SEVENTEEN Turns DC into the District of Carats
Words by Micaela Cerball
Photos courtesy The Oriel
“During the soundcheck we actually learned what DC stands for,” said Joshua of SEVENTEEN as he introduced himself during the group’s recent concert at Capital One Arena. “We didn’t know what it stood for, but now we’re going to make it the District of Carats.”
It’s night one of two in DC for SEVENTEEN, the final city of their NEW_ tour, and the group has just performed their intro stage of “Bad Influence,” “HBD,” and “THUNDER” from their 10th anniversary album HAPPY BURSTDAY. These high energy tracks set the tone of the rest of the concert where calls of “Everybody jump!” are frequent and earplugs are needed for the crowd’s cheers alone.
After 10 years on stage, SEVENTEEN’s performances are only getting stronger. From their first US tour in 2017 where they played clubs and theaters, to now, their fifth tour stateside in arenas and stadiums, growth has always been their destiny. Despite missing four members who are currently serving their mandatory military enlistment in South Korea, the remaining nine members do not fail to fill in the gaps, seamlessly adjusting choreography for the smaller group size and redistributing lines. Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Hoshi, and Woozi are still deeply missed, a sentiment that can be witnessed across the arena as Carats wave banners and pickets with their names and photos.
“The Enlistment Era,” as fans have taken to calling it, started September 2024 when the first member, Jeonghan, went on hiatus in order to fulfill his military service, and it will continue for the next few years. During this time SEVENTEEN are showcasing new units, like CxM with S.Coups and Mingyu, who just released their first mini album HYPE VIBES in September, as well as the individual talents of the members.
The NEW_ setlist contained all nine remaining members’ solo tracks from HAPPY BURSTDAY. At Capital One Arena on Oct. 29, Dino was first with his song “Trigger,” demonstrating his sharp and controlled yet unmistakably groovy choreography. Jun then took the stage with his ethereal “Gemini” as white feather confetti cascaded across the arena. The third to go was Vernon, a hip-hop unit member, performing “Shining Star,” a pop-punk masterpiece showcasing his vocals while playing guitar as opposed to the rapping he usually does in the group.
The solo stages were broken up by more group songs like “SOS,” “F*ck My Life,” “LOVE, MONEY, FAME,” and “Darl+Ing” that brought back the bright and upbeat sound SEVENTEEN is known for. The brightness was followed by another round of solos from vocal team members Joshua, DK, and Seungkwan. “Fortunate Change” was Joshua’s sweet love song, which had the audience waving their lightsticks and turning on their camera flashlights. “Happy Virus” was DK’s ballad that showcased his sunny tone as his smile lights up the arena. “Raindrops” was the one emotional song of the night that Seungkwan performed soulfully on a candlelit piano to chants of his name.
Watch the official music video for “Darl+ing” by SEVENTEEN on YouTube:
The vocal team was followed by the remaining three solos of the night. The8, the last performance team member, performed “Skyfall,” an electronic dance track. Mingyu, hip-hop team member, followed with club banger “Shake it Off.” Finally, the solo stages were finished off with SEVENTEEN’s leader S.Coups performing “Jungle,” a powerful hip hop track that transitioned smoothly into the group’s powerhouse single “HOT.” The final pre-encore portion of the concert consisted of “Highlight,” “HIT,” and “Rock With You,” in which SEVENTEEN displayed their incredible choreography and synchronization while delivering powerful vocals. They also took time during a break between stages to accept requests from the audience for older songs they wanted to hear and sing some snippets together.
After SEVENTEEN left the stage prior to the encore, it was DJ BongBongee time. SEVENTEEN’s mascot BongBongee, a representation of their light stick the Caratbong, appeared onscreen spinning a club mix of SEVENTEEN’s hit songs as the cameras panned over the audience, encouraging everyone to dance their hearts out for a moment on the big screen.
The encore brought SEVENTEEN back on stage to perform “A-Teen,” “9-Teen,” “20,” and “Eyes On You,” where they roamed around the stage and interacted with the audience, showing immense gratitude. The night was finished off with a few more song requests, including some dance battles between Carats and Seventeen.
Then finally, the highly anticipated running gag of never-ending “Aju Nice.” Although cut short for time during this tour, SEVENTEEN still managed a few rounds of the song, coming down into the crowd to high-five Carats and asking them to sing. The show ended on a bittersweet note, with the group remarking that they’ll definitely be back with all 13 members, implying that it might be a few years before American fans see them again. But for SEVENTEEN, any amount of time will always be worth the wait.
Here are some photos SEVENTEEN performing live at Capital One Arena on Oct. 29, 2025. All photos courtesy The Oriel.
