XG Kicks Off The First Howl U.S. Tour with Successful Las Vegas Show
Written by: Ephney Tsai
XG kicked off their first U.S. tour, The First Howl, in Las Vegas on October 4th. Having debuted just over two years ago in 2022, the show drew an impressive crowd, packing all three levels of The Theater at Virgin Hotels full of fans dressed up in XG-inspired outfits and carrying the group's newly released light stick, ready to light the theater up.
via @xgofficial on Instagram
The concert started off a little past 8 p.m., after the music blasting on the speakers shifted from old and new school RnB to XG's "WOKE UP REMIXX (PROD BY JAKOPS)," which features Jay Park, OZworld, AKLO, Paloalto, VERBAL, Awich, Tak, Dok2, and Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli's "Time To Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò)." The mix of RnB songs leading into the girl group's appearance perfectly set the tone for the night, as the group are known fans of the genre and take inspiration from it for their own music. As the lights dimmed and the volume of the fans' cheers and the music increased, a VCR played, showing a series of wolves to introduce the group to the crowd. Shortly after, the first notes of "SHOOTING STAR" could be heard; XG had arrived, and they were ready to take the crowd along with them to their First Howl.
Kicking things off with a rock remix of "SHOOTING STAR," the seven members stepped on stage wearing futuristic outfits with fur elements, tying in with their overall extraterrestrial concept and the wolf concept of the tour. After a short dance break filled with flashing lights and a mixture of smooth, flowing moves and hard-hitting, sharp moves, XG moved onto a sequence of some of their most popular songs. "GRL GVNG," "WOKE UP," and "Tippy Toes" blew the crowd away as the group exuded a powerful stage presence and aura, effortlessly breezing through each song. As a line in "GRL GVNG" states, the young girls were truly "confident chicks with a whole new swagger."
Taking a short break from their intense stages, the group strutted off stage at the end of "Tippy Toes," leaving behind a VCR video to occupy fans in their absence. The video gave the audience an inside look at the group's training process, from when they each joined their company in 2017 until their debut five years later. Halfway through the video, a DJ came on stage, mixing music for the rest of the video live. What came next was a true testament to the group's versatility and talent, as each individual member of XG took the stage for a solo performance. The rap line went first, with Cocona, Maya, Harvey, and Jurin each performing two solo covers before coming together for their iconic cover of "Trampoline." Though each of the four rappers performed hip-hop tracks, they each also had their own individual colors, with some going with softer, jazzier raps while others went with strong and powerful ones. Next up were the vocalists — Juria, Hinata, and Chisa. Much like the rappers, the trio performed a mix of genres for their solo stages, from RnB to Pop, and ended their set with a joint cover of Destiny's Child's "Say My Name." Despite the group being best known for their rapping, the vocalists proved their talent as well, hitting high notes and harmonies with ease.
via @xgofficial on Instagram
After another short VCR, the next segment kicked off as the group returned to the stage wearing mysterious long black leather coats, with their colorful outfits peeking out from underneath. The girl group performed a unique RnB version of their song "LEFT RIGHT," before slowing things down with "WINTER WITHOUT YOU" and a vocal masterpiece of a cover of Artists Stand Up To Cancer's "JUST STAND UP." Finally giving themselves a break from their rigorous performances, XG took a moment to greet their fans, known as ALPHAZ. Half the group gave their greetings to the crowd first and switched off with the rest, as they took turns going backstage to remove their long coats and reveal their whimsical and eccentric outfits.
Heading straight into the last segment of the show with vigor and cheer, XG performed "X-GENE," "TGIF," "MASCARA," "SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT," and "PUPPET SHOW" before exiting the stage. Of course, no show is complete without an encore, which saw the group return to perform "NEW DANCE" and the original version of "LEFT RIGHT." Following these last two stages, the group gave their final farewells, and XG's First Howl officially came to a close.
After a night full of impressive performances with effortless vocals and harmonies, strong and spunky raps, synchronized and smooth choreography, and the group's soft and sweet contrasting personalities, XG proved to attendees why they're truly "Xtraordinary Girls." The group put on an impressive show, with unmatched stage charisma and confidence that was refreshing to see from a group of young women. If one thing is certain, it's that The First Howl tour has solidified XG's presence in a list of iconic girl groups in music history, and they're just getting started.
Full Setlist:
SHOOTING STAR (Rock Remix)
GRL GVNG
WOKE UP
Tippy Toes
JID, 21 Savage, and Baby Tate's — Surround Sound (cover by COCONA)
JAY-Z — Dirt Off Your Shoulder (cover by COCONA)
Dreamville, JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG, and Young Nudy — Down Bad (cover by MAYA)
Connor Price and Armani White — Million Cash (cover by MAYA)
Ty Dolla $ign, Jack Harlow, and 24kGoldn — I Won (cover by HARVEY)
Ktlyn — BIG MAD (cover by HARVEY)
ROSALÍA — SAOKO (cover by JURIN)
Nic D and Connor Price — Still Hot (cover by JURIN)
David Guetta, AFROJACK, Missy Elliot, BIA, and Doechii — Trampoline (cover by COCONA, MAYA, HARVEY, JURIN)
Ella Mai — Trip (cover by JURIA)
Keyshia Cole — Take Me Away (cover by HINATA)
Britney Spears — Toxic (cover by CHISA)
Destiny's Child — Say My Name (cover by JURIA, HINATA, CHISA)
LEFT RIGHT (RnB Remix)
WINTER WITHOUT YOU
Artists Stand Up To Cancer — JUST STAND UP (cover by XG)
X-GENE
TGIF
MASCARA
SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT
PUPPET SHOW
NEW DANCE
LEFT RIGHT
