There must be many ways for a long-standing team to celebrate an anniversary. I found the news that Highlight chose the concept of returning to their days as trainees for their 17th anniversary fan concert quite amusing. Instead of just seriously looking back on the time that has passed, the idea of the current members returning to their starting point felt comforting to me.

The concert was held at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul from October 16 to 18. It is said to have been structured so that the members, acting as trainees at a virtual agency, underwent a final debut evaluation while fans participated in real-time evaluations. I liked the fact that they played this kind of game together among people who have known each other for a long time. It reads less like a test to prove their skills and more like a promise to enjoy their relationship in a new way.

It also stands out that the segments and song selections were different for each episode. It seems they prepared it so that even though the performances share the same name, the encounters of that day could be remembered separately. I heard that during the encore, they premiered performances of "My Hateful Person" and the fan song "Rainbow." It is heartwarming to see that even in a gathering looking back on familiar times, moments of "firsts" remain.

I think that is exactly what makes commemorative concerts so great. It allows you to feel both the fact that we have been together for a long time and the anticipation that there are still moments left to share. I hope this fan concert, too, remains not as an end that puts the past behind us, but as a joyful pause that makes us look forward to the next one.