Ephney Tsai Photo Credit: BIGHIT MUSIC
Completing the U.S. leg of their Act: Sweet Mirage tour after a month of touring stateside, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) performed two nights of sold out shows at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. With this being their first U.S. stadium tour, the group certainly pulled out all the stops, stocking the show full of stage props, stage effects, outfit changes, and even surprise special guests.
Known for their strong vocals and synchronized dancing, TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) did not disappoint with their live performances. From the beginning song “Blue Hour” to ending song “Our Summer,” the group maintained their steady vocals and charismatic stage presence, even despite their difficult choreography. Through high energy songs such as “Good Boy Gone Bad” and slower songs like “We Lost the Summer,” each performance still kept up the same amount of energy from both the group and their fans, known as MOA. Fans especially enjoyed the English version of song “Cat & Dog,” screaming fanchants and barking along to the song at the top of their lungs. Also eliciting deafening screams from the crowd was the appearance of special guests such as TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT)’s choreographer, who was sitting in the audience and joined the group for their “Happy Fools” dance challenge, and Coi Leray, who joined the group onstage for the same song as the original featuring artist. No costs were cut in terms of stage production either, as the show featured stage props from South Korea such as a car, human-sized ice cream figures, and cannon guns to send balls into the crowd. What’s more, the show also set off an impressive display of fireworks not just once, but three times throughout the evening.
Aside from the high energy and efforts exhibited through each performance, the highlight of the show was the fact that TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) put together a cohesive concert, utilizing the screens on display behind them to show off backdrops that paired with each song and VCR. Telling a story separated into four separate acts, the concert itself told the story of a mirage thought to be true by the members. In this tale, the members were noble knights who resided in a palace, defending the world from a dragon. By the end of Act Four, however, the group had been awoken from the illusion by falling into water, only being able to glimpse back into their time as knights through a blurry mirage.
Act One: The Heroes’ Journey showed the members triumphant about their previous victory over the dragon, and it set a celebratory, cheerful atmosphere as they walked into the palace. This lead to an upbeat set on stage, consisting of songs such as “No Rules” and “Run Away.” This segment was paired with royal outfits straight out of the VCR, although an outfit change came much too early. Surrendering the regal blazers for sports jerseys instead, the sports jerseys did unfortunately take a little away from the experience of magical songs such as “Run Away,” but the group’s performance made up for it. Shortly afterwards, the second section was preluded by a performance of “Can’t You See Me?” which greatly contrasted the rest of Act One. This song showed the background of the palace and the clock tower burning up in flames, and the performance led the group on a darker route.
Act Two: Sweet Mirage started with a VCR showing the members casually enjoying their time in the palace, before things turned dark. A blue portal suddenly appeared, and a woman could be seen through the portal reaching for them. In true leader fashion, SOOBIN took the first step, walking towards the portal and reaching out to the veiled woman. At the moment their hands were about to meet, however, the scene cut, leaving a sense of foreboding and curiosity. The members were still lost in their mirage, but they were slowly awakening, leaving this section with an air of mystery as they tried to figure out what was going on.
Now wearing blazers covered in patches over silky pink blouses with ripped jeans, the group moved into the next section smoothly. This set started with “0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)” and “LO$ER=LO♡ER,” with the latter song bringing onstage a prop car and fake money to be tossed into the air. Mimicking the group’s precarious balance between reality and the mirage, this segment jumped around in terms of genre, switching from upbeat pop songs like “Magic” to more solemn tracks such as “Anti-Romantic.” This set ended with yet another song filled with contrasts: the slower sections of their song “Eternally” were paired with blue and gold lighting and the familiar image of the palace, and the genre switch sections of the song were paired with red lights and chaos as the palace could be seen shaking.
Act Three: The Doom’s Shadow introduced the dragon for the first time and showed the members fending it off. While previous VCRs were paired with calm and whimsical classical music reminiscent of a fairytale, this one introduced an ominous choral harmonization, hinting at the climax of the show. The video ended with the members screaming and a hand covered in blue blood, which appeared to be the dragon’s. This segment was clearly set up to be even darker than the previous, and the group reappeared with casual white tee shirts to pair with their ripped jeans. During “Tinnitus” and “Devil By the Window,” a subtle change could be seen: instead of the palace in the background, the screens now showed a modern two-story home, an indication that the TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) members were slowly breaking out of the mirage and coming back to present day. This was emphasized with a brief VCR showing the members standing in the rain in white blouses, thinking back to their time at the palace in a haze. The five members reappeared after the short video with leather jackets on and performed a series of more modern pop songs such as “Ice Cream” and “Sugar Rush Ride,” with the latter ending in fireworks to represent the end of the show.
Despite this false ending, the TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) members had still not fully broken out of the mirage, leading into the final part of the show. Act Four: Recollecting A Dream was the breaking point to the mirage, as the members, donning white blouses and black pants, fell into water and woke up from the illusions of the palace. The VCR ended with Soobin screaming in the water and banging on an invisible barrier, representing the members’ desire to escape the mirage. Connecting the video to the live stage, BEOMGYU, HUENING KAI, SOOBIN, TAEHYUN, and YEONJUN appeared on stage once again, wearing the same outfits just shown in the VCR. The group performed “Farewell, Neverland” while sitting on a shipwreck set, and as the waves rolled in the video behind them, the stage was also filled with a low fog around their feet, imitating the video’s effects. This performance was their escape: after falling in the water, the members found the ship and were saved from the mirage. The show progressed quickly for the finale, ending with “Blue Spring” and “Our Summer,” two songs that had MOA lightsticks flashing in gold and white, representing the twinkling stars in the night sky.
Concerts nowadays tend to focus more on fancy stage effects and intense choreography rather than live vocals or creating a plot, but TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) broke that mold. Delivering all of the above, the boy group managed to illustrate a beautiful and intriguing storyline with their show, all while executing impressive live performances. TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) truly created a one-of-a-kind experience for both themselves and MOA, and the concert only created even more excitement for their future shows to come.
