Surprise, surprise! ARTMS is on tour once again, bringing their latest mini-album, Hyper-Ego, to the stage with their Art of BLUE BLOOD tour. The K-pop group, formed by five former members of LOONA, has kept a busy touring schedule since debuting under its new name. This time around, however, ARTMS is performing as a quartet while HaSeul recovers from a shoulder injury. Even with one member absent, the group still drew one of the loudest and most excited crowds I've heard in Los Angeles in a while.
The Los Angeles stop took place at the United Theater, where the stage was draped in blue light, fitting the Art of BLUE BLOOD name. When the girls finally came out, the crowd erupted into cheers. While an indoor theater setting surely amplifies noise, I've rarely heard a concert crowd reach this sheer amount of decibels. The enthusiasm made sense, though, given ARTMS's history with LOONA and the loyalty of fans who have followed the members through it all. Following LOONA's splintering and the formation of new acts like Loossemble and ARTMS, alongside ODD EYE CIRCLE's continued activities, anyone who stuck around was bound to be a true-blue fan.
That enthusiasm carried into the performances themselves. ARTMS started off with new tracks, 'Hyper Crush' and 'Blue Blood' from Hyper-Ego, along with other songs like 'BURN,' 'Verified Beauty,' 'Sparkle,' and 'Candy Crush.' The electronic and disco vibes of the latest release were balanced with more melodic songs from their back catalog, keeping the atmosphere lively while switching up the tone.
The girls then broke out into their solos, with HeeJin bringing out her inner rock girl for an electrifying performance of her own 'sAvioR.' JinSoul, Choerry, and Kim Lip followed with solo songs originally recorded during their time with LOONA: 'Singing in the Rain,' 'Eclipse,' and 'Twilight,' respectively. These performances were sweet hits of nostalgia, as I remember when these songs came out all the way back in 2017. Once the solos were done, ARTMS even worked covers of ODD EYE CIRCLE's 'Starlight' and LOONA's 'Not Friends' into the setlist, giving loyal fans something extra to remember.
The Los Angeles show also fell on an important day: HeeJin's birthday! Not only did the crowd celebrate with her, but the group brought out a cake and decorations to mark the special occasion. Of course, the birthday girl was also decked out in a party hat, goofy glasses, and a sash. HeeJin gushed about how happy she was to share the moment with everyone in the audience. Concerts that happen to coincide with a group member's birthday always feel particularly memorable, and I'm sure that out of all the ARTMS shows I'll ever go to, this one will resonate with me the most years from now.
Following the birthday celebration, ARTMS returned to the music with the remainder of their newest tracks, including my favorite off Hyper-Ego, 'Pixel Memory.' I love how distorted the track is, which really accentuates the digitized vibe that the mini-album was aiming for. They also performed 'Born Stunner' and 'Icarus Gang,' with the former featuring my favorite ARTMS choreography in recent memory—and the chest bump move during the chorus was especially fun to finally see live. Splitting the new songs between the beginning and end of the setlist, while mixing them among fan favorites, was a smart idea, too. That way, ARTMS could promote the new mini-album while keeping existing fans engaged.
ARTMS finished the setlist and encore with their most popular song, 'Virtual Angel,' and the LOONA yyxy sub-unit song, 'love4eva.' The latter was a definite surprise and a treat for longtime fans who've been with the girls from the beginning. The upbeat, sparkling instrumental and soaring vocals sound so distinctly like the third-generation K-pop era it comes from, making it stand out from the rest of the setlist.
Once again, ARTMS has shown up for their longtime fans, some of whom have been following the members for almost a decade. Considering how turbulent these girls' careers have been, they've been on the other side of that uncertainty for a while now, keeping their composure and releasing new music. Their energy is just as exciting as ever, and despite having gone on three world tours in a row, it seems like the girls aren't letting up anytime soon. Hopefully, HaSeul can join the next one to give fans like me even more of a reason to come back!
