CORTIS’ Los Angeles show on Aug. 13 felt less like a traditional concert and more like being dropped into the middle of the biggest house party in the city. The group, consisting of Martin, James, Juhoon, Seonghyeon and Keonho, is only a year into their career and already performing at a level comparable to veteran idols.
That atmosphere became the night’s defining quality. The group built a show around movement, crowd interaction and an almost nonstop level of energy that made the theater feel surprisingly intimate despite its size. Whether CORTIS was tearing through choreography, getting closer to fans or encouraging the entire audience to sing along, there was rarely a moment when the room wasn’t moving with them. Even an injury couldn’t completely sideline the group. With Keonho performing from a couch for portions of the night, CORTIS found a way to keep him involved in the show rather than letting the injury diminish his presence. It became another example of the group’s ability to adapt without sacrificing the chemistry that makes their live performances work.
(Photo credit: BIGHIT MUSIC (HYBE))
Some of the best moments came when the boundary between the stage and audience practically disappeared. During “TNT,” two members made their way into the crowd, instantly sending the energy inside YouTube Theater through the roof. “Wassup” took it even further when three members ventured into the audience. Those moments perfectly matched the loose, spontaneous feeling of the night; CORTIS wanted Los Angeles to be part of the show.
But “What You Want” may have been the performance that best demonstrated everything CORTIS does well. Much of the group’s set can be divided between songs designed to showcase their high-energy performance style and tracks that allowed their vocals to take center stage. “What You Want” did both. It had enough momentum to keep the party going while giving the members an opportunity to show off their voices, making it one of the night’s most complete performances.
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They also transformed the audience into their own temporary choir during the song, directing different sections of the theater and letting thousands of voices become part of the arrangement. It was one of those concert moments that couldn’t be fully recreated by simply listening to the studio recording.
The connection between CORTIS and the Los Angeles crowd was a recurring theme throughout the night, with the group declaring, “L.A. is our second home.” Judging by the audience’s response, Los Angeles was more than happy to claim them.
Instead of simply saving a few additional songs for the encore, CORTIS treated the final stretch like an opportunity to make an already energetic concert even bigger. Several of their most popular songs returned with increased intensity, complete with confetti and, in some cases, remixed versions that made the reprises feel like victory laps.
Even the encore maintained the house-party atmosphere. During “Motion,” the members started throwing Hot Cheetos into the crowd, an appropriately chaotic addition to a show that had spent the entire night finding ways to eliminate the usual separation between artist and audience.
(Photo credit: BIGHIT MUSIC (HYBE))
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Then came “JoyRide.” The group saved the song for the final performance of both the encore and the entire concert, explaining that they had written it while driving along the Malibu coast. Ending a Los Angeles show with a song created against the backdrop of Southern California gave the finale an unexpectedly sentimental quality. After all the choreography, crowd runs, remixes, confetti and flying Hot Cheetos, “JoyRide” brought the night back to the group’s personal connection with the city.
More than anything, CORTIS’ YouTube Theater show proved how naturally their music translates to a live setting. The concert wasn’t built around elaborate spectacle for spectacle’s sake. Its biggest asset was the members themselves: their energy, personalities, chemistry and willingness to bring the audience directly into the experience.
By the time “JoyRide” brought the night to an end, YouTube Theater no longer felt much like a theater at all. For a few hours, CORTIS had turned their self-proclaimed second home into their own massive Los Angeles dance party, and everyone in the building had been invited.
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