Did I book a semi-reckless trip about a month ago? Was it to see Cortis in Atlanta? Would I only be there for one day? Did I spend way too much on the ticket buying it resale? The answer is yes to all of those questions, but I assure you I ended up having no regrets!
Let’s start by saying I tragically tried and failed to secure a ticket to the 5,000 capacity venue when they first went on sale. With presale code access and everything! So I resigned myself to knowing that I wasn’t going to this, even though I knew the flight and hotel would have been so cheap. But then I kept stalking the resale sights for a good deal. Did I actually get a good deal? I would say whole-heartedly no, but I did end up with an orchestra seat, and so I decided to not dwell on what I spent. I know I certainly could have spent more, so I took that with a grain of salt.
What was a little funny about the trip was that I was going to be spending literally 24 hours in Atlanta. I padded the early part of the day with a trip to the aquarium (highly recommend) and a satisfying Thai dinner not too far from the hotel and the venue itself. What was mind-boggling to me was that people were lined up outside this theater at nine in the morning for merch that wasn’t even going to be available until 2pm! And spoiler, there was still everything but the tour date shirt available once the doors opened. It was ungodly hot an humid outside, so those are some crazy fans. In my opinion, no merch is worth my well-being.
When the concert time did finally roll around, a still long line moved faster than I anticipated, so I got to my seat with plenty of time to spare. The view was great until a tall girl sat in front of me. Knowing we’d be standing, I also knew that I was screwed with my view. She was also very enthusiatic with her lightstick, so I had to get a little creativ with how I was standing to actually see the show. I succeeded, but I wish it wouldn’t have been so much work. Based on the feral energy of this crowd, I think if it had been standing only, a lot of people would have been injured. So, thankful for the designated seating.
They kicked off the show with “YOUNCREATORCREW” that bled straight into “FaSHioN” and the crowd lost their damn minds. I was kind of blown away by their intensity. It made it a little hard to hear their voices at first, but I was able to zero in and really hear how good they were! The vocal were live, because every time they took their mics away from their mouths you could tell. Each new song garnered the same level of feral and frantic cheers and the waves of lightsticks, but I was just happy to hear all of their songs.
Was I happy to hear some of them two to three times each? No. That was actually pretty lame. It kind of felt like I was the only one who wasn’t that pumped to hear “What You Want” and “YOUNGCREATORCREW” for the third time of the evening. And if I’m being honest, a lot of the ones they repeated, I wouldn’t have cared to hear a second or third time. Give me “Acai” twice you cowards! In any case, the second time through gave us no choreo, only running around on stage, or even a pass through the audience. This is where my ticket price really paid for itself. Somehow, stage right was the only side those guys ran down periodically throughout the show. I was stage right! They were almost a meter from me in those instances, and luckily I was close enough to the aisle to actually see them!
Only Keonho couldn’t come down. This poor kid broke bones in both of his hands a few weeks ago, so they relegated him to a sofa off to the side of the main stage. He wasn’t allowed to participate in any of the choreography, though he was allowed to run around. Seems to me his impromptu running was maybe more risky than some of their coreography, but I respect their choices to help him heal properly. Their energy was high, and our energy matched or maybe even surpassed it. Seeing videos online today really capture how bonkers it was. As a “noona,” I wasn’t jumping around or screaming at the top of my lungs, but I was bobbing my head and singing along, so I had a great time.
Given that they only have 12 original songs, even repeating them can only take them so far. They came in just under the two hour mark, which is one of lamer sets I’ve encounterd for a K-Pop concert. This is why openers are cool! Or covers, or pre-recorded bits, or more speaking to the crowd, outfit changes – the whole gambit! Maybe their thought was to not be like other K-Pop concerts, just like their music tows the line, but for a first concert, it lacked that something special. Especially for the ticket price. In the end though, I don’t regret going. I imagine they will only get bigger, so I may never even have the chance to see them again. I look forward to what future tours look like from them, though.
