Boy band P1Harmony blasted off with an explosive start to its third and latest world tour, “P1ustage H: Most Wanted.”

The two-day concert series was a relentless whirlwind, with each show running about two and a half hours straight and featuring high-energy performances. There was barely a moment to catch one's breath — especially throughout the opening half — showcasing P1Harmony as dynamic live performers.


On Sunday afternoon, the show began with a calm, low hum reverberating around the dimly lit hall of Korea University’s Hwajeong Tiger Dome in northern Seoul. The deep drone swelled into a roar as the six members leaped into the air, a movement met with explosive cheers — signaling the show's liftoff.

The evening began with “Blackhole” (2022), a fitting introduction for the space-themed tour, which was followed by “End It” (2021) and “Look At Me Now” (2022), performed alongside a live band of session musicians.

Visuals of black holes and solar flares on screen intensified the atmosphere, while the generous use of stage fireworks and confetti added drama. The faint smell of pyrotechnics lingering in the air heightened the illusion of a space voyage.

“We’ve carved out a space of our own during our previous ‘UTOP1A’ tour,” said member Jiung, referring to the band’s previous world tour, “P1ustage H: UTOP1A,” which concluded in January.

“So, this time, we’re embarking on another journey in pursuit of new, ideal and ‘most wanted’ space for us,” he continued. “And the word ‘most wanted’ also carries our wish to become the ones that our fans, P1ece, want the most, and vice versa.”

Each member’s solo performance spotlighted their respective talents, from Jiung’s cover of the 2015 global hit “Uptown Funk” and Keeho’s minimalist performance of “Creep” (1992) to Soul’s intricate dance performance, Intak’s rendition of “Good Kisser” (2014) by Usher — which drew frenetic cheers when he showed off his abs — and rapper Jongseob's performance of his self-written, unreleased hip-hop track. The momentum peaked with Theo’s cover of “What’s Up?” (1992) by 4 Non Blondes, prompting the fans to all sing along in unison.

The production’s ambition, however, clashed with the venue’s limitations. Hwajeong Tiger Dome’s infrastructure, which has long been criticized by concertgoers, fell short of supporting the spectacle. The shortcomings of its sound system became particularly apparent during bass-heavy songs like “Breakthrough” (2020) and “Wasp” (2024), which made higher-register sounds feel somewhat buried.

Still, the crowd was more than enthusiastic for P1Harmony’s first concert in Seoul in about a year and four months, launching into roof-raising cheers and perfectly synchronized fan chants.

“In a world where everyone has such different tastes and needs, we wanted this show to cater to whatever demand and wish you have,” Jongseob said.

“I hope the concert made you feel, ‘Yes, this is exactly what I wanted’ — did we pull it off?” he asked, to which fans responded with wild cheers.

Debuting in 2020, P1Harmony most recently released its eighth EP, “DUH!,” in May. The tour will now take the sextet to Sydney on Aug. 23, Singapore on Aug. 30, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Sept. 6, Macau on Sept. 13 and Yokohama on Sept. 19. The band will then fly to North America to perform in Newark on Sept. 27, followed by performances in Fairfax on Sept. 29, Toronto on Oct. 1, Fort Worth on Oct. 4, Duluth on Oct. 9, Chicago on Oct. 14, Los Angeles on Oct. 18 and Oakland on Oct. 21.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]