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1. Orbits set to launch in three, two…

Astronauts can come in all shapes, sizes, and outfits, as evidenced by the many Orbits that lined up around the Palladium Times Square in preparation for the New York stop of LOONA’s 2022 1st World Tour [LOONATHEWORLD]. If you saw fans decked in the yellow plaid of “love4eva,” the schoolgirl outfits of “Hi High,” or LOONA’s official gold cape, you knew you were in the right place: the launchpad for a long-awaited night. (Long was the operative word for the way lines stretched down the streets of Times Square.)

The excitement only grew inside the venue! Orbits, the official name for LOONA’s fandom, crowded the floors of Palladium Times Square, High-Bongs (LOONA’s official lightstick!) in hand, singing every word. With Orbit’s cheers serving as their countdown, LOONA finally emerged to the stage in angelic all-white outfits.

The mechanical beats and deep, thrumming bass of “#” served as a stunning backdrop to LOONA’s performance: the charismatic and coordinated choreography that set the tone for the night ahead! Each girl’s sharp movements contrasted the softer visuals of their white outfits. Multi-faceted queens!

“So What” had each Orbit singing along to every word! The girls of LOONA balanced cute, sexy, and charismatic with each dance move, turning the venue into a party of endless “killing parts.”

While there are many things that feel infinite (LOONA’s charms and beauty, Orbit’s love for LOONA, and the vast expanse of space), LOONA’s stamina for high-powered dance stages, one after another, is not. Orbits cheered as LOONA rested, hydrated, and began their self-introductions.

The introductions themselves showcased LOONA’s infinite charms, and their reciprocal love for Orbits! “You guys are so hot!” shouted Haseul during her introduction. Jinsoul showed off her swagger with a loud, “What’s up, New York?” Haseul, as LOONA’s leader, took initiative in welcoming everyone to the show with her arms spread out wide with enthusiasm!

LOONA led Orbit in chanting “Dalso Dalso Kaja,” translating to “Let’s go, LOONA LOONA!” With the energy that Orbit sent them, LOONA was ready to take off into the next portion of the show.. Finally, we have lift-off! Let’s go, Orbits!

 2. In LOONA’s Orbit! (As Orbits Ourselves!)

Orbits settled into the orbit of LOONA - if you can call a constant roar of cheers, swoons, and cries over how amazing LOONA is “settled.” The cutesy and coordinated moves of “열기” inspired screams from the audience, especially during Kim Lip’s dance solo! The dreamy beats sent us all into a trance as the girls danced in line, each showing off their charms. “Star,” similarly, had every Orbit in the crowd singing along. Each member’s smile felt brighter than the stars, especially singing the line “Close to me / You are all of me.” With Orbits finally close, the lyrics of a song written for their international fans became all the more dear.

For their next ment, the girls were tasked with expressing their feelings for the concert in one word. Highlights included Heejin choosing “Together,” Haseul’s “Lovely,” Vivi’s tender “Precious,” and Yeojin’s cutest “Cheesecake!”

Each girl’s feelings, beautiful in their diversity, transitioned perfectly into “Butterfly.” The dreamy and ethereal beats of the track had every Orbit falling in love to LOONA’s otherworldly vocals and perfect dance formations. We took flight for a second time, this time with the butterfly wings we found with LOONA!

And we truly were about to ascend to another level of the LOONAVerse as the girls introduced their next stages: unit stages! The leaders of LOONA’s three units were tasked with expressing the charm point of each unit with a single sentence. Leader of LOONA ⅓ Haseul was interrupted by a fan yelling out the loudest “Slay!” we’ve ever heard. While it was a slay, she settled on calling her unit “Beautiful!”

ODD EYE CIRCLE was named “Sexy” by leader Kim Lip, who sealed the statement with a body roll on the floor. In contrast, Yves named yyxy “scary.” The girls then turned the question to their Orbits, asking them what the charm point of each unit was — and in unison, Orbits replied with a resounding “EVERYTHING!”

 3. Flying Through The Asteroid Belt of Different Units, Vibes, and Performances

Like the many shapes and sizes of asteroids, LOONA’s endless charms take so many forms - and their unit stages serve as a perfect example of that. LOONA kicked off their unit stages with yyxy’s “One Day,” a piano ballad full of love and warm light. Their soulful, honey vocal performance was complimented with every LOONA lightstick in the audience waving along to each beat.

