Review: Katseye was a whole lot of choreography, chaos and shoelaces

One 15-year-old girl spent 90 minutes beading bespoke laces on her knee-high tennis shoes. One 16-year-old girl earned extra money to spend on souvenirs because she got a 3.9 GPA. One high school teacher spotted one of her students among the thousands of Katseye fans Saturday at the long sold-out Armory.

It was opening night of the first tour by Katseye, one of the buzziest properties in popular music.

“This is a family tradition,” said Amy Stoeger of Grand Meadow, Minn. “My mom did this with me for Hanson and Backstreet Boys.”

She bought $400 tickets in July for her daughter Ella, who received good grades that led to extra merch money. Mom said her balcony tickets were going for $950 the week of the show. And then she dropped another $350 on merch for mother-and-daughter matching T-shirts as well as tees for the two younger kids at home.

By night’s end, the merch booth — offering more than a dozen items including $85 Minneapolis-emblazoned jerseys and $69 programed light sticks — was down to two shirt styles in limited sizes. The pre and postshow lines for merch were insane.

Katseye is no ordinary act. The Los Angeles-based sextet — featuring women, ages 17 to 22, from the Philippines, Switzerland, South Korea and the United States — is a pop brand of the moment. They earned two Grammy nominations last week — one for the prestigious best new artist and another for best pop vocal performance for the surging hit “Gabriela.” Their fashion sense has landed them in campaigns with Gap, Fendi and Coach.

Katseye, which was assembled on a 2023 reality TV program (“Dream Academy”), comes with training from the K-pop world of Korea’s Hybe (home of BTS) and the marketing of U.S.-based Geffen Records (home of Olivia Rodrigo).

While the group made a promotional appearance in October 2024 at Mall of America, the group’s first concert trek is part of the Beautiful Chaos Tour. That was an apt title.

Here are some impressions of the kickoff from the perspectives of longtime music critic Jon Bream and journalist/Eyekon Alex Chhith.

AC: I thought the girl group performed perfectly. Their dancing was amazing with backflips during their song “Gabriela,” and the breathiness of their singing showed their dedication to giving their fans an authentic experience.

JB: The show was stylish and well-put together, from the choreography — I was surprised that they had eight additional dancers — to the confetti and streamers. The production wasn’t overly complicated or sophisticated but it was efficient and effective, enabling the six members to work as an ensemble yet to also assert their individual voices from time to time.

AC: I lost my mind when they delivered their never-performed-before-in-public song “Internet Girl,” in which they talk about the pressure of always being in the public eye and the absurdity of the internet. It just felt so special. At the end of it, they taught their fans how to dance to the chorus “eat zucchini.”

AC: Representation is a part of the band with its members hailing from all over the world. I spoke with Ly Duangphouxay who is a high school teacher, and she said she was thrilled that so many of the kids at the show were able to see themselves in the Katseye performers.

JB: The multicultural identity is important, especially since Katseye is connected to the K-pop world, which is associated primarily with South Korea. Like a K-pop show, there was no live band. I’m not sure how much of the singing was live, but with K-pop, entertainment is the top priority. It’s hard to argue with entertainment value even though the concert was a mere 70 minutes with no opening act.