Ateez have taken the heart of Italy

Finally Ateez return to Italy with a full house at the Mediolanum Forum in Assago Milan, a concert that their fans – Atiny – have been waiting for for 6 years. In fact, Ateez performed in 2019 at the Magazzini Generali, a very small venue compared to this year's venue as their fans have increased dramatically!

We kind of imagined it when Choi San member of Ateez made his first appearance at the Alta Sartoria fashion show in the summer of 2024 in Sardinia Dolce & Gabbana, with an iconic look now, showing all its beauty! Subsequently it became certainty when the collaboration with the brand became even closer, to the point of even appearing as a guest a few months later for the Milan fashion shows.

We fans knew it… we had the situation in hand, Italy had Ateez with the announcement of the World Tour.

On the first day of ticket sales I remember almost losing my mind to get tickets for my friends too, and after about 3 hours spent in the multiverse of the k-pop "Hunger games", we finally came out winners (yes, in their cities there are now gold statues of me erected to the Queen of Ticketing).

Ateez debuts in 2018 with eight members Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeongsan, San, Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho. Before the debut date, the boys took part in a television idol contest, then in a YouTube series featuring them called "Name code Ateez". After participating in various musical events and after the release of their first album they already went on a world tour in 2019. From there a crescendo of recognition in Korea and Japan, leading them to be nominated as ambassadors of Korean tourism.

Curiosity: Do you know that Ateez did a cover of the Italian song "Volevo un Catto Nero"? Yes! it's not a joke… take a look.

On the day of the concert we went to the Assago Forum full of emotion and energy that would never abandon us throughout the evening. The Atiny are all so beautiful and stylish, they all echoed the various themes of music videos and iconic performances. The kids from the Italian fan base had distributed green, white and red banners and stickers to place on cell phone flashes, so that they recalled the Italian flag during the last songs.

The guys are masterful and multi-talented: Hongjoong "the Capitan" goes from pure rap to rock opening "Guerrilla" with his pink guitar; Seonghwa superb performer who made the fans in the front rows die with the now iconic Halazia move (as a former dancer I loved it).

Mingi has a powerful rap and voice (my absolute bias), San, who is now Italian, has shown that he cares a lot about our country, always showing affection towards the fans and even getting emotional in his final goodbyes. Yunho, Yeosang were a pleasant discovery live with their solos and very marked stage presence. Wooyoung has facial features that make him unique and beautiful, a very good dancer and gifted with infinite sweetness.

Jongho has been named the most gifted vocalist in K-pop singing, which is absolutely evident in live performances, he has an incredible power and vocal range, he supports the highest notes with his head voice with incredible ease, even when he is intent on dancing. I am honored to have been able to witness his renowned talent.

I had the opportunity to interview two girls Chiara and Martina who had purchased an Ultimate Atiny vip, which gives you the opportunity to access the soundcheck and even visit the send off where the artists can stop to greet the fans.

They were two intense days due to the rain outside the arena while we waited for our turn, but as soon as the soundcheck started our fatigue disappeared. The guys proved to be great professionals and always had an eye out for us. No one at the send off was left out of an autograph or handshake. The whole organization was excellent.

The Ateez concert show is undoubtedly the result of a lot of dedication and talent, not only on the part of the performers, but above all on the part of the artistic and executive production that is behind such shows. A lot of things can happen in a live show, but it's actually been a while since I witnessed such an impeccable show with a superior technical level, be it sound quality, titanic scenography and hospitality towards the audience.

This is why I am sorry that complete artists, and above all those who have dedicated their youth to their work, are often denigrated by emulators of Western bands from the 2000s: the genres of music are evidently too different and more experimental than those cited in "certain" important publications. Yes, because unfortunately words like "winks" were used when it could be translated into gestures of affection and welcome towards the public, and "shaking", a clear offense towards the profession of dancer.

Ateez have never disappointed and have shown that they truly appreciate our Italian cities by giving us a wonderful show that Atiny will never forget.

Vanessa Ranauro