TXT’s “ACT : PROMISE” World Tour Review: The Short Version

Three ways TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Chicago Night Two show exceeded expectations.

The three biggest strong suits of TXT’s “ACT : PROMISE” concert were its story, stamina, and speed, and these strengths reinforced each other all night long.

The Pacing

While it is a lovely aspect of K-pop concerts that artists often spend ample time chit-chatting with the audience between songs, TXT kept that to a minimum, and when they did talk, it was with purpose. Their main talking segments were just opening remarks, closing comments, and a mid-show segment involving creating a new fan chant for the crowd to copy. They opted to keep most of their remarks about their music, its messages, and the show’s overarching “PROMISE” key word. The show stayed pointed and well-paced, and moments that could have felt like filler were instead packed with more songs. One subunit performed with such a full stage presence that it took some time to realize that the other two had even left the stage to change outfits! When they returned, the other three members left to change, and the duo wasted no time jumping into a mesmerizing dance routine. TXT used every minute of their show to the fullest.

The Stamina

The concert’s swift pacing made the group’s relentless energy even more impressive. Every single song was sung and danced to as if it was the opening number or grand finale. They went from song to song without missing a beat, pulled off jumps and other higher-energy moves without losing any steam, and had superb synchronization even by K-pop’s higher standards. They did not just perform moves with an astoundingly high quality, but an astoundingly high quantity too! Some songs where it would make sense to just stand there and rock out spontaneously turned into choreographed numbers part-way through, as if they couldn’t help themselves! The group had no backup dancers or live band, but they proved to not need more than each other to make the stage feel full.

The Storytelling

The lack of clunky transitions and tireless agility both compounded the concert’s third strong suit: the ways it brought TXT’s world of music videos and short films to life. The show was true to the group’s ongoing narrative and included lots of details (explained more here) with special meaning to those who have been following their cinematic adventures. While having prior knowledge of TXT’s story made the concert more exciting, it was not a requirement to have a blast watching it unfold. TXT firmly held onto the audience’s attention and made tedium a non-issue. They gave each stage something different, from a new prop (a baseball bat, a guitar…) to a stage makeover (an island theme, a train station…) to special effects (confetti, streamers, puffs of smoke, flames…). Each performance differed from the ones before it, and further keeping the crowd captivated was the presence of many screens. Some circled around and above the smaller stage that extended off the runway, and big screens were behind the main stage. Viewers in all sections got a clear view of all the action. Further keeping the crowd engaged was TXT’s preference for the smaller, closer stage over the main one. On the occasions when they did stick to the main stage, it never lasted long!

Conclusion

TXT’s rich storylines were given the enthusiasm, effort, and attention to detail that they deserved. “ACT : PROMISE” was endlessly entertaining, kept the audience on their toes, and overall proved why TXT deserved to go from filling up theaters to arenas!

View the Full Setlist Here!

Deja Vu

9 and Three Quarters (Run Away)

0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)

Devil by the Window

Sugar Rush Ride

Farewell, Neverland

Chasing That Feeling

Magic

New Rules

LO$ER=LO♡ER

Ghosting

Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go

Happy Fools (VERY briefly!) 

Trust Fund Baby

Quarter Life (BEOMGYU, TAEHYUN, & HUENINGKAI)

The Killa (I Belong to You) (YEONJUN & SOOBIN)

Back for More

Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)

PUMA

Good Boy Gone Bad

Growing Pain

Dreamer

Deep Down

I’ll See You There Tomorrow

(Start of the Encore)

Magic Island

Miracle

Happily Ever After

Cat & Dog

Check out past TXT write-ups and podcast episodes here!