Popular boy group GOT7 made its way to the United States for its 2016 GOT7 1st CONCERT TOUR "FLY IN USA" that took place from July 1st to July 11th, hitting 5 cities with 7 shows in that period. Korea.com was present for the Day 1 in Los Angeles and we were left impressed by the 7-member group.
Held at The Novo at LA Live, fans (known as IGOT7, or ahgase) lined up as early as 10AM, hoping to get good views of their favorite members in the pit. Fans carried signs and wore shorts that displayed who their favorite members were and before the members took the stage, fans entered the stadium and began singing along to all the GOT7 songs that were blasting on the speakers.
When the GOT7 members, clothed in shimmering red jackets and trenchcoats, finally took the stage under a series of red lights for Intro + Hands Up, fans screamed with delight. They hit their dance moves with precision and hit their notes with much clarity. Their energy neverending, their passion oozing, GOT7 made sure to light up the stage.
After Hands Up, it was time to Turn Up the Music as the GOT7 members dialed in a wonderful performance for all the Girls Girls Girls in the audience (don't worry - there were plenty of male fans to be found). Mark showed off his acrobatic skills as each member delivered stunning and energetic performances during their solo parts.
After quickly introducing themselves in cute, sometimes broken English, to adoring fans, GOT7 swiftly turned on their professionalism and gave fans more electrifying performances for Back To Me, A, and Girl (Magnetic). Looking back, fans can safely agree that these performances were amazing and worthy of "A" grades.
Next up was a short little "Ment" that allowed the members to quickly change outfits (though we suspect that the black outfits they next donned were hiding under their red jackets and coats). Each member quickly took his position as screaming fans were impatient to see them on the stage once more. Never missing a beat and never letting the quality in their performances dip, GOT7 performed This Star, Playground, Can't, and I Like You in quick succession. Fans didn't have the chance to catch their breaths as GOT7 seamlessly transitioned into each of those songs.
Without warning and after a little "Bridge", the atmosphere turned quiet, somber almost, as the tempo dipped into a slow ballad for JB and Youngjae's beautiful duet 1:31AM that featured Youngjae playing the piano. Fans waved their lightsticks along to the music, a sea of green filling up the seats, making it a sight to behold. Mark, whose family and friends were in attendance, and Junior upped the tempo, allowing fans' emotions to soar Higher in an upbeat song that filled the entire stadium. The dance trio of Yugyeom, BamBam, and Jackson was the last solo stage and boy, did they put on a show, turning the atmosphere into that of nighttime clubbing.
To prep fans for the next set of songs, the Flight Log: Departure trailer and Visual Performance videos played in the background, allowing fans to anticipate excitedly the performances for Fly and Home Run. GOT7 definitely hit a home run out of the park, putting on spectacular performances for the two songs as fans chanted with much gusto. In between performances, GOT7 provided much fanservice, including embarrassing oldest member Mark on stage in front of his family and friends with hip thrusts. Each member, though, couldn't avoid his fate and provided different dance moves of a similar nature, much to the delight of fans.
As the members neared the last segment of their concert, they teased fans, saying that they wanted to Rewind to the beginning of the night to start the concert anew because they were enjoying themselves so much. Of course, fans didn't want GOT7 to Stop Stop It because they were having a lot of fun as well, as evidenced by all the cheering and screaming going around. GOT7 then performed If You Do, then disappeared off the stage, leaving fans saddened by their departure.
Never fear, it was only GOT7's way of telling fans to complete the mission at hand, a Dance Roulette, that if completed successfully, would allow for GOT7 to come back for the encore. Much to the delight of everyone, the three fans chosen successfully completed this task and GOT7 came back and sang their Confession Song, which fans sang along to, allowing the group and fans to become one. Slowly, but surely, the concert was coming to an end, with the encore filled full of performances for Everyday, Follow Me, Bounce (which had everyone jumping up and down), Fly (remix), Say Goodbye, and Before the Full Moon Rises.
Alas, it was time for the concert to end, but not before each member spoke in English (and some eventually converted to Korean), thanking fans for their love, for their time in the States, and trying to promise to come back next year for another tour or some form of event. Each member also thanked LA for giving the group Mark, showing that each member is indispensable to the success of the group. They also spoke of living your life to the fullest and being yourself.
With that, the members all stood on stage as confetti rained down on them before exiting for the last time. Fans cheered wildly for the group - it was a good time to be had. For more pictures, you can go here.
Korea.com's Emily wrote this from California. Korea.com would also like to thank SubKulture Entertainment and JYP Entertainment for organizing GOT7's US Concert Tour and extending invitations to allow Korea.com to cover this fun night.