Rookie idol group CORTIS stood at the center of controversy over a relatively short running time and a set list that repeated the same songs multiple times at its first solo concert.
CORTIS kicked off its first tour, "Put Your Phone Down," on the 18th at Inspire Arena on Yeongjong Island in Incheon. CORTIS is a five-member group under BigHit Music that debuted in August last year.
On opening night, including the encore segment, CORTIS performed its signature song "Red Red" four times. Another track, "Young Creator Crew," was repeated five times.
This staging is seen as stemming from a practical limitation: even combined, the two albums the group has released so far contain only 12 songs. However, unlike most rookie idols who prepare stages reinterpreting other artists' music to fill a solo show, the group sang only its own songs multiple times, prompting some in the audience to say the set felt somewhat thinly constructed.
In addition, despite ticket prices being set relatively high at 143,000 won, the overall stage time wrapped up on the short side at around 1 hour and 40 minutes, and the fact that every stage was performed in a single outfit with no costume-change segment was cited as a letdown. Perhaps mindful of such criticism, CORTIS made some changes for the second-night show on the 19th.
Meanwhile, CORTIS plans to meet fans worldwide a total of 14 times across nine regions around the world through September, starting in Seoul, Korea, and then New York in the United States, Kanagawa in Japan, and more.