Ode to You Seattle ?SEVENTEEN

Say the name: SEVENTEEN! It is I, the happiest Carat alive! I finally finally finally got to see SVT live and boy oh boy you guys have no idea how thrilled I am about it. The entire experience went by so fast it felt like a dream.

I’ve been a fan of SVT’s music since 2017 when they released their song “Don’t Wanna Cry” and I soft stan them throughout 2018. When 2019 rolled by, I just got more and more interested in them so by the end of 2019 SVT was all I could talk about. So as you can imagine, the moment they announced that they’ll be taking their Ode to You tour to North America AND will be performing in my hometown, I was bouncing off walls.

In preparation for the concert, I picked out an outfit to fit the concert’s theme and also decorated my Carat Bong (SVT’s lightstick). It’s a popular theme among the SVT fandom to decorate our Carat Bong with flowers inside. Aside from the fact that the flowers add a very elegant touch to the lightstick, it’s also in reference to a SVT song called Smile Flower. Smile Flower is a song about the fear of losing someone important. It’s also a reminder of how important that certain someone is and to not take them for granted. SVT often refer to that song as a reminder to each other (members) and to their fans that no matter what happens, we’ll always be together in some shape of form. My favourite line from the song is definitely the last one:

언제 어디에 있어도
함께하지 못해도 우린 늘 그렇듯
웃음꽃 피워요
그대 미소에 봄이 돼줄게요

Whenever, wherever
Even if we’re not together, just like always
Our smile flowers bloom
I’ll be the spring to your smile

Smile Flower -SEVENTEEN (translation from Color Coded Lyrics)

On the day of the concert, we lined up around 2PM, even though we had assigned seats for the concert. I wouldn’t have been able to stay-put otherwise. While we were in line, we met a few other Carats (SVT’s fandom name) who were actually very funny and friendly! We even added each other on social media. I also purchased fan-made items which was a key-chain that says “Carat” on there. It’s very pretty! The girl who sold it to me was very nice too. So glad I found her through Twitter.

After hours of waiting, doors finally opened around 6PM and we went straight to the merchandise line. I ended up getting the white sweater and photo card set. I also got a black T-shirt for a girl I’ve been in touch with on Twitter. I met up with her after the concert and gave it to her (well sold it back to her LOL- now that I think about it, I forgot to charge her for tax). We went to our seats after purchasing our merch. While we were waiting for the show they were playing SVT music videos. I was pleasantly surprised by how good my view was from my seat!

During each music video, many of the fans in the venue were fanchanting, singing along and cheering with excitement. That got me even more hyped for the show. I love it when fans are enthusiastic! Any concert go-er knows that a good show isn’t just about a good performer, but it also takes a good audience to complete the experience

They seem to have timed the music videos perfectly because the moment Fear started playing, the music got louder and then when the MV ended, the lights in the venue dimmed and the show started. I was in awe when I saw 12 of the boys coming out. Everything happened so fast I didn’t even have enough time to process the fact that that they were right there. Right in front of me. The entire show went by so well. The fans in the venue were quiet when they sang ballads, chanted and cheered during the hype songs. SVT members were being their usual silly selves on stage. The MC segments felt like we were watching another episode of Going Seventeen. And although it was obvious that some members were exhausted and not at their 100%, I can tell that they were still doing their best to give us a good show.

SVT performed most songs that I wanted to see. To my surprise, they performed their song called Thanks. I wasn’t expecting to see that live but it made me very happy because among their title song, it’s not a popular one. Also, they performed Don’t Wanna Cry which is a song that has a special place in my heart because it’s the song that got my into the fandom. I was in a total trance when they were performing it. Hearing Hoshi’s line live in Don’t Wanna Cry made me the happiest fan alive. I was mildly disappointed that I didn’t get to see 3 songs I thought they were going to perform. The 3 songs were Home, Second Life and Snap Shoot. I’m surprised they didn’t because those 3 songs are new. Two of the three are in the An Ode album too. I guess they chose to do more of their classics over the new ones so fans have more familiar sounding tunes. Still super sad I didn’t get to see Snap Shoot live though. That was my concept for the night too!  (´；д；`).

Before the show, my biases were Woozi, Mingyu and DK. I was honestly expecting to be swayed by other members when I saw them live, but NOPE. I really really enjoyed watching Woozi on stage. His movement, expression and singing live was mesmerizing. You can tell that he loves being on stage and sincerely enjoyed his time performing to his fans. As for Mingyu, he was in some mood. He was one of the most talkative and energetic member that night. As well as Dino! I have a whole new level of appreciation for Dino now. He really proved to me that he definitely has the potential to be the future of KPOP. He’s very talented in all areas. During the show, I was happy that I got a lot of Mingyu & Woozi interactions. It made it easier for me to filmed BOTH of them so the fangirl inside of my is extremely happy about that. Haha

Another thing I was pleasantly surprised about was how good the performance team was. I mean, I knew they were good, but seeing them perform live was so different. I definitely enjoyed watching Lilili Yabbay live so much more than the video version. When it’s live, you can feel a different energy radiating from them. I don’t have any other way to describe it. I was so mesmerized, I had to stopped recording on my phone just so that I can enjoy the performance in the moment. Big thumbs up to the performance team right there.

For the encore, SVT came back with their song 9-TEEN which was a song by them that I didn’t listen to much. DK led the entrance with a silly dance that was a joke from the MC segment (Dino’s butt dance). I didn’t even realize this until I re-watched my clips from the concert. After comparing it to other shows, they did this only at our show. This made me so happy that their sense of humour is just as good as how they portrayed on screen. The fact that it was improvised just made the moment 10x more authentic.

After the show my friend and I stop by iHOP for a late night snack before heading home. What was funny about our iHOP run was that there were 2 other groups who also went to the concert. I couldn’t stop talking about the concert even after the fact. Both my friend and I agree that Ode to You was one of the best shows we’ve been to together. I am actually really happy that my friend also genuinely enjoyed the show. It was the best Birthday gift I could ask for.

I want to end this post by saying Ode to You Seattle 2020 was the one of (if not) the best concerts I’ve been to. The venue was great, staff who worked at the venue were courteous, organized and patient. Fans were kind and friendly. Seventeen was loving, energetic AND punctual. They gave their fans a spectacular performance without any downplay. They also gave their fans sincere gratitude for taking time to come see them. Thank you Live Nation, Pledis Entertainment, SEVENTEEN, and CARATS for an amazing night. Thank you for the bottom of my heart.