While Tennessee is not commonly the first place people think of when they think of K-Pop tours or fans, the demand for K-Pop in Tennessee has been increasing steadily, and P1Harmony kept their word and reconnected with their beloved 'BFF' in Nashville on June 3, 2024 during their ‘UTOP1A’ tour. This marks the group's second highly-anticipated performance in Nashville, where they made history as the first K-Pop group to play on the iconic stage of the Grand Ole Opry House in 2023. P1ECE showed up in full force, donning their themed attire and equipped with pickets and P1ece Sirens (the group's official light stick name), eagerly awaiting entry into Music City's iconic venue. Excitement filled the air as fans gathered to celebrate the return of P1Harmony and enjoy an unforgettable night of K-Pop music and dance.
The energy in the venue was already filled with excitement and anticipation as fans quickly took to their seats. Jiung's video message graced the screen, his absence deeply felt due to his ongoing leg injury recovery, yet his presence remained deeply ingrained in the hearts of the fans before the lights dimmed, P1ece Sirens turned on, pickets were lifted into the air, fans were on their feet, and the three-tiered venue was filled with cheers from fans of all ages. P1Harmony immediately took the stage with back-to-back performances of “Street Star,” “Emergency,” and “Everybody Clap –” all hit tracks from their latest full album, ‘Killin’ It.'
Following a thrilling opening that charged up the atmosphere, the members introduced themselves, sharing their infectious energy and enthusiasm with the audience. Jongseob and Keeho took a moment to show their compassionate side. Jongseob trying to be clever asked, “Do you know where our ‘UTOP1A’ is?,” to which a quick-witted P1ECE responded, “Right here,” while pointing at herself then all P1ECE in the venue. This, of course, generated a chuckle from the entire venue, including the members of P1Harmony. Keeho acknowledged Jiung's absence and gave reassurance about Jiung's recovery, which added to the uplifting ambiance before asking P1ECE to place their hand on their heart.
“Do you feel your heartbeat? Nashville! I want to feel your heartbeat drum!"
Keeho shouted before jumping into the well-known intro of “Heartbeat Drum.” Before slowing things down with the next two stages, they needed fans to do something special before proceeding. "Does everyone have your light stick? Okay. I need everyone to change the color to pink,” instructed Keeho. After some confusion and realization that pink can only be obtained through the use of the app, fans immediately went to their app store. “Wait! Guys, you don’t have to do that now! It's okay. Purple or Pink is fine!” Keeho laughed, before the group began their first set of emotion-filled ballads for the night, “I Am You” and “Butterfly.” The group then interacted with the audience and asked which stage P1ECE enjoyed more between the three, to which fans cheered for all three of them, expressing that P1ECE enjoys all of their tracks, both old and new. Before taking another short VCR intermission, the group performed “Late Nite Calls” and “Back Down,” which had fans singing and dancing along in all three tiers of the venue.
P1ECE was greeted with a single spotlight shining on Theo as he stood behind a mic, held a guitar, and performed a beautiful rendition of Stephen Sanchez's, “Until I Found You,” to which P1ECE was prompted to sing a portion of acapella before Theo took back over. Next up was Intak's self-curated choreography stage to Victoria Monet’s, “On My Mama.” Jongseob and Soul kept the energy going as Jongseob performed a cover of A$AP Rocky's, “Praise The Lord,” to which he wrote his own Korean verse, and Soul captivated the audience with his well-versed and diversified freestyle dance stage. Keeho performed the final solo stage where he showcased his unmatched vocal capabilities with a cover of SZA's, “Kill Bill.”
As the group returned to the stage, they felt that it was important to let P1ECE know about their solo stages. They wanted to show that while they can fill up a stage as P1Harmony, they can also fill up a stage as individuals. Following that, several comments took place such as Keeho's praise to Theo for filling up the stage with just an acoustic song. Keeho also took a moment to let fans know that they each took the creative lead in their solo stages and let P1ECE know,
“Yes, that means Intak chose to do what he did!”
Intak's goal on his stage was to show fans another side of him, to let them know that while he may not move like that and dance like that, he most certainly can. Keeho then expressed his surprise at the number of fans singing along during his solo stage, so he asked P1ECE if they would sing the chorus again with him. So the venue once again filled with the sweet harmony of P1ECE as they sang the chorus acapella style.
Ready to pick up the energy once again, the group performed power hits "Pyramid," "Black Hole," and "Look At Me Now," before engaging with the crowd once more. Keeho asked the audience if anyone had come with their significant others, which only received a few cheers. He then asked who was single, to which almost everyone in the crowd cheered. Keeho then introduced the next set of stages saying, 'Well, if you're single, listen to this next song, and hopefully we can teach you to fall in love again.' They then performed their heartfelt single 'Fall In Love Again,' followed by fan-favorite "BFF," and "Love Me For Me." As the next stage started, fans immediately began singing along to “Doom Du Doom,” jumping along to “Jump.” They then prepared for the next stage, where they were instructed to change their lightsticks to blue. However, much to Keeho's surprise, they were already blue! He asked, “How did you guys know? Did someone tell you all?” P1ECE responded by telling him that they were just following the stage's light colors, which left him in shock. Fans then enjoyed jumping, cheering, singing, and dancing to “Follow Me,” before moving to the “final” stage of “Countdown to Love.” This fun-filled high-energy stage was complete with the use of confetti and giant balloons that P1ECE would pass around to each other and the members.
After the group departed from the stage, chants of
“P1! P1! P1!,”
along with the rumblings of stomping feet filled the venue and brought the group out for their encore where they left the stage for a performance or “I See U,” as they took time to interact with P1ECE around the aisles. The encore paused for just a moment as the group expressed their heartfelt goodbyes. As they all expressed their gratitude to P1ECE, they also expressed the importance and weight of being able to not only stand but perform on that stage. They thanked P1ECE for making these two performances memorable and meaningful and expressed their desire to return and greet P1ECE on a larger stage. Nashville received high-energy performances of “If You Call Me,” the group's debut song, “Siren,” an edgier version of “Scared,” and “Ayaya," before having to say their official and final goodbye to the group for the night!
P1Harmony's 'UTOP1A' Tour marks their third U.S. Tour and second performance in Tennessee. It was a shining example of their boundless potential and unwavering commitment to their talent and fans -- leaving fans eagerly awaiting their return to Music City. While we do not know when their return to Tennessee will be, P1Harmony is not finished showcasing their talents to U.S. fans just yet! P1Harmony has been honored with the opportunity to perform at Governor's Ball, and was recently announced as part of the 2024 KCON USA lineup! Will you be seeing them again this year?
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