[RECAP] ITZY Introduce Checkmate Tour in LA

ITZY returned to LA for their first full tour! The girl group was previously in Los Angeles, California for their 2020 showcase, as well as other festivals. The 1st World Tour ‘Checkmate’ was held at the YouTube theater on Wed October 26, 2022. This wasn’t our first time at this theater but it was definitely the first time to see all seats and floors filled.

The concert started with the usual JYP Entertainment concert video showcasing all the groups in the company. ITZY then made their entrance on the center steps as the doors opened. Dressed in star studded white outfits, the group started with their hit title track “MAFIA In The Morning” before moving to their b-side track “Sorry Not Sorry”. During their song “SHOOT!” the girls came out with tiaras which they threw in the audience.

“LET’S GO!”

ITZY definitely sounded nervous but also excited during their introduction; unfortunately there were also small technical difficulties with sound so some of the members were hard to hear. If you were at their showcase in 2020, they had a chant with their fans that went with the concert theme. This time wasn’t any different as they had the fans do the same but with a different chant. ITZY says “LET’s” and Midzy(fans) reply with “GO!”. They then went on to perform their next set of songs before moving on their solo stages.

The first solo stage was by member Ryujin who performed a cover of “Boss Bitch” by Doja Cat. Then then went on to perform a few of their other B-side and title tracks before Yuna came out riding a bike while performing “Maniac” by Conan Gray. The stage then turned completed red for Lia’s cover of “Red” by Taylor Swift.

They played a VCR where the members play chess against mystery male and eventually become part of the chessboard as chess pieces. ITZY then reenter the stage in pop punk attire to perform title tracks such as “Wannabe” and their debut track “Dalla Dalla”. These girls have definitely had fans from the beginning as their debut track had some of the loudest fan chants and screams. ITZY also performed their latest fun title track “Sneakers” in these outfits.

They then chatted again with the audience about the songs they just performed. Lia said she chose “Red” because Midzy kept recommending it to her and she also liked that song. Charyeong performed “Bloodline” by Ariana Grande and Yeji performed “Hotter Than Hell” by Dua Lipa. A fan yelled to Yeji that she’s “Hotter Than Hell” which caused giggles in the audience.

“Boys Like You” and Finale

The music video for “Boys Like You” played which is their all new English track that was just released. They changed into new outfits and performed “Boys Like You” for Los Angeles. This was the first time they had performed the song live as it had just been released.

Another JYP Entertainment concert tradition as a finale VCR which includes audience participation. The video gives the audience different missions to check their energy levels.

The group came out dressed in all white with Angel wings for songs “Domino” and “Midzy”. Ryujin noted that she felt shy since she was dressed as an angel. Lia also stated that she was surprised when Yuna passed her as she looked so pretty to her. She wondered if she also looked that pretty which caused mix of laughs and awws from the audience.

While saying their goodbyes to the crowd, a sign popped up in the crowd that said “take my money”. Ryujin spotted this and responded with “No! I’m not a gangster!”

The rest of the concert was filled with similar antics as the members were definitely more comfortable with the concert. During their performance of “Itz Summer” they were supposed to copy Yuna’s pose but forgot about the mission. So Yuna ended up doing it by herself and even thought to herself that she had messed up. They again said goodbye to their fans and sang the last song “Be In Love”.

ITZY is still on tour around the US at this time. Check them out if they head to a city near you!

Photo Credit: ITZY Twitter