SEVENTEEN kicked off their Ode To You tour in Newark, New Jersey on Friday, January 10th, selling out Prudential Center and sharing their music with the tens of thousands of Carats in attendance.

A sold-out arena show, their first American news show appearance, and a 9 minute, 41 second long version of “Very Nice” – there is no better way to possibly start off the new year, the new decade, and a new tour than with SEVENTEEN. SEVENTEEN’s sold-out Newark, New Jersey stop kicked off their 2020 Ode to You tour on January 10th.

The thirteen members of SEVENTEEN debuted with their funky pop song “Adore You” back in 2015. In the last five years, they’ve gone through heaps of artistic growth and reached unimaginable heights, from dozens of music show wins to receiving their first Daesang for An Ode just last year. Through whatever musical genre they’ve chosen to explore, the famous “self-producing” idols have retained the same bubbly energy, the same striking synchronized choreography, and the same dedication to loving their fans. Their Ode to You show takes Carats through the many different facets and genres of SEVENTEEN – and now, we’re taking you through our experience of Ode to You in New Jersey!

The buzz of an upcoming concert is always filled with excitement, adrenaline, and a sprinkle of making sure you have working batteries for your Carat Bong. SEVENTEEN's activities leading up to Friday’s concert made for much excitement, appearing on American television for the first time with a performance of “Lilili Yabbay” on Good Day New York. For many fans, seeing SEVENTEEN in real life is a dream come true and dancing alongside them is a fantasy even further away. For several Carats, both of those dreams came true: in true chaotic Hoshi fashion, Hoshi surprised fans by appearing at the Random Play Dance meetup held before the concert.

Inside the venue, anticipation was higher than ever. Carats dutifully chanted every lyric and fanchant as the music videos of SEVENTEEN’s title tracks through the years play on the stage’s screen. Whenever S.Coups appeared, cheers grew extra loud – the group’s leader is absent from the tour, taking a hiatus for his mental health.

The show opened with hard-hitting, dark “Getting Closer,” and the members of SEVENTEEN maneuvered across the expansive Prudential stage like runway models – with their glittering jackets and dashing features, they do look the part. The song’s title is fitting for the opening song of the night, and its vibe is even more so: our favorite idols are closer than ever, and we are hyped!

The boys prove to have mastered the art of standing seductively. After a VCR introducing each member by name (with extra loud screams for S.Coups) the screen lifts to reveal the twelve members of SEVENTEEN over a deliciously revamped remix of “Rock.” Reverbed, distorted clips of lyrics – Woozi’s “Just you!” echoing out across Prudential Center – build up to their 2015 hit taken to a whole new level (in a whole new decade!?) Even with all the years past, the body rolls and chest pops of “Rock”’s choregraphy hit and stun Carats just as impactfully – this time, the track is given an intense, drumroll-filled ending and a ferocious dance break led by Hoshi.

SEVENTEEN continued with rock-influenced songs with their 2017 release “Clap,” instantly incitng the audience to clap along. The track’s iconic guitar intro was transformed with acapella tunes and a Bohemian Rhapsody-esque harmony duet between main vocals Seungkwan and DK – an Ode to SEVENTEEN’s versatility.

And now, for a short interlude:

Our Top Five Favorite Moments of SEVENTEEN Goofing Around:

Alternatively, An Ode to Loving SEVENTEEN Through Their Dumb Jokes

5. Wonwoo yelling, “Make some noise!” into Prudential Center without using his mic. We heard him loud and clear – according to the rest of the group, that meant he was super excited.

4. SEVENTEEN referencing Seungkwan’s cover of Yoon Jong Shin’s “Wifi,” meaning that we got a taste of the viral meme, and Seungkwan’s god-like vocal range, with our own ears. Legendary.

3. Hoshi’s introduction spanning over two minutes long, flanked by getting the audience to chant “Prince!” and “What time is it?!” in Korean before loudly proclaiming his signature “It’s 10:10!” Seungkwan scolded him in response: “Hoshi, it’s not your concert!”

2. Two: the number of times SEVENTEEN graced Prudential Center with a Newark-friendly parody on the Performance Team’s song “Moonwalker” – ”Newarker, -warker, -warker!”

1. Every Single Moment That SEVENTEEN Hit The Woah. We actually lost count, which is a testament to the sheer amount of times it happened.

The hallmark of SEVENTEEN, aside from their mindblowing stage presence, is simply the love they express to their fans. The little moments are what make SEVENTEEN stand out the most: Joshua patiently teaching Carats their “Seventeen Carat, Ode to You!” hand sign and doing it alongside a chosen fan, the boys taking every moment to greet and dance with fans, and the puns and jokes carefully devised to celebrate a city filled with people showering them in love. SEVENTEEN is nothing without their Carats – truly, there’s a reason why the explanation of the group’s name is occasionally described as thirteen members + three teams + One Carat.

