Angel wings, elaborate outfits, and glowing bow and arrow-shaped lightsticks as far as the eye can see. K-pop group ARTMS performed at the Copernicus Center in Chicago as they closed out their Moonshot Tour, and fans welcomed them back with open arms.
While this is the quintet’s first world tour in their current formation, the members are no stranger to American audiences. JinSoul, HaSeul, Kim Lip, HeeJin, and Choerry originally debuted with the iconic girl group LOONA, before winning a lawsuit against their former company and re-debuting under Modhaus. ARTMS released their first album (meaning Devine All Love & Live) in May, and they’ve kept the momentum up by following it with their world tour. The members haven’t been to the Windy City since 2022 during LOONA’s last world tour, and their fans (called OURII) made sure to give them a warm welcome back to the Midwest.
Starting the show on a dramatic note, ARTMS opened with their haunting track “Birth” from their new album. The eerie atmosphere and expressive choreography surprisingly made the intro one of the most anticipated moments of the tour, and the audience was hypnotized by the performance from start to finish. The group lightened up the mood a bit with a few more tracks from their new album. “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, “Distress”, “Flower Rhythm”, and “Butterfly Effect” gave the members the opportunity to show off their skills as singers and dancers as well as cover the wide range of genres and creativity within their work.
After giving their fans a taste of their new music as a group, the members took their turns performing special solo and subunit stages. The lightsticks in the crowd changed to HaSeul’s representative color, green, and she performed her solo track “Plastic Candy” along with her LOONA debut song “Let Me In”.
Fans were given the opportunity to suggest songs for her to sing briefly, as well. “‘Curiosity’ is so old!” she joked upon hearing one OURII’s request. After getting recommended a Chicago hot dog for lunch the next day, HaSeul handed the stage off to HeeJin. Guitar in hand, she turned it into a pop punk show for a moment and smashed a cover of “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne. The sea of lightsticks (now pink) were waving enthusiastically as she kept up the energy with a rock cover of her solo song “Algorithm”. HeeJin tossed her guitar pick to the crowd and headed backstage while Odd Eye Circle took over.
While this subunit did tour the U.S. earlier this year, Chicago was not one of the stops on that run. Their fans were especially excited to see Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry together on stage as a unit for the first time. The girls had the whole room speaking French during their hit “Je Ne Sais Quoi”, and OURII sang along to “Air Force One” louder than they did for any other song that evening. Fans were surprised with a brief acapella performance of Odd Eye Circle’s (under LOONA) “Girl Front”. As a longtime K-pop fan, hearing that chorus in person felt absolutely surreal. A callback to a long-gone era that I remember witnessing so vividly, this song was such a massive hit that you wouldn’t understand the impact unless you lived it. It was a sentimental nod to both their origin and the “third generation” K-pop sound.
With the full group back on stage, they picked up where they left off with a cover of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer”, which was a hit with OURII. LOONA songs “Stylish” and “Satellite” followed that, and it was heartwarming to see how much love the ARTMS members have for their original group. Despite the long legal battle and many obstacles the members faced over the years, their respect for their former groupmates and the fans that supported them the whole journey is emphasized at every opportunity. After the covers and throwbacks, the girls got back to the present era of ARTMS with more songs from their debut album like “Candy Crush” and “Air”.
Though it was touching as it was to see them perform their old hits, they seemed to be flourishing while performing their latest music. During our recent chat with the members, they spoke about the creative control they’re now allowed to have over their work, and you can tell it’s had an overwhelmingly positive impact on them. All of the members appear excited to be back on stage with more artistic independence, and they seem just as grateful for their fans as OURII are for them.
As the show came to a close, the members got on stage and corralled the audience for a group photo, taking suggestions for poses before turning around to face a surprise video the fans created for them. The VCR was a love letter to the group filled with stunning fan art and video messages from OURII that left the members in tears. Each of the girls expressed their sincere gratitude for the fans that have helped them navigate incredible hardship and helped them start again, and the love could be felt all throughout the room.
They performed their hit “Virtual Angel” before running backstage to prepare for the encore. As one final gift to their loyal fans who have supported them for years, they performed LOONA’s debut track “Hi High”. It was a nostalgic but hopeful ending for a concert that showcased the past and present of the members’ careers.
OURII have been on standby preparing to greet the ARTMS members since before the group had even debuted, and their patience and support certainly paid off. Not only are the five idols still active as artists, their careers are headed in a positive and exciting direction. Seeing the love the fans have for this group is incredibly moving. A massive group of mostly strangers banded together and organized a boycott to help the group break free from their contract. No streaming, no album buying, no financial support for the organization trying to hinder and silence their artists. It worked magnificently, and assisted the members with gaining the freedom they’ve always deserved. The relationship the fans of the former members of LOONA have with their idols is something completely unique to them, and it’s beautiful to witness in person.
That night the Copernicus Center was filled with laughter, tears, cute outfits both on stage and in the crowd, and incredible music. Each of the members were on top of their game performance-wise, and OURII seemed incredibly satisfied with the setlist choices. The Moonshot Tour concluded successfully and without incident, though they did say that HaSeul’s mic was the only one that didn’t break at any point. It’s inspiring to see the five of them stand on stage together again, and to thrive while doing so. This tour was the conclusion of their rebirth cycle, as well as a successful comeback for some of K-pop’s most beloved girl group members of all time.
Check out the full gallery below, and listen to the debut album from ARTMS on Spotify and Apple Music!
