Concert Review: ITZY Brings Charm and Charisma to New York City's Hulu Theater For Final North American Stop on the 'Checkmate' Tour

Itzy wrapped the North American leg of their Checkmate World Tour in New York City at the Hulu Theater on November 13, where they were met with a sold-out theater brimming with over 5,000 MIDZYs. The five-member girl group under JYP Entertainment consists of Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna, who all showed off their individual charms, as well as their solid group dynamic.

This was the group's first time returning to the U.S. after their 2019 showcase tour, which occured shortly after their debut. In 2020, the pandemic stopped the girls from touring, but in the meantime they have released several hits that have already become iconic in the K-Pop canon, making for a dynamic show that just wouldn't have been the same had it happened two years ago.

The girls themselves ooze enthusiasm and charisma, with capitvating visuals to match their talent. Itzy opened the show with "In the morning" the title track from their 2021 album, "Guess Who?", which was a crowd-pleaser and brought everyone to their feet.

The first part of the setlist hurdled through "Sorry Not Sorry", "SHOOT!", "What I Want", and "365", before Ryujin took the stage alone for the first solo stage of the evening. She took on Doja Cat's "Boss Bitch", and changed the lyric to "rich", accentuated by an expensive-looking fur jacket, in which she danced the powerful choreography with ease.

More group hits were followed by solo stages from Yuna and Lia. The former, the group's youngest member, put a playful spin on Conan Gray's "Maniac", with a cute intro featuring her riding across the stage on a bike before kicking it over. Lia performed a soulful vocal rendition of Taylor Swift's "Red", and everyone in the theater sang along.

Three of Itzy's biggest songs, their debut "DALLA DALLA", 2020 hit "Wannabe", and latest title track "Sneakers", were then performed back to back with non-stop energy radiating from both the crowd and the girls themselves. They then introduced the next two solo stages, a sultry performance of Ariana Grande's "Bloodline" from Chaeryeong, followed by Yeji's take on Dua Lipa's "Hotter Than Hell", in which she commanded the stage with presence only a leader can.

The final stages before the encore included the group's first English single, "Boys Like You", which was just released last month, and was performed for the first time on this tour, followed by "Nobody Like You", "Loco", and fan-favorite "Not Shy" which had the whole crowd screaming along with the hook.

Following a brief intermission, where fans were asked to complete "missions" by dancing and singing along to Itzy's songs, the group came back onstage where they finished with four encore songs. They performed heartfelt renditions of two songs dedicated to their fans, "Domino" and "Trust Me (MIDZY)", standing stationary at microphones, a departure from the tightly choreographed numbers that made up the rest of the set. The members said their goodbyes, each thanking everyone for coming and explaining what the tour meant to them, before performing "It'z Summer" and "Be In Love" to end the show.

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Photo Credit: Stephi Wild

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