KARD Makes A Stop In Arizona On The Playground Tour
All Photos By Devon Munro
On Monday, July 31st, KARD filled Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, to give Hidden Kard the night of their life on their first-ever show in Arizona. The four-piece co-ed K-pop group did not disappoint fans who had waited to see them since their debut six years ago or fans who had found them through their most recent mini-album, Icky, released on May 23rd. J.Seph, BM, Somin, and Jiwoo entertained the crowd for their 2-hour show, and fans left excited for the next time they would meet.
The group did not hesitate to start the show off strong, opening with the title track of their sixth mini-album, “Icky”. This highly suggestive song got the crowd wild as they watched the group show off their choreography. After “Icky”, they went into “Without You”, a single they released earlier this year before Icky. After starting the show, they chatted with the crowd, introducing themselves and drawing everyone’s attention.
While the four-piece performs as a group most of the time, they have also released solo music. Somin and Jiwoo sang one of my personal favorites, “Fxxk you”, before BM performed two fan-favorite singles of his, “Lie” and “Broken Me”, then he was joined by J.Seph for “Been That Boy”. The chemistry between the duos during their performances had the crowd dancing along and singing the lyrics to their best ability.
Halfway through the show, the group stepped backstage to prepare for what was to come, while a video detailing the process of creating and releasing their most recent album while getting ready for the tour. As always with KARD, some light-hearted banter and serious, heartfelt moments filled fans’ hearts with emotion. When talking with the crowd, the group reminisced on their debut single, “Oh Na Na”, they had performed earlier in the night, and how it was released seven years ago. They were shocked but how young some of the crowd members were when the single was released and even apologized to a young fan’s mother, which gave the crowd a good laugh.
In the second half, KARD played fan favorites like “Break Down” and “Gunshot” while the crowd sang their hearts out. The crowd was so loud during those songs, and you could feel the emotions throughout the theatre. Of course, it would not be a KARD show without more mature topics, as fans have labeled the group “adult K-pop”. BM stated that he hoped fans came hungry before the group performed their song “Cake”, which does not take much imagination to figure out the true meaning of it. Each member even showcased a “sexy dance,” with the order being decided via a game of rock, paper, scissors, and BM making Somin dance twice, showering her with napkins during her second performance.
The group bounced around the stage with water guns and bubble guns for the encore as they enjoyed themselves. They spun a wheel to determine what they would perform as one of their last songs, and the crowd voted for “Red Moon”, which the wheel landed on. The group also taught fans the choreography to “Icky” before performing it for a second time and posting the “Icky Challenge” to their social media. Despite the unbearable Arizona heat and being a Monday night, Hidden Kard enjoyed every second of the night as promised BM on a video he took on his cellphone that they would come out to the KARD tour in 2024.
