K-EXCLUSIVE: New York Slips into the Diamond Life at Seventeen’s Last ‘North America Diamond Edge’ Stop
K-EXCLUSIVE: New York Slips into the Diamond Life at Seventeen's Last 'North America Diamond Edge' Stop
Wrapping up their ‘Diamond Edge‘ tour on August 27th, the 13-member group Seventeen mesmerized New York fans, aptly named Carats, in person for the first time on their own. “Let’s have more fun with more Carats at a bigger venue next time!” These words echoed through the ears of many as the Terminal 5 venue with a capacity of only 3000 was packed to the brim with the fans from all over the country.
Even before going into the very venue that would hold the hearts of fans captive for the next few hours, Carats were already getting pumped. With everything from talk of biases to favorite songs & choreography filling the air and even an ice cream truck decked out for Seventeen to greet fans, the atmosphere was starting to smolder into what became a fire by the end of the night.
Fans of all ages were welcomed into the ‘Hell’s Kitchen‘ venue with a large screen playing all their favourite music videos. To the delight of the group, fans sang in unison to every song, which Seventeen acknowledged towards the end of the show. From the 3rd floor looking down it was no wonder fans are known as Carats. The sea of lights from lit headbands, signs, and light sticks glistening were like the facets of real diamonds as they scintillate in the sun.
As the lights dimmed, kick starting the beginning of a very memorable evening, Carats went wild! Sounds of excitement were met with the first VCR of the night. Depicting the members in gray scale with splashes of fun colours behind them, fans were intoxicated with the amount of charm on the screen. However, as the curtains closed in the opening video and lights turned off, the long awaited moment finally arrived. Seventeen took to the stage being warmly welcomed by the increased screaming of their fans and the sparkle of what looked like gems glistening in the darkness.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Diamond Edge!” Dressed in an array of colours and embroidery, members bow to their fans as the music of their ‘Love & Letter‘ hit ‘Pretty U‘ began. Fans were seen mimicking the hand waving dance during member DK‘s part the best they could in such close quarters. Continuing with the very lively performance was ‘Beautiful‘ followed by their 2015 debut song ‘Adore U‘. Members could be seen doing a double-dab during the transition between songs to the amusement of those lucky enough to catch the moment. It was obvious the amount of energy in the crowd was continually raising from one song to the next by the extent of cheering coming from Carats. The moment DK sang out “Baby, you’re my angel!” he truly became an angel, with the help of S.Coups of course.
Seventeen then took a short break to get a good look into the crowd to greet their fans as one by one each member introduced themselves. “Are you having fun tonight?” Unsurprisingly, not one person in the audience disagreed. From the ground floor all the way to the back of the 3rd floor, the screams of enjoyment could be heard vibrating through the walls. With so much movement so early, the temperature had already climbed a great deal higher. Despite the heat, Seventeen was ready to continue on to the next song, but not before they confirmed everyone was safe and they took a minute to teach a chant that would be used continually the rest of the night.
Progressing onward to the more laid-back ‘Still Lonely‘ and jumping right into the more addictive funky and high energy ‘Very Nice‘. Just like quite a number of past singles, Woozi along with S.Coups & Vernon have confirmed their versatility by co-composing this extremely rousing tune themselves. It only takes a few seconds into watching before member Hoshi playfully rips his jacket off his shoulders to the many caught off guard Carats. The flash happened so quickly, but Carats will have the memory ingrained in their minds for a long time ahead. The entirety of the song was consistent in power as each member kept incredible pace and harmony.
Dropping from 13 members to a much slimmer 4, the Performance Unit brought down the house with the EDM influenced ‘Swimming Fool‘. This very enjoyable electropop tune is just as fun to watch as it is to listen to. Hoshi, Dino, Jun & The8 swam their way into the hearts of everyone watching with their smooth water and wave-esque dancing. Once the team of 4 paddled off stage, Carats delightedly sailed into pre-debut middle school Seventeen photos on the large screen for a few moments.
