P1Harmony, expanding from theaters to arenas, are currently on their P1ustage H: UTOP1A Tour, travelling across eleven cities through North America after their opening show in Seoul. They most recently hit the Chicago Credit Union 1 Arena stage. Before the show began, fans gathered all along the arena, with lines stretching far beyond what one could see, waiting to enter the venue. Dressed in pink, the concert’s designated colour, waving posters, passing out freebies, and even some with life-size cutouts, fans excitedly stood in the sun for their idols.
Entering the arena, we saw a stage set with a large staircase along with a catwalk and thrust stage, an extension not seen at previous stops. As the lights dimmed and P1ece erupted in screams, the five members Keeho, Theo, Intak, Soul, and Jongseob (Jiung was absent due to an injury) ascended to the top of the staircase, wearing all-black ensembles decorated with zippers, straps, and large chained necklaces, all surrounded by smoke. They started the show with exciting numbers Street Star, Emergency, and Everybody Clap. In the middle of the dynamic choreography, Theo made an appearance atop the stairs with a crowd-pleasing guitar solo.
![P1Harmony at the Chicago Credit Union 1 Arena / Image © Rebecca Rowe for View of the Arts P1Harmony at the Chicago Credit Union 1 Arena / Image © Rebecca Rowe for View of the Arts](https://viewofthearts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/p1harmony_rowetookthese_viewofthearts_1.jpg?w=1024)
“Where my P1eces at?” the group screamed as they began their introductions. Keeho took a moment to wish Jiung well and assure the audience that he was making a fast recovery and hoped that P1ece would cheer him on from the audience. Standing under spotlights and only visible through their silhouettes, the members transitioned into I Am You from HARMONY: ALL IN, and Butterfly from DISHARMONY: STAND OUT, which the group announced they had not performed in a long time.
The members took a brief moment to discuss their adventures in Chicago, with Theo throwing the first pitch at the Chicago Cubs game just the day prior while Keeho sang Take Me Out To The Ballgame, both reenacting the moments for fans. Bursting back into their choreographed dance numbers and high-energy performances, the group threw themselves into fan favorites 때깔 (Killin’ It) off their most recent album of the same name and Back Down from HARMONY: SET IN.
Next, it was time for the members to display their individual strengths and talents with five solo performances. Theo started us off, serenading the crowd with his cover of Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez while playing the guitar. Intak followed up with a slow and sensual dance number to Victoria Monet’s On My Mama, which ended with a barking crowd. Jongseob came out hard with a rap number, rising from the back stairs and making his way down the catwalk to ASAP Rocky’s Praise the Lord as the crowd chanted along. Showing his skills as a hip-hop dancer, Soul performed popping to an instrumental EDM track. Lastly, Keeho hit the stage wearing his Cubs jersey and swinging a bat as the crowd sang along with him to Kill Bill by SZA.
Following the group’s solo stages, they once again rose from the top of the stairs to perform Pyramid from DISHARMONY: BREAK OUT, making their way down the catwalk while letting out a synchronised explosive jump. The members danced and energised the fans again with Black Hole off HARMONY: ZERO IN and Look At Me Now off HARMONY: SET IN.
![P1Harmony at the Chicago Credit Union 1 Arena / Image © Rebecca Rowe for View of the Arts P1Harmony at the Chicago Credit Union 1 Arena / Image © Rebecca Rowe for View of the Arts](https://viewofthearts.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/p1harmony_rowetookthese_viewofthearts_29.jpg?w=1024)
After taking a moment to check in with the crowd, the members talked through their solo stages and asked P1ece how they liked them. Performing this number for the first time in North America, the group transitioned into Fall In Love Again followed by BFF. The group quickly picked the energy back up with Doom Du Doom and the hit song JUMP from their sixth mini-album, HARMONY: ALL IN. P1Harmony then began to close out the show with Follow Me. As a timer ticked down on the screens behind them and balloons filled the arena, they performed Countdown To Love. Once the clock hit 00:00, the members exited the stage, waving goodbye to their fans. But the excitement didn’t end there! The crowd roared again as the idols reappeared, emerging from the aisles in the middle of the fans for their encore. High-fiving fans and even taking a few selfies, the group sang I See You side by side with their delighted audience.
Reentering the stage, the idols sang Swagger and followed up by taking the time to thank fans for coming. Keeho mentioned that as he came up from the lift and saw the number of people in the crowd, he was blown away. Intak thanked the crowd, saying, “Today is a special day. We were able to have such a fun time on a bigger stage. If there is one thing I’m sad about, it is that Jiung couldn’t be here today.” He went on to tell fans they’d be back together on an even bigger stage.
Decorated in sunglasses, hats, pickets, and stuffed animals—all gifts from fans—the group concluded their performance spread across the large stage, interacting with fans amid bursts of confetti to Gotta Get Back, Love Me for Me, and AYAYA.
After their show-stopping performance in Chicago, P1Harmony will continue to make their way across North America with stops left in Toronto, Boston, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Miami, Oakland, and Los Angeles. With chart-topping hits, growing crowds, and expanding venues, P1Harmony continue to blow up within the K-Pop industry, and we can only look forward to what these six members have to show us in the future.
Rating:
Written by Rebecca Rowe
Featured image © Rebecca Rowe for View of the Arts
View of the Arts is an online publication that chiefly deals with films, music, and art, with an emphasis on the Asian entertainment industry. We are hoping our audience will grow with us as we begin to explore new platforms such as K-pop / K-music, and Asian music in general, and continue to dive into the talented and ever-growing scene of film, music, and arts, worldwide.