On Sunday, September 28th, I attended the Washington D.C. leg of TXT’s ACT: TOMORROW tour at Capital One Arena. This was my second K-pop concert, as I had previously gone to see Enhypen in NYC at UBS Arena. The Enhypen concert seriously got me into a K-pop mood, so when my sister invited me to TXT, I of course had to say yes. And I’m so glad I did!
First, the arena itself was the perfect space. Our seat in section 105 had a clear view of the stage despite the cameras in front of us. The screens had great quality, and the boys were perfectly visible at all times. My one issue with the screens is that it’s not one continuous screen, but about 5 small ones. That can really mess up the continuity of the background scenery – when the video was of the band, it was great since there are 5 of them, but for decorations, not so much. Additionally, the food system at the arena was weird, with you swiping your card, then grabbing your food and leaving. Clearly, there are issues with this, as I got charged 25 dollars for a singular hot dog. Sigh.
The setlist was incredible – they played all their biggest hits and a couple of more hidden gems. They kept the crowd excited throughout the entire almost three hours through their strong vocals and powerful dancing. I was genuinely impressed by their stamina; they just kept dancing non-stop while singing!! That stuff is hard, y’all!! I was also very happy they played my personal favorite, Blue Hour. For the encore, TXT did something rather unique: they put karaoke lyrics on the screen so we could “call them back” on stage. It was very fun to be able to sing along with everyone in the arena!
Another thing I especially loved was the sheer amount of confetti thrown around the arena. I counted at least 5 confetti cannons throughout the show, and it was very funny to watch everyone scramble to take some home (including me, I got a heart). Speaking of taking things home, there is a tradition in K-pop concerts that some fans distribute ‘freebies’, which are free, often homemade merch like bracelets, stickers, and photos. While we didn’t get any freebies at Enhypen, we left with a bag packed with them this time. This only shows the kindness of the TXT fans!
Two things disappointed me in the concert. First, in a few locations, TXT did two encores. Washington only got one. You could tell fans were expecting the second encore by the loud sigh of frustration as the lights went on in the arena. Even I was upset, and I wasn’t even a super mega fan! While encores are meant to be a surprise, they’re meant to be a good surprise, not a disappointment! Another thing that surprised me was how, during one song, there was a prolonged sequence of flashing lights – there were no warnings anywhere about the possibility of flashing. I personally thought this was a bit irresponsible, both of TXT and the arena, as those can trigger seizures and other health conditions in photosensitive folks. In an arena with tens of thousands of people, it can be safe to assume that at least one person there will be photosensitive, and to be careful with that.
Overall, TXT put on an amazing show that kept me energized start to finish. It was an absolute delight to watch them perform, and I can’t wait for my next concert!