‘Mansae‘ then brings everyone back to school with desks, a chalk board, and each member draped in school uniforms. Carats shouted the addictive chorus along with the boys in unison all while swinging to the beat. Before we knew it “SEVENTEEN TEEN TEEN!!!” rang across the speakers announcing the start of a ‘Going Seventeen‘ album favorite ‘Boom Boom‘. Hoshi yet again distracts fans this time constantly pulling his button down shirt off his shoulders exposing a sleeveless top. Other members participated in this as well, however Hoshi seemingly took pride in his playful ways. After more explosive dancing by all 13 members, we are left with 3.
With Go-Pros in hand and the sweat pouring off their faces, they go around the stage recording the happy expressions of their many fans. “We think you guys are great dancers!” With those few words, the team of three teach the onlooking crowd the moves to the fan favorite ‘Chuck‘. Chanting with thumbs in the air “CHUCK! CHUCK! BRR! CHUCK!“. To step up the difficulty, Carats are taught more involved dances and then the even more difficult moves of ‘Crazy Love‘. To end our dance school moments, the mantra taught earlier in the evening is again chanted before the next VCR begins.
Shadows of people on stage dash from right to left as the video plays on the large screen. Props of gothic decor now set the stage for more emotional tunes ‘We Gonna Make It Shine (2017 ver.)‘ and ‘Don’t Listen in Secret‘. The dark colours and mic stands draped in blood red scarves are a dark contrast to what has been a bright colourful beginning. The smoke blowing at the Vocal Unit‘s feet and the bright spot lights truly set the new mood for both heart wrenching songs.
Changing pace once again now with the Hip-Hop Unit, another VCR begins taking us away from the previous darkness. We set foot in a night club setting as the video ends. Green laser lights scour the venue as the once somewhat calm sounds of Carats dramatically escalates. S.Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu and Vernon decked in more mature clothing now, step on the stage to the screams of fans everywhere. The bass intensifies, the crowd is jumping, hands are in the air, and the heat once again starts to climb. The fire being spit from their lips gives Carats a feeling they don’t want to extinguish. The party atmosphere even has the venue staff getting in the mood! “Make some noise!!!” Vernon warns us it’s time to ‘Check In‘. Carats prepare themselves and let loose “Yea, I check in NEW YORK CITY!”
Coming back to the Performance Unit, another VCR before fans are screaming ‘OMG‘ to the four young men. Followed by another Carat favorite from ‘Going Seventeen‘, ‘Highlight‘ was everything fans had been waiting for and more. ‘I’m like a bird!‘ fans flew along with Jun, The8, Hoshi & Dino with arms high above. Clad in loose fitting tops, the intense dancing allows their clothes to flow with the movement of their bodies leaving the audience in awe.
All 13 members join us together on stage for disco-esque ‘Crazy in Love‘. Seventeen as a team show fans how the dance they were taught earlier should look, and it was far from disappointing! As the lights go off, Jun & The8 take the stage alone with their ribbon for ‘My I‘. This artistic performance fit perfectly with the lyrics in such a way that translation was not needed. You can see the struggle of the lyrics, the desire and the fight all portrayed with just a ribbon tangled between 2 members.
The emotional roller coaster ‘Habit‘ comes next with the Vocal Unit. The lack of choreography brought out the best in each of the 5 members voices. The harmony between them is breathtakingly beautiful and each verse seems better than the last. The gestures and looks on their faces just shows how much emotion and effort is truly put in. Light sticks swaying back and forth give the crowd a glimmering diamond appearance that brings justice to their fandom name.
