Japan’s leading ladies of “X-Pop,” R&B and hip-hop XG get down to “The Core” for United Center

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

In a mere four years, XG, which stands for Xtraordinary Genes, made more history than most groups do in a lifetime, becoming the first-ever Japanese girl group to grace the American cover of “Billboard” and headline England’s Wembley Stadium, while being the only act representing their country at Coachella.

After moving more than 400,000 tickets across 47 shows in 35 cities on their inaugural international outing, including an enormous Tokyo Dome sell out, it’s sequel, “XG WORLD TOUR: THE CORE,” is filling up major sports arenas such as the Chicago’s United Center.

The audience of all ages and cultures was there to exclusively see URIN, CHISA, HINATA, HARVEY, JURIA, MAYA and COCONA, who sing entirely in English across a high-energy blend of “X-Pop,” R&B and hip-hop, reminiscent of Ariana Grande and Dojo Cat meets the throwbacks of The Pussycat Dolls or Fifth Harmony.

The leading ladies began with the glorious “GALA” off their newest album, “THE CORE,” and spent the next two hours featuring several other selections from the official full-length debut, alongside previous EP selections and standalone singles.

They included the dance-driven delights “SOMETHING AIN’T RIGHT,” “MASCARA,” “TGIF,” “WOKE UP,” “UP NOW” and “DEPENDS,” making an ordinary school night (and Monday at that) seem like the weekend.

XG switched the emphasis from culture-defining choreography to stunning vocals come the chilled out selections “IN THE RAIN” and the debut of “S.A.D.,” soon building back up to the sugary surges and visual spectacles of “TAKE MY BREATH” or “IYKYK.”

Members framed “O.R.B (Obviously Reads Bro)” as ultimate girl power anthem, then split into smaller subsets when JURIA, HARVEY, MAYA and COCONA traded rhymes throughout “PS118,” followed by CHISA, HINATA and JURIA flexing harmonies on “4 SEASONS.”

The hyperpop of “HYPNOTIZE,” the relentlessly catchy “Tippy Toes” and the ballad “IS THIS LOVE” were later set standouts, steering the course towards collective howls for an encore of the speedy “SHOOTING STAR,” a photo in front of a fully illuminated UC and the slower “MILLION PLACES.”

By “NEW DANCE,” XG made its way into the seating area to share a much closer moment with the ALPHAZ, prior to returning to the standard stage for “LEFT RIGHT,” though no matter the direction, pointed to a supergroup well on the way to a total global takeover.

For additional information on XG, visit XGALX.com.

Upcoming shows at the United Center include The Neighbourhood (Nov. 18); Stevie Wonder (Nov. 21); John Summit (Nov. 24-25); “Wild ‘N Out” Live! (Dec. 17); Matt Rife (Jan. 7); Disney On Ice (Jan. 28-31); Gracie Abrams (Feb. 11-12); Nickelback (Feb. 18); Hans Zimmer (Mar. 5); Niall Horan (Mar. 23); Def Leppard (Mar. 25); Cleo Sol (Apr. 21); The Neighbourhood (May 8); Lizzy McAlpine (Jun. 29) and Windy City Smokeout (Jul. 8-11). For additional details, visit UnitedCenter.com.

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Japan’s leading ladies of “X-Pop,” R&B and hip-hop XG get down to “The Core” for United Center

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