On 23rd September, excitement was at an all-time high for Malaysian CARATs (fans of the popular boyband, SEVENTEEN / 세븐틴/ SVT) as some arrived as early as 9-10am to gather at MINES International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC). Many were seen clad in SVT's official fan club colours, Rose Quartz (pastel pink) and Serenity (periwinkle blue).
As we all know, Malaysian weather typically runs on two modes, very hot or very wet. And on the day where thousands of CARATs were set to meet their favorite boys, Mother Nature decided for it to be a very wet day at the venue. Nevertheless, the continuous downpour did nothing to dampen the fans' spirits as they enthusiastically recited fanchants to the band's popular songs prior to the show commencing. At 6pm sharp, the lights dimmed and the hall became filled with the glow of CARAT Bongs (SVT's official lightstick) swaying in synchronized rhythm.
All 13 members (not 17, ha!) appeared on the main stage in glitzy black outfits as they stared out to an amazing crowd.
Now, recognizing the 13 members may be slightly daunting to most so we've broken them down into their respective units:
- Hip hop team: S.Coups (leader), Mingyu, Wonwoo & Vernon
- Performance team: Hoshi, Jun, The8 & Dino
- Vocal team: Jeonghan, Joshua, Dokyeom, Woozi & Seungkwan
Not wanting to keep CARATs waiting any longer, the boys of SEVENTEEN opened the show with remixed renditions of HIGHLIGHT and Thanks as well as FLOWER, which comes off their latest album. All of these performances featured their signature synchronized choreography. Definitely on point! Later, the group swapped out their black costumes for white military jackets and bling-ed out canes as they performed NO F.U.N and Chuck.
Overall, it was noticeably clear that the "Ideal Cut" tour brought about a much edgier concept compared to its predecessor, "Diamond Edge" which focused on the group's bright pop sound. One could definitely see their current style influencing every aspect of the concert, from costumes to stage settings to musical arrangements.
During their introduction ment, SEVENTEEN being the multilingual team that they are, greeted the fans with various messages of English, Chinese and of course Korean. They also proudly shared that the choreo for FLOWER was created by their youngest member, Dino. In another part of the introduction, both SEVENTEEN and CARATs cracked up in laughter when a member accidentally introduced himself as "I am your princess, Hoshi!" instead of prince. It's okay, we all have our moments.
One of the first cross-unit stages showcased was Change Up which consisted of Woozi's sweet vocals, S.Coups's swagger and Hoshi's sleek movements. This drove CARATs wild as the boys closely interacted with fans on the extended stage. The Hip-Hop team then performed a rocking version of Un Haeng Il Chi and an unreleased track called 숙여 (SUKYEO). The Vocal team serenaded the crowd with their beautiful rendition of Habit and Pinwheel which set many CARATs' hearts a flutter throughout the hall. And as with any SEVENTEEN concert, unit stages would not be complete without the killer moves from the Performance team! They turned CARATs' world upside down with their cuteness in Swimming Fool and their intense power in JAM JAM.
The show then mellowed down to a much sweeter side as SEVENTEEN showered their fans with an abundance of fanservice (finger hearts and flying kisses galore) through their performances of Thinkin' About You, Hello, Shining Diamond and Adore You amongst many others. No one could doubt the mutual affection that both SEVENTEEN and CARATs had for each other. The fans responded amazingly to every joke, every banter and battle that the boys had during their breaks.
Lastly, no Kpop concert would ever be complete without a coordinated banner event. To commemorate SEVENTEEN's return to Malaysia, CARATs managed to successfully deliver their message of "다시 와줘서 고맙다" (thank you for coming again) to the boys. Leader S.Coups even commented on it during his closing speech, "Thank you for preparing such beautiful words for us, although we should be the ones saying it to you. Thank you. Will you come again if we return next time? Promise!" SEVENTEEN members were all in agreement about returning to KL if they had the chance; with Jeonghan, Joshua, Dokyeom and Vernon similarly commenting that they received so much love from Malaysian CARATs and were very grateful. The group closed the show with fan favourites, HEALING and multiple encores of 아주 NICE, again showering CARATs with hearts and kisses and waves in all directions.
SEVENTEEN's IDEAL CUT in Kuala Lumpur was organized by Fast Track Events, together with Pledis Entertainment, Live Nation Korea and ShowNote. We would like to thank these organizers for the invitation!
Written by: Farah | Photos by: Fast Track Events
