You can’t argue that it has been an incredible year for Ateez from headlining Coachella, to being the first K-pop group to have a Record Store Day release, to even having their own exhibit at the Grammy Museum to now, embarking on a world tour for thousands of fans each night. Thankfully, I was able to see them in their Toronto show and I will share my thoughts about the overall concert experience which includes the special fan opportunities they had before, during, and after the show as well as my thoughts on the overall performance, merch, production, and more. See below for more info and pics from the show as well as some clips hyperlinked which have been posted on my social media (TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook) so make sure to follow there to not miss out on more concert content! For a visual preview of what to expect from their show and in this blog post see the videos below!
About
Ateez is an eight-member K-pop boy group signed under KQ Entertainment. The group debuted in 2018 and consists of members Hongjoong (leader), Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho. At the time they were really young (they are mainly around the same age since the oldest is born in 1998 and youngest is born in 2000). That’s why their name Ateez is short for A TEEnager Z, which implies as teenagers they are trying to do everything they can from A to Z. The fandom name is Atiny which is combination of Ateez and destiny. It’s amazing to see how many accolades they have achieved within six years. Although I have only started to listen to them in the past few years I was aware of them before and respected them because they truly embody the ultimate underdog story who work so hard to do the best they can. Firstly, they are from a small agency yet they put themselves out there with their company to reach as many fans as they can. Secondly, none of the members speak fluent English but they always try to speak in interviews and even in the concert they didn’t use an interpreter which goes to show they really do care about trying to strengthen their skills.
I remember in 2022, I got ads to see them live but at the time I just came back from LA and just went to see Seventeen so financially, I could not get into another group (if you’re a K-pop fan you can probably relate). However, I did know these guys were all trained dancers with some (Mingi, Yunho, Wooyoung) being the main dancers of the group and despite hardships including people stealing their moves and music, they overcame it to deliver incredible performances. This group is a full-on performance group where they know how to bring the party to any venue but also know how to creatively and effectively tell stories through artistic dances, elaborate concepts (e.g., their notorious pirate theme), and fun songs which often feature a catchy hook, killer high notes from Jongho, a fun rap from Mingi, hyped bridges, and a killer verse from the leader, Hongjoong. During this tour, we got to see more of each member as they all performed their special unit songs from their album “The World: EP: FIN” (seen in the picture above). If you want to learn more about them I talk about it when trying to choose my outfit for the show.
Tickets and Venue
The show was held at Scotiabank Arena, which is an arena I often go to for bigger concerts in Toronto located at 40 Bay Street, which has a lot of parking options but is very accessible via public transit (recommend taking the GO). The concert took place on August 8th, which happened to be Mingi’s birthday. Here is a video of everyone joining in wishing him a happy birthday which he loved. I’m not sure if it was because of Mingi’s birthday or if this was their only Canadian stop but the tickets were the most I spent for a concert in a while, even more than BTS’ PTD LA concert. I know a lot of people were trying to sell their tickets the day of the show or before and I believe because some of their flights were canceled or couldn’t make it in time. I know some people were coming from the United States and some from other parts of Canada, including Montreal.
I remember trying to buy tickets and it was a nightmare because of Ticketmaster’s platinum pricing, there were hardly any standard tickets left. Thankfully we were able to secure seats in section 122, row 16 which was still a good view of the stage. Above is a collage of the view from the seats as well as other cool shots of the venue for the show. Tip: What I thought was cool was that they had these special lanyards they were giving out for this show mainly because it was a lot of people’s first concert. Although it wasn’t my first show at Scotiabank Arena, I didn’t mind grabbing one of the many they were giving out.
Pre-Concert Party and Exclusives
Unfortunately, I was coming from work that day so I couldn’t go earlier to the venue like usual to get freebies from other Atinys but made it in time to enjoy the pre-concert celebration and exclusives at Real Sports restaurant. Real Sports is the official sports bar/restaurant and retail store (under construction). I only saw the day before that they were accepting reservations for a special pre-concert party from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. that included access to merch (see next section), photo opportunities (each printed picture had a special frame that celebrated the concert), and exclusive Ateez-inspired menu items. Fortunately, they did mention that they were accepting walk-ins so when we arrived after walking by the ridiculous amount of lineups outside and inside the venue, we decided to see if they would still allow us to come inside at 5:30 p.m. Thankfully they did, and not only did we enjoy two of the exclusive menu items but we also participated in a special photo booth and secured some merch (no lines) including the Toronto x Ateez badge. Ironically, it was my first time at the bar and it was spacious. It was interesting to see Ateez’s music videos and performances play on the big screen as Atiny and other individuals not going to the concert were interested in what was playing (it was a Blue Jays game that day as well). The Cyberpunk mocktail was refreshing and not overpriced and it even came with a special cup holder sleeve. The crazy form pizza was filling and tasty between the two of us because of the cheese, sauce, and sourdough crust. I think this should be done for all k-pop concerts in Toronto going forward.
