On August 28, the summer sun in Washington, D.C. was bright and warm, accompanied by a refreshing breeze that cooled the lines of people waiting outside the historic Warner Theatre. Much like the weather, another invigorating presence was awaiting the nation’s capital: the five members of the Korean girl group fromis_9, who were set to perform at the second stop of their NOW TOMORROW. World Tour.
After almost seven years together as a group, fromis_9 had come to the United States to embark on their first-ever world tour. Earlier this year, Song Ha-young, Park Ji-won, Lee Chae-young, Lee Na-gyung, and Baek Ji-heon reformed as a five-member group under the label Asnd after their exclusive contracts with their previous company expired. Originally consisting of nine members, the quintet came together to write a new chapter in the story of fromis_9.
The buzzing energy of their fans, known as “flover,” was tangible as they waited in anticipation of the group’s fateful performance. Most U.S. fans never had the opportunity to see the original lineup live, as they previously only came to America for KCON. For most flover, the NOW TOMORROW. tour was a dream come true, which many confessed they thought would never happen.
Anticipation could be felt as attendees made their way into the theatre and found their seats. The crowd was diverse but shared the same excited energy. Families with children waving around the group’s lightstick, groups of young men chattering about their favorite members, older couples spending a rare night out together, girls taking photos with their matching outfits – a testament to how much fromis_9 and their music resonates with people from all walks of life.
As 7:30 PM approached, the lights dimmed to black, and the chatter of the crowd grew faint. A quick VCR played on the big screen before fading, and suddenly the moment flover had been waiting for began as the members made their way onto the stage. Glowing blue lights illuminated the quintet as they began their opening number, “WE GO.” Clad in matching white outfits, the members stood out against their colorful video backdrop as they performed the bubbly number to excited cheers.
They quickly transitioned into “REBELUTIONAL,” an empowerment anthem that had the girls charming concertgoers with their charisma and attitude. At the song’s climax, Ha-young delivered a majestic high note that was met with impressed shouts from attendees. “Love=Disaster,” came next, another upbeat track from their latest EP, From Our 20’s, which was released this past June. The members opted to use standing mics for most of the pop-rock song, jamming out with each other before reforming in the center of the stage to dance for the latter half of the performance.
The members formally introduced themselves as they caught their breath, sharing their excitement of being on their first U.S. tour and their gratitude to flover for sticking by them through everything.
“I feel like I’m having a lot of fun just because you guys have so much energy!” Na-gyung exclaimed.
Before moving on to their next song, the members challenged the audience to cheer as loudly as they could. Their jaws dropped in sheer disbelief as the crowd on the first floor roared enthusiastically, and fell even lower in stunned silence as fans exploded in screams on the second floor. Impressed with the passion of their fans, fromis_9 deemed flover worthy of hearing the next song.
“Twisted Love” featured the girls showcasing their vocal skills behind standing mics, prompting concertgoers to clap along to the prominent beat of the song. The girls slowed it down with “Blind Letter,” entrancing the audience with their smooth harmonies.
They followed with “Strawberry Mimosa,” carrying bags of small strawberry squish toys. Throughout the song, the girls threw them into the crowd for fans to catch. The moment provided a unique opportunity for fans to interact with the members while also getting a chance to receive a personal memento of the night from the group.
From there, the girls transitioned into the solo portion of the night. Ji-heon reappeared on stage first, now dressed in a flowing dress and carrying a guitar strapped to her back. Bathed in a dreamy golden glow, she treated fans to a cover of Taylor Swift’s hit song “Love Story” perfectly emulating the romantic and storybook vibes of the track. Na-gyung came next, sitting glamorously against a backdrop of the full moon and a sparkling night sky. She showed off her polished vocals as she crooned a rendition of “All About You” by Taeyeon, leaving the audience clutching their hearts at the emotional ballad.
Chae-young showed off her own vocal talent as she presented a cover of “Who Says,” by Selena Gomez. The audience sang along to the self-love anthem as Chae-young serenaded them, surrounded by glittering purple lights and scenery that matched the nostalgic song. Ha-young opted to exhibit her crisp dance skills with a dance solo set to “Anxiety Kills” by Evan Giia. The hip-hop number had Ha-young popping and locking, displaying her fierce energy and clean lines as she demonstrated a darker side of herself that contrasts with fromis_9’s bright image and sound.
