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(Photo credit: Roger Ho for Lollapalooza)

The rain was pouring on and off the Saturday Tomorrow X Together were set to headline Lollapalooza. I was clearly underdressed for the weather. But as a festival rookie, I suppose this is simply a rite of passage.

I was among the estimated 115,000 concertgoers attending Lollapalooza that day, and many in the crowd were TXT fans — also known as MOAs (which stands for Moment of Alwaysness). While I am not one for waiting long hours, other MOAs had more strength than me and braved the heavy rain despite the circumstances.

TXT were set to go on stage at 8:30 pm, though many arrived 11+ hours earlier just to secure a good spot.

Over at TXT headquarters, the dedication of fans had not gone unnoticed.

“But do our fans still enjoy it when it’s raining like this?” asked Yeonjun in a behind-the-scenes interview with Vogue.

“I hope they actually have even more fun,” Huening Kai said.

“More fun soaking in the rain,” Beomgyu chimed in.

Exactly one year ago, TXT became the first K-pop idol group to play at Lollapalooza. Their HYBE labelmate, BTS member j-hope, made history as the first K-pop headliner for Lollapalooza that same year.

In 2023, TXT upgraded to headliner status. And while the boys admitted to feeling some jitters in that same Vogue interview, they very much proved they had earned their spot at Lollapalooza.

TXT is a five-piece group comprised of members Soobin, Yeonjun, Taehyun, Beomgyu and Huening Kai. Since their appearance at Lollapalooza in 2022, their growth has only skyrocketed in 2023. This past year, the band has played in some of the biggest venues of their careers, including playing two back to back shows at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

Heading to Lollapalooza in many ways felt more like Hybepalooza. Leading up to TXT’s big performance, cupsleeve fan events were held in bubble tea shops in Chicago’s Chinatown neighbourhood. HYBE even hosted a temporary pop-up to sell exclusive TXT merch made for the festival (plus albums and tour merch). And stores like KPOP NARA saw many fans visiting throughout the weekend who were looking to buy coveted lightsticks and photocards.

When I travel to watch K-pop shows, I always like to jam my schedule with everything I can before the big event. So while I was clearly running low on sleep before TXT’s performance, I powered through.

It only started to rain harder as TXT’s 90-minute set progressed. However, the water added to the epicness of it all.

Similar to their performance last year, TXT returned to the Lolla stage with a live band. Dressed in custom Dior outfits featuring pants with a pleated skirt element, the boys centred their performance based on two themes: “youth” and “rock.”

While this is an idol group, the show had tons of rockstar quality. The set begins with edgy versions of ‘0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)’, followed by ‘Dear Sputnik’. During the latter, the TXT members encouraged fans to jump along.

When it is time to introduce themselves to the crowd, TXT shared why performing in Chicago will always be meaningful for them.

“We had our U.S. debut showcase right here in Chicago. Then we came here for our first world tour, then for Lollapalooza too. Chicago is a very special place for Tomorrow X Together,” said Taehyun.

Taking on the high-profile role as headliner was also not lost on TXT, who often referred back to their first festival performance the year before.

“This reminds me of last year. Lollapalooza Chicago was one of the most meaningful, memorable concerts that I’ve ever performed in,” said Yeonjun.

“It was our first festival in the U.S. And just being on stage, felt incredible. And now, we are headliners for the Bud Light Stage. This feels unreal to me. Thank you guys!” Soobin added.

(Photo credit: Roger Ho for Lollapalooza)

Feeding into the theme of “rock”, TXT showcased angst and fieriness in songs like ‘Devil by the Window’ — which describes the internal struggle of trying to overcome negative thoughts and temptations — and ‘Good Boy Gone Bad’ — which has the group singing about the pure anguish one feels after a breakup (hence turning into a bad boy). The latter leans into a heavier sound, with the boys surprising the crowd with a stunning new dance break that incorporates the tradition of Beomgyu lighting a rose on fire and then tossing it over his shoulder.

There’s also plenty of “youth” displayed throughout TXT’s set as well, with the boys embracing more joyful and sillier aspects of their songs. ‘Cat and Dog’ — by far one of TXT’s oddest yet endearing songs — plays into their cuteness. There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing thousands of MOAs scream “I just wanna be your dog! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF”. Barking has become commonplace at K-pop concerts, and it seems as though TXT has embraced it wholeheartedly.

