It has been a little over two years since their “Ode to You” tour, which was cut short due to the pandemic. With Covid restrictions lifting in several parts of the globe, artists are taking to the road with world tours. Seventeen is one of those artists and they are back with their third world tour, “Be the Sun.” The Northern California stop of the tour took place on August 14th, 2022, at the Oakland Arena. All thirteen members are back in the area for their second stop on the U.S. leg to promote their latest album, “Sector 17”, a re-release of their “Face the Sun” Album.

Prior to showtime, there were a few things for fans to do around the arena. In the South Plaza, there are a few photo opportunities. There is one main merchandise stand in the plaza as well. There are smaller merch stands around the concourse of the arena, as well as food stands. As the 7:30pm showtime approached, the lights dimmed and the first vcr played.

As the LED screens at the front of the main stage raised, they revealed all thirteen members as they ascended a staircase towards an LED fixture that looks like a sun. The group then led into their first set with songs like “Hot”, “March”, and “Hit”. This started the night with a bang of high energy and stage pyro to match. The first two songs played off of the Hot music video’s concept, which was in the vein of Mad Max. There were flourishes of a post apocalypse that dressed the stage.

After introductions, the group turned the concert into a rock show with the aptly named, “Rock with You.” This version had a prominent addition of rock guitar to it. This helped transition into the duo of Joshua and Vernon with their song, “2 Minus 1.” The two kept up with the rock theme as they took to the stage with the presence of Freddy Mercury with portions of mic stands. The following VCR helped change the mood to ready the audience for the subunit stages.

The first unit up was the performance team, consisting Hoshi, Jun, The8, and Dino. As the LEDs raised, it revealed the four posing behind clear panels rigged with a rain effect, reminiscent of 90’s RnB music. This set the scene for an RnB version of “Moonwalker”, which is usually an electronic dance track. The unit then performed one of their other tracks, “Wave”, drastically changing their style with vogue movements.

Following the performance team, the vocal team showed up on the main stage. This unit consists of Jeonghan, Joshua, Woozi, DK, and Seungkwan. The lights rolled up to the unit sitting amongst a lavishly decorated staircase. They started their set with “Come to Me”, a calming ballad. Without dancing, they were able to show off their vocals more. They followed up with “Imperfect Love”, a power ballad. As they exited the stage, the last unit was set to come out.

The final subunit to perform was the hip-hop team, consisting of S.Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Vernon. Contrasting the vocal team, this unit showed off their rap skills with fast flowing lyrics. The stage started off with “Gam3 Bo1”, followed by “Back it up”. This set really energized the crowd with their party-like atmosphere.

After a VCR, the guys came out in a new outfit to perform a little skit. This led into a little bit of a throw back set, consisting of some of their big party hits. With the likes of “Mansae”, “Left & Right”, and “Very Nice”, it must have been really hard to hold yourself back from singing and dancing along. Although they performed “Very Nice” at this point in the concert, this wasn’t time for their infamous scheme, and those in the know, know what I’m talking about.

After a trip to the past, it was time for something a little more recent. From their most recent albums, they performed “Shadow”, “Crush”, and “World”. This set contrasted their previous one, going from a party atmosphere to a more reserved one. “Shadow” has a mature tone to it. “Crush” adds a little new jack swing to things. “World” then wraps up the set with a combination of funk and dance. Perceptive viewers will notice that as the members climbed the steps behind the moving LED screen, they returned to the positions that they opened the concert with.

Leading into the encore, several fans were highlighted from lavish outfits, to fan made signs. To kick things off, what better to give back to US Carats than a fan song completely in english with, “Darl+ing.” The whole group got to then sit down and share their thanks one by one. “Our Dawn is Hotter than Day” was the calm before the storm, which I mentioned earlier, is yet to come. “Snapshoot” was a good way to get the audience ready for the finale with its bright tone.

As I teased earlier, here was the ending all fans would probably be familiar with, the Never Ending “Aju Nice (Very Nice).” With hard hitting dynamics, powerful vocals, and flashy movies, this fan favorite is a staple in any Seventeen concert. The never ending part of it is practically a meme at this point. To close out the concert, they always manage to find fun ways to repeat the final chorus until they actually leave. Whether it's feigning leaving several times, or getting audience participation. This time around, some of the members went out to the audience to find a lucky fan that wanted to give Seungkwan’s high note a try. Either being a feat of skill or comedy, it was guaranteed to be entertaining. After a few fake-outs, it was time for the concert to finally end, as the members disappeared from sight and the curtains lowered.

Whether this is your first or nth time seeing them, Seventeen sure knows how to put on an entertaining show. With a diverse catalog of songs, there is something for everyone here. Something I forgot to mention was that even the songs were mixed well to have seamless transitions between them. Even though Covid put a damper on the whole world’s plans, the group’s presentation was as if none of it ever happened. I look forward to what they have to show on their next tour.