Merch
As you can see by the picture above I have a few pictures of the lineups at the bottom row and this is to show how insane the lineups were that day. To be honest, these images don’t even begin to capture how long the lines were as some (bottom middle image) went from one end of Union Station to the other side. I know that some people began to line up at 10 a.m. but I also heard some people started to line up around midnight. I do follow and message the Real Sports Apparel (RSA) account since they are the ones who usually announce the merch details but I didn’t see anything posted about it and was a bit confused about where to get the merch. Thankfully, the person handling the social media account that day was responsive and nice as they mentioned when and where it would be available. Feedback for next time is if there were real-time updates given by the RSA account on merch queues including which ones are long and which ones aren’t. As mentioned above, the pre-concert party had merch options with no line (top row right) which was great but unfortunately, it was limited in what they were selling.
As you can see in the middle row of the collage, there were special merch items you can only get in person including “The Real Offline” tee which features holographic print on the front and back (top row left) and comes with a photo card. I genuinely liked the holographic print and since it was offline tee not available online (since some of these are available on Amazon.com), I wanted to get and therefore, I had to go inside. Fortunately, the staff inside told us to check out section 300s for shorter lines, and my sister and I split up to make sure the booth we were getting this from had our size. TIP: If you were going to buy this shirt from someone else or at the concert, this fits a bit true to size in Men’s sizing. Another tip: as seen in the middle right image of the collage, there was a special pairing station for the lightstick so make sure you do that early or if you were like me and got your lightstick before the show then download the app and start to pair as soon as possible by following all the instructions to get the best concert experience.
Stage Production
Before I get into the actual performance review I will say that I was in awe of this stage production. I know other Atinys who have seen them live in the prior cities told me that I will be impressed by the set but it exceeded my expectations. I love the giant structure that featured beautiful visualizations and camera work to the stellar visualazions that enhanced the performances on state. There were also some fun sets including the Western cowboy bar which was key to the storytelling (next part) that was first seen during their Coachella performance for Ariba and Bouncy. I wasn’t too sure about the massive gold hand that erected from the centre stage but thought it was really cool. Also, the pryotechnics and the lasers really added to the production as well.
Storytelling
I know that SVT gets the nickname of being the theatre kids of K-pop, but after this show I might have to say that nickname is more fitting for Ateez. Throughout the whole show there were special interludes to me seemed like Ateez was escaping and rebelling against a dystopian future as there were some fight scenes, freeform expressive dancing and more. For example, San and Wooyoung each had moments where they were fighting off others while Hongjoong, the pirate king, had a guitar solo that introduced their rebellious anthem, “guerilla”. As mentioned above, the bar also tied into some of their songs and was more of the later stages of the setlist where they seemed to celebrate their victory. However, the highlight that truly made it feel like I was watching a cinematic masterpiece was during their performance of Wonderland as the giant Kraken arms appears on the stage and eventually results in Seungwha pulling out a giant sword to slay the monster and lead Ateez to victory.
Overall Performance & Thoughts
Last but not least, let’s talk about the actual performances and concert overall. The mics were on and you can tell these guys were singing live through the night while executing intense, fast-pased choreography. Not only was the performances great but the overall energy they brought out of the crowd was amazing as well. I love how everything from the production (lights, camera, effects) to the wardrobe to the setlist aligned perfectly. As mentioned above, it was Mingi’s birthday so they did have a special moment where they wished him properly and some members wished him during some performances. I was ecstatic to see the iconic bouncy performance and it was also nice to see the members in custom Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys (especially since Yunho and Jongho are big sports fans). The show started around 7:33 p.m. and they left the stage around 10:11 p.m. with very short breaks in between.
All in all, I am giving this show a 10/10 and was the best K-pop concert I have been to in Toronto. I truly believe they set the standard when it comes to K-pop shows in Toronto with their stage production, storytelling, fan exclusives, ample merch available and extensive setlist. I believe I got my money’s worth with this show and I know people who never listened to them before (including the dad in front of me who took his daughters) were engaged throughout the show. I do recommend you see them live next time they come here or if you get the chance to see them in Europe next year. Let me know if you plan on seeing them or attended the show in the comments below or on social media. Make sure to follow on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for more Ateez, K-pop, and Toronto concerts content!
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