage and one closer to the audience. Also, the songs each subunit picked share broad themes: living unapologetically (most overtly the theme of “Monster”), lamenting how fast time flies with loved ones (“Lilili Yabbay”), and wanting every single person to feel seen and heard (“Cheers to youth,” which has a music video about a club where no one’s issue is deemed too “tiny” to matter).

Part four’s songs reveled in making good memories with each other: “Oh My!,” which involved the skit about reliving their debut year; “Snap Shoot,” which is about taking pictures to remember as much about the good times as possible; and “God of Music,” which is a celebration of music as a universal language. 

The group performed “Home” close to the crowd and while the screen featured a mix of items from the music video and from the previous backgrounds. This combination shared the song’s message of making a “home” whenever and wherever someone needs it.

The last group of songs circled back to part one. The group sang “LOVE, MONEY, FAME,” which is about love mattering more than anything else; “March,” which is about pursuing dreams unrestrained by fear; and “Super,” which repeats, “I love my team! I love my crew!” They smartly ended the show with songs that are emblematic of one of their music’s core themes: finding strength through togetherness.

The Overall Message

While SEVENTEEN’s concert intermission videos did not include much text, the text they did include matters: “We were always together” and “We are still together.” Just like the “shining promise” they always sing about keeping with CARATS, like they said throughout their ending ments (JOSHUA being just one example), and like they alluded to throughout their concert, SEVENTEEN pay tribute to the unifying and healing power of music. They recognize music’s power to bring people together, to create a sense of belonging, and to give people the kind of unforgettable memories that make life easier to handle on the bad days. With their inspiring music and thoughtful, passionate performances of it, SEVENTEEN promise to be “RIGHT HERE” whenever CARATS need them.

By proudly recreating moments from their early days, performing songs spanning their entire band timeline, and tapping into the theatrical charm that enticed people to enter SEVENTEEN’s musical world in the first place, this was a quintessential SEVENTEEN show! It was an endearing tribute to SEVENTEEN’s essence, discography, and multidimensional artistry; it was a meaningful last hurrah for CARATS before a prolonged break from full-group activities; it had plenty of reasons to both cry and smile; and it offered ample opportunities to swell with pride in being a fan of artists who remain who they have always been.

Photo credit: Twitter / X