To conclude the solo stages, Ji-won treated attendees to a bold cover of “Greedy” by Ariana Grande. Against a shining gold backdrop and adorned in a retro black and white romper, Ji-won had the crowd swooning as she flaunted her vocal prowess. The vocally challenging song was no small feat for the singer as she flawlessly crooned out high notes, riffs, and even whistle notes with ease, all while maintaining her sassy energy throughout the performance.
The girls took a chance to recuperate backstage, leaving concertgoers to enjoy another VCR that showed the member frolicking joyfully with bubbles and balloons. Dressed in new, more edgy outfits, the girls took the stage for “Rewind,” which seamlessly transitioned into “Attitude.” Flover roared in excitement as they processed the mashup, cheering on the members as they displayed a fiercer side of themselves with sharper choreography and clean formations.
The highly anticipated performance of the Miami bass summer banger “Supersonic” followed. Attendees sang at the top of their lungs to every line of the lively track as the fromis_9 danced to bouncy, cheerful choreography. Many concertgoers knew the accompanying fanchant for the song, washing the crowd in a buzzing energy that could be felt throughout the venue.
Their most recent summer anthem, “LIKE YOU BETTER,” continued feeding into the positive energy of the crowd. “DM,” fromis_9’s most-streamed track and one of their fan-favorites, closed out the show as another track that had the levels of the theatre passionately singing and dancing along with the girls.
As the lights once again faded to black and the members went backstage, an interview-style VCR began playing. Questions such as “What is something you did for the first time recently?” and “Something to say to your members that will walk beside you for tomorrow?” gave flover a deeper dive into the members’ personalities and interests, as well as their close relationship with each other.
“There were many twists and turns to get here and we also had fun,” Ji-heon began in response to the latter question. “But I hope the choices we make will leave no regrets as well. I love you, unnies!”
“I’m so happy now. So let’s be “now” together, forever. Always– thank you members,” Ha-young added, getting emotional as she spilled her feelings.
To flover’s delight, the quintet came back out on stage for an encore, now sporting their tour merch in more casual outfits. They performed the bubbly “Stay This Way,” where they interacted with the crowd, throwing out hand hearts and taking selfies on the phones of attendees. For “Love Bomb,” each member carried a basket full of signed balls, which they threw out into the audience for fans to catch in another fun game.
The members took time to address the crowd and take a group photo to capture the precious memory created with D.C. flover.
“We live far away from each other, but knowing we have flover cheering us on feels like a dream,” Ha-yung expressed. “I can’t wait to come back to D.C. to see all of our flover once again!”
Ji-won shared, “I’m sorry it took so long for us to get here. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long, and standing here with my beautiful flovers who make everything possible means the world to me.”
fromis_9 used “Merry Go Round” to continue to interact with the crowd, taking photos with fans in the front rows and waving to those in the balcony sections. Originally intended to be the real last song of the night, the members decided they wanted to indulge flover in one last surprise performance. The group joked around, asking fans if they would rather hear “Supersonic” again or “Eye Contact,” which they had yet to perform on the NOW TOMORROW. tour. After prompting attendees to cheer for which song they preferred, the girls decided that flover deserved to hear both.
When the night came to its real conclusion, fans rushed to the aisles of the theatre for a chance of interacting with the members or getting their phone taken by them. As the members waved their final goodbyes, a sense of bittersweetness enveloped the crowd. Murmurs of “I’m so happy I was finally able to see them and “I can’t believe it’s already over,” were heard as concertgoers began making their way out of Warner Theatre for the night.
fromis_9’s passion for performing, love for flover, and close bond as a group were evident throughout their performance in Washington, D.C. An unforgettable moment for both the group and the fans, fromis_9 are sure to keep flover by their side for years to come. The NOW TOMORROW. tour will make its way to Asia starting in Tokyo on September 23, followed by Taipei on October 19 and Hong Kong on October 24.