Tomorrow x Together Talk Surprising Fans and 'Milestone' Lollapalooza Debut: 'We Really Can't Wait'
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Tomorrow x Together just played 8 sold out shows across the U.S. in just over 2 weeks, but their biggest challenge might be just ahead.
The K-pop group is making their debut at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago on Saturday, July 30, and the five members — Soobin, 21, Yeonjun, 22, Beomgyu, 21, Taehyun, 20, and Hueningkai, 19 — are having some mixed emotions about the potentially intimidating setting.
"We're a little bit nervous. It's a really big stage. But it's exciting," Hueningkai told PEOPLE on July 11, following their New York City show.
"I think I'm more excited. We really can't wait to show our performances to more people," added Yeonjun.
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Instead of 5,600 of their fans, known collectively as MOA (for Moments of Alwaysness), like the crowd for their show at Manhattan's Hulu Theater, they'll be singing and dancing in front of a slew of festival-goers, many of whom likely have no knowledge of the group, despite their global fanbase. Lollapalooza welcomes about 400,000 festival-goers over four days to Chicago's Grant Park each year.
Another superstar of the K-pop world and TXT's label mate, BTS's J-Hope, is headlining Lollapalooza — the first Korean act to do so at a U.S. festival, according to the organizers — and will be performing on the main stage Sunday.
When performing for a more diverse crowd, Yeonjun tells PEOPLE, he's even more motivated to put on an amazing show: "I think I try to be more confident. I try to be like, 'I'm going to show everything that I've got to these people, no matter if they know me or not.'"
Adds Beomgyu, "It's a big milestone for us and I'm glad we get to share this moment with our fans."
The group's typical show lasts upwards of 2 hours, so they've come up with a new lineup for their first U.S. festival. "We already have a set list set for Lollapalooza specifically. And we are going to start practicing once we get to Chicago," explains Taehyun.
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The venues on the American leg of their world tour, which wrapped up in Los Angeles on Sunday, were particular intimate given the scope and enthusiasm of the MOA fandom — the group has more than half a billion likes on Tiktok, nearly 13 million followers on Instagram and their latest EP, minisode 2: Thursday's Child, charted at number four on the Billboard 200.
Asked if they enjoyed the vibe of those rooms or hoped to play bigger venues (like Madison Square Garden next door) Yeonjun immediately answered, "Larger spaces."
And on MSG in particular, Soobin says, "We'd love that. It sounds so fun."
"Because we want to meet our MOAs, as many as possible, our goal next year is to perform more larger stages," Hueningkai notes.
Adds Beomgyu, "Hearing them cheer us on and sing along to our songs has been everything."
RELATED: BTS' J-Hope Reveals 'Pressure' of Solo Debut, Says RM Was First Person to Listen
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One thing their venues allowed for that a larger one might not is up-close interactions with fans. Twice during their set, the group leaves the stage and make their way through the aisles of the theater, selfie-cams in hand.
The decision to go into the crowd came from the group themselves. "It was all of our idea," says Yeonjun. "We wanted to meet our MOAs closer."
And while they say they haven't had any unpleasant incidents in doing so — "They all have good manners," Taehyun jokes — the members have caused some stress for fans.
"Since we were all over the place, [fans] didn't really know where we were exactly. So I was at the back and a fan didn't know I was behind her and I tapped on her back. And she was like, 'Oh my gosh!' She was so surprised," says Taehyun. Video that's surfaced online shows a similar interaction in which Yeonjun unexpectedly pops into a shocked (and elated) fan's selfie video.
The only downside to venturing off stage, admits Soobin, is the potential to get turned around.
"When we go into the crowd, the settings and the locations are all different for each venue. So the route also changes every time," he says. "I'm always worried we will go into the wrong route and end up in the wrong area."
Luckily, a sea of glowing MOA light sticks have led the way so far. And the members will no doubt spot more than a few in Chicago this weekend.