TXT also came full of surprises. During ‘Happy Fools’ they brought out American rapper Coi Leray, diverting into a snippet of her own track ‘Players’ in between. The group also performed their recent collaboration with the Jonas Brothers ‘Do It Like That’ for the first time. And while this moment had many fans screaming in anticipation for a guest appearance, the group was not there to help out.

“It would be awesome if they made it to perform it with us, but there’s always next time, “ Taehyun said after.

(Photo credit: Roger Ho for Lollapalooza)

By then, the rain started full on pouring, and I was shivering from head to toe. But it didn’t matter. TXT had just about performed a near-perfect setlist of all their greatest hits, including ‘Anti-Romantic’, ‘LO$ER=LO♡ER’, ‘Can’t You See Me?’ and ‘Wishlist.’

Other highlights of the show for me included ‘Tinnitus (Wanna Be a Rock)’ — an addictive song which takes inspiration from the Afrobeats genre — and ‘Magic’ — where the boys switched things up with a joyful sped-up dancebreak in between.

However, my favourite moment of the show was undoubtedly ‘Blue Hour’, which is a song that gave me pure joy during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic. I, like many fans, have been waiting patiently for the extended dancebreak version to come on streaming platforms. But at Lollapalooza, the boys brought out their cowboy hats and killed their choreography. I guess I’ll have to settle for that for now!

The set concludes with a euphoric performance of ‘Sugar Rush Ride’ and gold fireworks lighting up the sky. It’s a thrilling end to an incredible achievement, and the boys showed no signs of their confidence faltering.

Just before their concert, Yeonjun admitted to NMEthat he felt he was "lacking” and “didn’t deserve to be on a huge stage.”

It’s incredibly human and humble to admit such fears in the midst of a history-making moment.

I can’t wait to see how far TXT can go in the future.

I have no idea what this means. But could a Seventeen and New Kids on the Block collaboration be coming soon?

I don’t want to make news out of a single Twitter interaction. But something tells me the two groups are cooking something up.

Now I am wondering about all the possibilities. Are the Backstreet Boys x Enhypen next? Spice Girls x NewJeans? The latter is probably next to impossible….but OMG, wouldn’t that be perfect?!

I am in denial that the summer break is about to end. But thankfully, XG has dropped a new track to make me embrace the warm weather just a bit longer.

The uplifting single by the Japanese girl group is called ‘New Dance’, and features an incredibly catchy chorus and even more addictive choreography (Thank you Sienna Lalau for creating another winner). The music video also evokes nostalgic feelings of vacationing with your friends at the beach, as the XG girls are seen enjoying the water, venturing into the city and dancing on rooftops.

‘New Dance’ is the third pre-release single by XG ahead of the group’s upcoming mini album NEW DNA. The project drops on September 27th.

(Courtesy of HYBE x Geffen Records)

HYBE and Geffen Records revealed the 20 contestants who will compete for a chance to debut in a global girl group on a new show called The Debut: Dream Academy.

Contestants for the audition program hail from countries including the USA, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Slovakia and the Philippines. The diverse group of young women were selected from more than 120,000 submissions.

The 20 contestants will participate in The Debut: Dream Academy audition program, which will premiere Sept. 1 at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT on YouTube globally and ABEMA (Japan).

Those who will form the final lineup of the girl group during the finale on November 17th. Fans will play a crucial role throughout the entire competition via fan voting on Weverse and TikTok.

Hey Canadian KINGMAKERS! 🇨🇦 KINGDOM is coming to Canada as part of their upcoming Grand America Tour!

KINGDOM is a K-pop boy group currently consisting of seven members: Dann, Arthur, Mujin, Louis, Ivan, Hwon and Jahan. The group debuted under GF Entertainment on February 18, 2021.

Each of the KINGDOM members represents a different king with their own fantasy Kingdoms. With their debut, they set a narrative path of each king's lives from being lost to finding themselves, maturing and ascending to their thrones. From there, the story will expand and become grander and more epic. Their most recent comeback tells the story of MUJIN, who is in charge of the Kingdom of Cherry Blossom, alluding to their connection with Japan.

KINGDOM will be making two stops in Canada as part of their tour.

- Sept. 8 at Vancouver's Centennial Theatre.
- Sept. 15 at Toronto's TD Music Hall

More info on tickets and VIP/VVIP packages can be found on: kpoptickets.com. Follow @studio_pav for more updates!

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Accountability is important to me, so please address corrections and concerns by sending me an email at bunnipopnewsletter@gmail.com. Continue the conversation by following Bunni Pop on Instagram and Twitter.

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