Soon Seventeen‘s Hip-Hop Unit is back with ‘If I‘. Not quite as fast paced or energetic as their previous stage, but far from lacking. The funky futuristic beat-driven song kept Carats out of their seats and moving with no looking back. Before fans knew it, hips were swaying on stage, and they were screaming on all 3 floors. Not long after the swaying hips at song end, a short break is needed. “There’s a lot of fans cheering for us tonight!” they exclaimed as they were astonished by the amazing crowd of NYC! Seventeen explain the reasons for their red clothing colour choice was “because of the HOT stages! Are you ready to be HOT?!” Seventeen was ready to continue the party, but not before spotting a few very young fans and asked “How old are you? 11,10,7? Oh wow! We are SEVENTEEN, you are SEVEN!” The crowd cheered and laughed with the members as I’m sure the young fans are shocked at the fan-service.
Continuing on, the group and fans alike, break with the aforementioned chant. Now it’s time to ‘Rock‘! Seventeen has now become immersed in fire with the area behind them glowing with flames and the bright orange & red lights. If it wasn't obvious before, Seventeen is definitely bringing the heat. The intense and aggressive dance is reminiscent of a raging fire, while the more soft body rolls are similar to the flames themselves. Rolling right into a dab ending straight into ‘Chuck‘. Carats braced themselves for the chorus to practice what they had learned previously. Not a single beat missed, not a single person forgot, and both fans and members sang along together.
"Is it hot in here?!" Seventeen noticed and praised their Carats for cheering so much, dancing along side them, and singing with them which they jokingly blamed the heat on. To distract fans from the coming end to the concert, members perform some cute aegyo poses. Since fans didn't want the next song to be the last, Seventeen wanted to soften the pain. Dances of Beyonce, Michael Jackson, and a few other artists were shown making fans smile.
"This is the last song so you all will sing along together, right? Although this is our last song, we hope that you don't cry. We don't want you to cry" One last chant together and a quick goodbye and bow before the piano solo of ‘Don't Wanna Cry‘ plays. The artistic dancing begins as other members step forward. Harmonizing with first Wonwoo and then Mingyu, fans begin to sing along as they had promised. Continuing along with Vernon, Hoshi, Woozi and the rest though the entirety of the song. Fan chants are even heard throughout the crowd. It's hard to keep eyes clear of tears with such a wonderful performance by Seventeen knowing this is the end.
The last VCR of the evening plays and there isn't a dry eye in the venue. Each member is shown handwriting letters to their Carats thanking them for their love and support. It was such a touching moment to see the members express their love to fans in such a way. However, fans still wanted one last piece of Seventeen. They screamed for an encore at the top of their lungs, hoping the boys in the back would hear their wishes. Luckily their wishes came true and Seventeen came back in more comfortable clothes in the official Seventeen fandom colours of Rose Quartz and Serenity in an effort for the group to show their own support towards the fans. Reminding fans to slip into the diamond life, ‘Shining Diamond‘ and ‘Healing‘ become the true last songs of the ‘North American Diamond Edge‘ tour. Members take the last few moments to record more with the Go-Pros, jump and play around on stage while waving to fans. Streamers are released as a last exciting spectacle and S.Coups sprays water from his water bottle on to fans in the heat of the moment.
One last goodbye from each member was in store. They were impressed with the New York Carats passion and energy and expressed their earnest desire to come back to New York. The moment everyone has dreaded has arrived and the show has come to an end. Seventeen promises to comeback better than ever, and sends us off after a group photo and one last bow. As they leave the stage waving goodbye to Carats, fans are already talking about how amazing the concert was!
Overall, ‘Diamond Edge‘ in New York was a major success. The show was loads of fun for people of all ages and fans can't wait for the next tour! A huge thank you to Pledis Entertainment and My Music Taste for bringing Seventeen and for giving us this wonderful opportunity. Thank you to Seventeen and staff for your dedication and hard work. Also, thank you to all the fans who came to show their support!
Be sure to check out the photo album for more images here!
Officially Kmusic will continue to keep you updated on exclusive events, so stay tuned!
Writer: Rachel Bibb
Editor: Tracey
Photographer: Rachel Carlin-Weber
The post K-EXCLUSIVE: New York Slips into the Diamond Life at Seventeen’s Last ‘North America Diamond Edge’ Stop appeared first on The latest kpop news and music | Officially Kmusic.
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