Tomorrow X Together to tour Houston’s Minute Maid Park

Houston’s longtime love affair with K-pop reached arguably its biggest peak yet Sunday night as thousands of MOAs descended on Minute Maid Park.

If that acronym doesn’t make sense, you’re not a fan of Tomorrow X Together. MOA is the group’s fandom name and means “forever moments”, a reference to the bond between TXT and its fans. The five-member boy band played Houston as the fourth U.S. date of its Act: Promise tour.

The show lasted nearly three hours of looks, synchronized light sticks and Texas references. Members Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai danced to a bit of Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” at the start of the show. They later incited the crowd to sing “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and had them chant “Htown!” “Hi!” and yeah!” It was silly fun.

Many of the group’s fans were dressed in powder blue and white lace, ruffles and tulle. Many of them wore long ribbons in their hair. There were also lots of fluffy, pink and white cowboy hats. A girl ran down an aisle holding a “Latinas 4 TXT” sign. The queues were breathtakingly long and filled much of the lobby, snaking past food and drink stalls.

Sunlight was still streaming into the stadium when TXT took the stage in a white dress. They dropped them off as “Déja Vu” kicked off to reveal dark jackets and white pants. The crowd erupted into a thunderous roar that rarely subsided. Streamers were flown through the air throughout the show, and band members took turns speaking to the crowd between songs, although it was often difficult to hear them over the shouting. They all promised “the best night of your life, guys.”

The biggest surprise was the music itself. Nearly every song has been significantly beefed up from its recorded version, as hard-hitting and aggressive as rush hour on a dance floor. This gave the show weight and impact. The staging was minimal until the final stretch of the show. No group, just the guys and a few rising platforms.

The setlist was divided into acts separated by video interludes, costume changes and musical subgenres. They wore blue and white varsity jackets and jeans for the sleek, ’80s disco vibe of “Magic” and “Chasing That Feeling.” He shifted to energetic pop for “New Rules” and “Lo$er=Lover.” Things slowed down for the ballads “Trust Fund Baby” and “Quarter Life.”

The crowd roared every time an individual member appeared on the big screens. The biggest reaction came during “The Killa (I Belong to You),” a slinky midtempo track. Only Yeonjun and Soobin were on stage, and they twirled and moved sensually together. These guys know exactly what they’re doing. “Back for More,” one of TXT’s biggest American hits, evoked Michael Jackson, from the staging to the choreography to the shiny black jackets.

The show’s most aggressive segment came near the end, a “West Side Story” burst of musical energy that covered “Puma” and other songs with harsher arrangements and pyrotechnic accents. The guys simulated a fight scene during “Good Boy Gone Bad.” They brandished a multi-colored bat and pretended to play guitar during “Growing Pain.” Not very dangerous but greatly entertaining. Just the way MOAs like it.