Despite never performing in the UK before, SEVENTEEN made sure their debut went down in style. The 13 member group made history as the first K-Pop act to play at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival and on the 28th June, they performed on the iconic Pyramid Main Stage, taking the world by storm and cementing their legendary status.
The stage started with the mastermind behind SEVENTEEN’s music: Woozi. Coming out to play a red piano, which is symbolic for the “Ruby” singer, the talented all-rounder started with the chords to their recent hit “MAESTRO.”
As the live band joined in, the crowd’s cheers could be heard as all the members came out and got in place to start the song. It was definitely something new for the Glastonbury crowd as SEVENTEEN showed their synchronicity and talent with a flawless performance combining vocals, choreography, and personality. It would have been easy for the group to start with an up-tempo song, but “MAESTRO” felt like the perfect way to show the diversity of the group and of K-Pop, opening many people’s eyes to the genre.
SEVENTEEEN then continued with the amazing performances but turned up the energy to a proper festival vibe with songs like “Ready To Love” and fan-favorite “Rock With You.”
In particular, SEVENTEEN made a statement with their English song “SOS.” The lyrics seemed even more poignant given current world issues and the Glastonbury stage. By having the lyrics on the screen, it pushed forward the message from the group and even allowed the audience to try and sing along. The song was perfect and showcased high-energy, even without any choreography.
With Joshua and Vernon (both fluent English speakers) taking their place as MCs, SEVENTEEN kept the concert vibe going by introducing the “unit” portion of the concert. While seeing performances from the vocal, performance, and hip hop unit is a staple of SEVENTEEN shows, fans were shocked when Vernon and Joshua started with their 2021 song “2 MINUS 1.” It was a very smart move to have all English songs mixed into the setlist for a crowd that might not have listened to Korean music at all, especially not a whole set at a concert.
After the rock vibes of “2 MINUS 1,” the mood kept shifting as each unit showed off a unique style. The performance unit brought sensuality with “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U,” the vocal unit brought nostalgia with “Cheers To Youth,” and the hip hop unit brought power with “LALALI.” With thirteen members on the stage, it can be hard for even fans to focus on all the members. These performances allowed the crowd to watch each member closely and see the different shades of SEVENTEEN.
When the whole group came back on stage, it felt like it was time for SEVENTEEN’s biggest hits, that would get the audience most hyped.
“CLAP” is always a crowd-pleaser: it had a very different vibe from the rest of the songs and kept fans excited towards the latter end of their set. By following it with “HOT,” the members continued to showcase the sexier side of SEVENTEEN. It was high-energy and full of passion, shutting down all misconceptions the audience might have about K-Pop male groups.
From sexy vibes to epitomizing the festival feel, the next two songs saw the members get emotional with “Headliner” and turn up the fun with “God of Music.” The range of songs cemented the diversity of SEVENTEEN as a group, with songs that could suit everyone in some way. It felt like a combination of all the group’s hits and the best way to showcase themselves to a crowd who might not have known about SEVENTEEN or even K-Pop in general.
Any SEVENTEEN concert seems incomplete without the group singing their hit song “Aju Nice” at least six times, but they wouldn’t do it for a British festival crowd, would they?
They did.