In April 2023, the South Korean girl group, (G)I-DLE announced that they would begin their second-world tour, ‘I am FREE-TY,’ in June. The tour would last until October and the group would be visiting cities across Asia, Europe, and North America. After listening to the group’s mini-album, ‘I Feel‘, I knew I would have to see (G)I-DLE perform in person. Months passed, but August arrived, and the group reached North America. They performed in San Francisco and Los Angeles before finally making it to Dallas, Texas.
August 9th. The line to enter the Texas Trust CU Theater stretched around the building. Despite it being over 100 degrees outside, dedicated fans arrived hours early to save themselves a spot in line. The fans, who (G)I-DLE affectionately call “Neverland,” were dressed in pink, y2k inspired outfits. Finally, at 6:30, the doors opened for general admission, and a sea of pink rushed inside to be the first in line for merch and concessions.
Opening and Solo Performances
(G)I-DLE treated ‘I am FREE-TY’ like a music festival. After opening the show with their song “DUMDi DUMDi,” the group hoped Neverland would enjoy the rest of their festival. The group had many activities and sets that they were ready to share with their fans.
‘I am FREE-TY’ continued with the performance of songs like “Allergy” and “Queencard,” before the group went backstage to prepare for their solo sets. As fans eagerly waited, videos played on the screen showcasing the members of (G)I-DLE doing their favorite activities at summer festivals. As the video ended, the lights dimmed and Miyeon stepped on stage in a gorgeous yellow dress to perform her solo song “Drive.”
After Miyeon’s gorgeous solo set, the stage was cleared for Minnie to step on stage with a piano to perform a solo edition of (G)I-DLE’s “Dahlia.” The crowd quieted down as Minnie began and performed the song, and as a huge Minnie fan, I can admit I teared up a little at this gorgeous performance. On the screen behind Minnie, rose petals fell and as the song ended, the crowd erupted into cheers. The first half of the solo performances ended with Soyeon’s performance of “Psycho.” Soyeon controlled the stage as she confidently stood in the center with no backup dancers. She stood alone on the stage singing until the climax of the song when backup dancers appeared to support her final delivery.
The second half of the solo performances began with an explosion of cheers from the crowd as the lights brightened and we saw Shuhua standing on stage. She confidently danced on stage to a cover of “Boys” by Britney Spears and gave the performance of a lifetime which was followed by an interactive solo performance by Yuqi. The crowd was especially excited for Yuqi’s performance of “Could It Be” with screams briefly interrupting the performance.
Ending and Encore
After a couple more group performances including performances of “Tomboy,” “Put It Straight,” and “Nxde.” The group even performed covers of songs by the group KDA. After all of this excitement, the group sadly explained that the festival was coming to an end. They went backstage for one final time and left fans to watch a video of dance tutorials for some of their most popular songs. As fans danced in the crowd, (G)I-DLE prepared for the encore of “I am FREE-TY.”
When the girl group emerged, they were wearing customized versions of the concert t-shirts sold at the merchandise booth. The members of the group asked the crowd what we wanted to hear before the festival ended. Fans screamed multiple answers, but one of the biggest screams was for the song “Oh My God.” (G)I-DLE laughed on stage, teasing fans and giving small performances of certain songs before finally deciding on “Oh My God.” When “Oh My God” concluded, the realization that the concert was over set in. Fans slowly got up to leave the venue. Unfortunately, ‘I am FREE-TY’ was over.
Final Thoughts
As a longtime (G)I-DLE fan, I was absolutely in love with ‘I am FREE-TY.’ Even though my seat was far from the stage, (G)I-DLE did an amazing job of making all fans feel included. From having cheer contests to acknowledging everyone in different floors, the members made everyone feel connected and loved. The concert was so fun and the solo performances really showcased each members individual talent. But all good things must come to an end. Thankfully, clips from the concert can be found on YouTube! If you missed the concert and weren’t able to attend, definitely check those out.
