It's November 3rd in Helsinki, and the first weekend of the month brought both first snow and A.C.E's debut performance in Finland. Finally! Finland served as the second to last stop of A.C.E's 2024 Europe Tour – Rewind Us. While it might have been cold outside, inside the venue, Ääniwalli, the atmosphere was anything but.
Park Junhee, Lee Donghun, Wow, Kim Byeongkwan, and Kang Yuchan were like rays of sunshine in the midst of the snow, their stage presence, beautiful live vocals, and explosive performances ensuring no Choice left feeling cold.
Throughout the approximately two-hour show, we experienced A.C.E's entire discography, from their first album (in the form of Take Me Higher) to their latest single Anymore.
The air was already buzzing with excitement when the show began, and as Goblin (Favorite Boys) kicked off the setlist, loud cheers electrified the atmosphere. The darker feel and intense choreography continued with SAVAGE before the members took time to introduce themselves, interact with the crowd, and showcase their fun personalities.
As the mood lightened, we dove into songs like Changer, My Girl, Facetime, Higher, and Clover. Supernatural had everyone dancing with renewed energy, while Anymore slowed the pace, allowing them to showcase their incredible vocals.
Slow Dive brought back the intensity with its choreography, followed by UNDER COVER with its rock sound that proved to be one of the crowd favorites (understandably so!).
Following these high-energy performances, we enjoyed a brief break with a video skit that filled the air with laughter. A special thank you to the team for adding Finnish subtitles — an unusual but extremely thoughtful touch for Finnish fans. The presence of a Finnish interpreter (and an excellent one at that) deserves huge thanks as well!
As the night neared its end, the encore brought smiles and good vibes with Just Better and Take Me Higher, before moving to more emotional territory with the final songs, Story providing the perfect conclusion to an amazing night.
Throughout the evening, they ensured everyone in the crowd felt included while showcasing their big hearts and comedic skills; laughter echoed during all their breaks and speeches as they checked on everyone's wellbeing. They even thanked us for taking care of everyone's dental hygiene (go xylitol) and treated us to some Finnish phrases, with 'Natsaa' and 'Hyvähyvä' becoming the catchphrases of the night. They suggested listening to Anymore while driving home in the snow, because it surely was snowing (spoiler: it wasn't), and that's exactly what I did.
Their promise to return to a bigger and better venue (without view-blocking pillars) next time sparked excited cheers, especially at the mention of the Olympic Stadium.
Hopefully, we'll meet again soon—after all, as they said, Choice is as beautiful as the first snow outside, as are A.C.E. Everyone's eagerly awaiting the comeback! (PINATA is out November 20th).
Thank you, A.C.E and Studio PAV, for including Helsinki in the tour stops and for having us— it was truly unforgettable!
Photography and review by Tiia
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