The next stages showcased the three in SEVENTEEN, with unit specific performances! Hip Hop Team’s performance of a flaming, electric guitar-heavy rock version of “Trauma” gave us enough angst to fuel all of the next decade’s eboy moments in one song – maybe it’s just an Ode to… how good Mingyu looks in a leather blazer. Nonetheless, Mingyu, Wonwoo, and Vernon took the audience through “Trauma” and “Chilli,” showing us all the ways that SEVENTEEN ventures past being just a K-Pop group. That, and all the ways SEVENTEEN’s good vibes manifests in how many times they hit the woah.

Performance Team, made up of Hoshi, Jun, Dino, and The8, took the stage for “Lilili Yabbay” and “Shh” – their movements are a testament to the ways bodies are an artform. Between the petal-like formations and traditional influences of “Lilili Yabbay” and the minute body control expressed in the choreography of “Shh,” Performance Team stayed true to their name: masters of the stage and dominating Carat’s attentions.

The sweet tones of the Vocal Team, consisting of Woozi, DK, Jeonghan, Joshua, and Seungkwan, feel like a warm embrace as they serenaded Carats with “Hug.” They continued with “Don’t Listen in Secret” – cheers rose as DK brings out the emotion in his voice with full force. It’s an Ode to all the different ways Vocal Team can make us cry with their harmonies.

If you somehow weren’t yet overcome with love for SEVENTEEN, then “Smile Flower” definitely set off waterworks for you. “This song is a message for you guys,” Joshua notes. However, that message goes both ways. As Carats organized banners and a fan project to serenade the boys right back, Prudential fell silent save for thousands of Carats singing out their unending support for SEVENTEEN in unison, and the boys basking in their love.

Too tender? Maybe! SEVENTEEN switched it up with a stage adorned with “SVT MUSEUM,” displayed in candy-colored lit up frames and posing like painting models. They take us through their early tracks, “Adore U” and “Pretty U”. With years of these songs on repeat, the bright exuberant bops are a no-brainer to yell all the words to -- yet the familiar tracks are taken to the next level with SEVENTEEN’s live vocals and upbeat instrumental remixes. The fun, theatrical moments -- close-up pans of the boys trying to mime freeze frames, Seungkwan mock-playing the set’s guitar, Wonwoo being carried around -- are Odes to laughter and youth.

“Oh My” in particular brings warm summery vibes to a New Jersey in the midst of winter: our favorite moment by far was a surprise slowed-tempo bridge, complete with SEVENTEEN moving in time. Hoshi and Jun sending hearts to each other in slow motion is something we’ll have forever on mental repeat.

Now, ladies and gentlemen (and all nonbinary folx, of course), are we ever prepared for the amount of partying and chaos that accompanies a stage of BooSeokSoon’s “Just Do It?” The answer is likely no. With an Ode to having fun no matter what, the song’s chants and choreographies come to a stunning, hilarious end as Hoshi holds up a fan-printed photo of himself decked out in “I ♡ NY” merchandise. (You can see him still holding it up in this tweet as they depart from Newark. Legend has it that he’s still holding it to this day.)

[17'S] Newark SEND-OFF CAM with Jeonghan#세븐틴 #SEVENTEEN#ODETOYOUwithSVT #NowSVT pic.twitter.com/vkHtvCqJBz — 세븐틴(SEVENTEEN) (@pledis_17) January 11, 2020

With forays into the hard-hitting, hyped rock and candy-colored youthful flavors of SEVENTEEN, there’s just one side of their discography left to explore (and it’s perhaps the one that terrifies us most): the sexy, sultry side. With “Good to Me,” “Happy Ending,” and their latest title track “Fear,” SEVENTEEN’s stage presence comes in the form of monstrous, perfect synchronization: a well-oiled body-rolling machine. Please, someone, tell me what should I do after having witnessed “Fear”’s choregraphy live because otherwise I’m at a loss for words.

SEVENTEEN themselves, however, are never at a loss for words on how much they love their Carats. After re-entering the stage for their encore with “19”, the boys stand in their self-designed tour merchandise and greet fans for the final time. “Whenever we feel sad, we think about you guys to make us feel better. We hope we can be that to you too,” says Joshua during their final ment. “We’ll always be by your side.”

And when Joshua says “always,” he means it. They showed their dedication to staying by Carats’ side with a performance of “Very Nice” lasting over nine minutes: the boys feigned ending after ending, only to run out back on stage to sing, dance, and party with fans after each one. Their seemingly never-ending performance of “Very Nice” is an Ode to what makes SEVENTEEN… well, SEVENTEEN! Their playfulness on stage, their love of performing, their unending energy, and their desire to stay with Carats forever and always – it’s all brought to life in the way SEVENTEEN pranks their Carats time and time again with a rehash of “Very Nice”’s iconic horns.

As confetti filled Prudential Center and SEVENTEEN gazed out at the thousands and thousands of seats filled with their fans, we know one thing for sure: no matter what heights SEVENTEEN manage to achieve next, their love for Carats is a constant that will remain always.

A big Thanks to Pledis Entertainment, LIVE NATION, and The Lede Company for allowing KpopStarz exclusive photo access to the show! Check out our gallery of exclusive photos from the show here.