The slow, devoted track of yyxy was followed by the upbeat “You And Me Together” of LOONA 1/3! No one could keep a smile off of their face as they playfully sang and danced together-Heejin even jokingly touched Haseul’s butt. For a ceremonious ending, the girls ran to the front of the stage and pointed at their beloved Orbits, and posed in a dab for an iconic, picture-perfect moment.

The loving vibes only got deeper for Yeojin’s “My Melody,” joined by Haseul! With a quick outfit change, the two in pink tops with black bottoms serenaded their Orbits with enough sweetness to make any sweet tooth falter. Our favorite moments of the song included Yeojin sharing her mic with Haseul during Haseul’s parts, Haseul sweetly caressing Yeojin’s face in true older-sister fashion, and the two counting down to say “Orbit! I love you!” in unison at the conclusion of the song.

For the last unit stage, Odd Eye Circle returned to their Orbits for the English version of “LOONATIC” - but they didn’t all return to the stage! For an immersive experience, each member spread out across the venue: Choerry took center stage, with Kim Lip and Jinsoul on the stairs of each balcony. One Orbit struck gold that day - Kim Lip ended the stage by giving a lucky fan a loving hug!

 4. Lost in the LOONAVerse (And We Don’t Want To Escape!)

The night continued with the girls reunited together on stage for “Stylish!” And stylish they were in matching hot pink and black outfits, decked out in shorts and tulle. Each High-bong lit up in harmony with the eclectic beats of the song, with the girls bouncing along. The cheers only got louder for “Dance On My Own” as the girls approached fans at the front of the stage - LOONA definitely danced with their New York Orbits instead of on their own!

“Pale Blue Dot” brought us deeper into the LOONAVerse with its celestial imagery - and even deeper still, considering how we couldn’t help but fall harder for the girls as they played around with each other on stage, giggling and smiling sweetly. Jinsoul’s portion had an extra sparkle as she sang her heart out with glee! LOONA ended the song by rushing to the audience to share their love with Orbits up close - and the waves of love they gave us sent us soaring even deeper into their orbit.

 5. Endless Space, Endlessly in Love with LOONA

The charisma and playfulness of LOONA fills the LOONAVerse infinitely - and the fun they had on stage for “Flip That” showed that even more! To this day, we can’t stop thinking about how the members of LOONA all hugged Kim Lip at her center portion. (And we’re the tiniest bit jealous - who wouldn’t want to be hugged by LOONA?)

LOONA even showed off their infinite facets with even more outfits: their next song “POSE” featured the girls in embellished Nutcracker-esque uniforms. The hardcore, driving beat had Orbits yelling and singing along, capturing LOONA in all their poses. “WOW” wowed Orbits even more with its bouncy, retro feel!

And we can’t forget the endless hype of some of Orbit’s most awaited title tracks. The hyped synths of “Why Not” and unending hype of “PTT” had every single fan in the Palladium Times Square jumping and waving their High-bongs in time! New York became painted in all of LOONA’s colors. It’s LOONA’s endless universe, and we’re simply happy to be here!

 6. Our Solar Return to LOONA’s 4th Anniversary

The end of Orbit’s journey with LOONA was filled with yet another infinity: the care that Orbits gives to their favorite girls, and the love that LOONA reciprocates in turn. Each girl gifted Orbits a handwritten letter and video displayed on the big screen of the Palladium Times Square - Orbits answered back by changing their High-bongs to each girl’s signature color. But just as an orbiting moon will always return to the same spot, LOONA came back to their Orbits!

The girls came back with “Playback,” bursting onto the stage in their tour merch! Orbits also turned their lightsticks peach in honor of Chuu, who unfortunately couldn’t join the group on tour. In her honor, everyone made the stage the epitome of a party! Yves even picked up a huge sign of her own face and danced around with it.

During their final ment, the girls revealed that the day of their New York stop marked their four year anniversary since officially debuting with “Hi High,” and the fact that they’ve come so far (with selling out the New York stop of their world tour!) sent the girls into tears for the very first time.

With the fourth birthday of LOONA, the staff brought out a birthday cake to celebrate! Each member gathered around the cake and wished for their Orbits to “always be happy, and to always love LOONA!” LOONA ended their show with the song that started it all: a hype and loving rendition of “Hi High,” showering both the members and their Orbits with love.

Just as the sun returns to the same spot each year, allowing us to celebrate birthday after birthday, we know that LOONA will be back to New York to share love with their Orbits yet again! In the meantime, we’re so thankful to share the endless charms of LOONA with you all - huge thank you to Blockberry Creative and MyMusicTaste for press access!

Make sure to keep supporting LOONA!