By Amanda Tennant, staff writer
On Feb. 19, thousands of fans lined up for one of the most anticipated musical events of the year. The Chinese-South Korean Pop group, Exo, held a sold-out concert at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago and they definitely did not disappoint. The prominent pop group consists of nine members-Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai, and Sehun- and have been turning out Kpop hits since their debut in 2012. In total, the group has sold over 5 million records, according to the Gaon Chart and is one of the most recognized boy groups in the world.
The band’s concert in Chicago is part of their North American tour and holds special significance to Chicagoans since Korean pop music acts do not usually hold concerts in the Windy City.
The concert began with a short film of Exoplanet, which is the group’s debut concept, and had the young men show off their super powers. Then, after the movie screen lights dimmed and the screams intensified, Exo bursted out on stage with their song “Overdose.”
The concert continued like this for the first half as they performed songs like “Playboy” and “Mama” with occasional breaks to talk to the fans. Then, halfway through the show, the movie screen appeared again and played a video of the band dressed as elves. Then they broke out on stage again, this time with a set change. The boys continued dancing and even performed some of their Christmas songs as well as their faster songs like “Call me baby” and “Growl.” They then took the last portion of the concert to show a video about their appreciation for the fans and said their goodbyes. They ended with the song “Unfair.”
Overall, the concert was very exciting. My favorite performance of the night was their performance of “Machine.” The dances were on point and the light fixtures and mechanics made the performance thrilling and impressive. I really liked how they had mini movies for fans to watch as they took an intermission for set changes.
As an avid Kpop fan for almost six years, it was incredibly enlightening to see a group that I have only seen through my computer screen live and in person. You could feel throughout the venue that every person attending the concert passionately wanted to be there. It was exciting and enjoyable. My only wish is for them to come back and to bring more Kpop groups with them.