For the first time, Yeji, Lia, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna, collectively known as ITZY, have returned to Australia as a full group for their second visit to our shores as part of their 3rd World Tour <TUNNEL VISION>, named after their eleventh EP Tunnel Vision which was released last November with a dance style sound.
The 4th Generation K-Pop girl group have been making waves in the music industry since their debut in 2019. I remember getting into their music when they first started and ITZY have been consistently showing the world their skills ever since.
With the theme of ‘tunnel vision’ to focus on ITZY, the stage appeared to look like a pair of glasses that you were seeing through. As soon as ITZY stepped on the Melbourne stage, fans cheered as the members displayed their incredible dance abilities, the choreography impressive and mesmerising, with the K-Pop idols accompanied by an army of dancers.
The Melbourne audience were stunned in the beginning but got into the energy of the group’s performance from ‘Girls Will Be Girls’. The crowd soon erupted with glee when everyone heard the opening notes to the ITZY classic ‘WANNABE’, plus ‘Not Shy’ and my personal favourite ‘LOCO’ were also crowd pleasers.
When ITZY could finally greet their audience, Yeji was first to greet the Melbourne audience, enthusiastically saying, “G’day mate!”. Lia also commented that it was her first time in Australia, after seeing how much her members enjoyed visiting last tour, Lia shared that she was excited to be here. Throughout the evening, ITZY made a great effort to speak to their audience in English, and it was only during farewells did only Yeji speak Korean with the help of a translator, but otherwise, they didn’t really need it. The interactions were high and pleasing for many happy patrons.
ITZY even embraced the Aussie lingo, including cheering “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!” and making use of the phrase, “Yeah, nah/Nah, yeah”, much to the delight of the Melbourne crowd. I wonder who taught them?
The choreography was particularly captivating during ‘Walk’ where ITZY turned their stage into a catwalk runway just by the way they held themselves and their energy, a jaw-dropping performance of MIDZY fan favourite ‘Imaginary Friend’, and ‘In the morning’ when ITZY and their dancers were all lined up on chairs, completely in sync and kind of cabaret style, which was really great to see. It wasn’t all group performances; each member had a solo stage that gave them a chance to shine on their own and receiving the audience’s full adoring attention.
Production wise, ‘GOLD’ with fireworks pointing down towards the stage gave the impression of the girls mining for gold or on a construction site, just how the fireworks were falling. I just found this to be very clever. With just the placing of chairs and how the dancers held their posture, the stage turned into a saloon during ‘Wild Wild West’. However, the pinnacle of the evening was ITZY’s performance of ‘That’s A No No’ and honestly, you just had to be there to see how good this song was, performed live in Australia for the very first time!
During the MIDZY Challenge portion of the show, patrons had the opportunity to appear on the big screen and showcase their ITZY dance choreography knowledge and skills. I love these moments as they’re so much fun, even if you aren’t the one on camera dancing. You end up cheering on those who do (shout out to the fans that danced to ‘Untouchable’ and ‘LOCO’, you both slayed)! Turns out, MIDZY are just as good dancers as their idols, ITZY.
Like most great concert staples, sometimes the best part of the night is seeing fellow fans thriving and enjoying themselves. Prior to the show starting, some fans were generously gifting other patrons their fanmade gifts, including handmade charm bracelets with the member’s names on them. The Melbourne concert also had several special moments, such as patrons waving around their light-rings in unison to the ballad, ‘Mirror’. Concluding the evening with birthday wishes and song to Ryujin, plus ITZY song staples ‘SNEAKERS’, ‘CAKE’ and the song that started it all –‘DALLA DALLA’, everyone in the Melbourne venue was up and dancing by the very end.
ITZY provided a great night out in Melbourne for long-time and new fans alike, with the K-Pop girl group hoping that they see their Australian fans again next time.
ITZY performed in Melbourne at John Cain Arena as part of their <TUNNEL VISION> 3rd World Tour on Friday the 17th of April 2026. The group then performed on Sunday the 19th of April at TikTok Entertainment Centre in Sydney to conclude their second Australian visit.
For more information and visit:
https://www.livenation.com.au/itzy-tickets-adp128517
https://www.instagram.com/itzy.all.in.us
Photography by Darren Chan.
