Jessica's Travelogue

Thousands flocked to Mall of America (MOA) to see international girl group Katseye perform at Huntington Bank Rotunda. The band consists of members Sophia Laforteza, Manon Bannerman, Lara Raj, Yoonchae Jeong, Megan Meiyok Skiendiel, and Daniela Avanzini. Formed through a collaboration between HYBE and Geffen Records on the popular music survival show “The Debut: Dream Academy,” Katseye was formed utilizing the K-POP training system and promotional style. Since their debut on June 28th, they have already released two hit songs: “Debut” and “Touch.” Thousands of fans have featured their songs in videos and shared dance covers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and more. MPR estimates that around 8,000 fans attended the performance at MOA on Saturday.

MOA held special events to celebrate Katseye’s special performance. The events included selling Katseye merchandise, cup sleeve events, and purchasing Katseye’s album from Barnes and Noble. However, to get and hold a good spot, the viewer would have to arrive early and remain in their spots. The first floor was only for the lucky few who were able to purchase an album and got the chance to participate in the meet and greet or the lucky few who secured a first floor viewing spot during ticket sales.

The event was scheduled for 2PM but MOA opened doors at 7AM to allow spectators and VIP viewers to enter early and find spots to watch the show. Unlike typical K-POP concert culture, where people usually camp out for days to secure a good spot for general admission, there were lots of good spots available when I arrived at 9:30AM. It wasn’t until 11AM when the mall started filling up with kids, parents, young teens, and adults eager to catch a glimpse of Katseye. Even the nearby Starbucks was crowded with spectators waiting to see Katseye perform.

Security faced challenges with many people who refused to move when ordered. Some instances of these challenges included crowds blocking the second floor escalator–preventing people from getting off the escalator–and people blocking designated walking paths for mall goers on the first floor. The area was so congested that many fans resorted to taking the escalators up and down to catch a short glimpse of the girls.

Katseye member Megan was noticeably missing as she is currently taking a break for a back injury. The band performed three of their songs. They opened the show with “Debut” then performed “My Way” and closed with “Touch”. Many fans can be spotted dancing and singing along during the performances.

Most of the crowd dispersed after Katseye performed their last song and disappeared backstage. However, Katseye came back on stage to do the Meet and Greet portion. Many fans who waited were delighted and screamed with joy when Katseye returned to the stage. The Katseye members greeted the lucky few who was able to get limited VIP tickets, gave out hugs, had short conversations, and took photos with their fans.