The Follow Tour (stylized as Seventeen Tour Follow, in all caps) was the third concert tour of Asia headlined by South Korean boy group Seventeen. The tour began on July 21, 2023, at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, and concluded on May 26, 2024, at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.
Background
After the release of the EP FML in April 2023, Seventeen announced a concert in Seoul for July 2023 to start the tour, stylized as Follow to Seoul.[1] The Seoul dates were followed by the Follow to Japan leg and the Follow to Asia leg, which consisted of concerts in Bangkok, Manila, and Macao.[2][3] An encore leg of the tour, branded as Follow Again, covered six additional dates acrosss Incheon, Osaka, and Yokohama.[4] Two shows at the Seoul World Cup Stadium were later added to the middle of the leg.[5] The tour finally concluded at Nissan Stadium in Japan on May 26, 2024, the ninth anniversary of the group's debut. The performance at Nissan Stadium made Seventeen the second K-pop act ever to perform at the venue, after TVXQ.[4]
Various performances were streamed simultaneously on Weverse Concerts to be available for fans worldwide. The initial Seoul concerts,[1] two concerts in the first Japanese leg,[6] the Incheon concerts,[4] and two concerts of the Japanese encore leg[7] were streamed. The final concert of the first Japanese leg, in Fukuoka, was broadcast in real-time in cinemas around the world, with delayed broadcasts in certain timezones.[8]
Seungkwan was absent for the initial Seoul dates of the tour, and returned from the Tokyo concerts onwards.[9]S.Coups missed the Japan and Southeast Asian legs of the tour due to an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament but returned for the encore dates starting from those in Incheon. Jeonghan was absent from the Fukuoka and Southeast Asian shows also due to injury but returned to the tour during the Incheon show.[10]
Promotion
For promotion, Seventeen hosted events in each of the cities. Events included stamp rallies throughout Japan, a river cruise in Seoul, and a hotel collaboration in Bangkok.[11][12] For the culmination of the tour, Seventeen officially collaborated with the Yokohama Government to arrange for events held at the city hall, seaside mall, and an evening firework display at the port.[13]
Reception
In a review for The Korea Herald, Choi Ji-won referred to the concert as "nothing short of a full-blown extravaganza".[14] Gabriel Saulog of Billboard Philippines wrote that the tour's Bulacan stops had "palpable" energy, crediting the group's "remarkable talent, showmanship, and entertaining prowess", alongside their connection with their fans, for creating an atmosphere of fond memories.[15]
Reviews for the encore performances were also favourable. Billboard's Jeff Benjamin described the two-day concerts in Seoul as "electrifying", especially noting that the five-piece live band elevated the performances, and that the live premiere of the new songs from 17 Is Right Here made the tour's Korean finale more momentous.[16] Pyo Kyung-min reviewed the encore concert in Yokohama for The Korea Times, describing it as a "hotbed of excitement" amongst fans and an "unwavering energy" from the group throughout the three and a half hour performance.[17]
Film
On July 16, 2024, Seventeen announced that they would be releasing the concert film Seventeen Tour Follow Again To Cinemas.[18] The film, which covered the group's two-day encore concert at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on April 27 and 28, was captured using 360-degree cameras and cinematic cameras to present a full view of the performances.[5] Partnering with local cinema chain CGV for an exclusive release, Seventeen premiered the film on August 14.[18] A limited run for domestic and international screenings, with the latter handled by Trafalgar Releasing, began on August 21.[18][19]
Set list
The following set list is from the first shows in Seoul, South Korea. It is not intended to represent all shows from the tour.[14]
