ITZY performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on June 8, 2024. Photos: Chris Tuite.

OAKLAND — More K-pop groups need to tour the U.S. with bands. The costs likely make that prohibitive to many, but a few acts with deep enough pockets have brought musicians with them over the years. Whenever those musicians would join the idols and their dancers, it would be a show highlight. Yet even those groups didn’t have musicians on stage for all or most of the time.

Maybe they were worried about it becoming gimmicky. Well, ITZY decided to give it a try and see what happens on their current North American tour, and it was anything but gimmicky at Oakland Arena, on the tour’s second night. The talented band that flanked Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna for all but a few songs added many layers to the performance, which felt more like a rock or rap show in addition to sleek pop tunes and fun dancing.

The show went full throttle from opener “Born to Be,” from their latest EP of the same name, with nary a downshift until the encore. The group, which is currently performing as a quartet while fifth member Lia is taking a break for health reasons, formed in 2019 and quickly became one of the biggest acts in the fourth generation of K-pop, under JYP Entertainment with hits like “DALLA DALLA” (which closed the Oakland show) and “WANNABE” (not a Spice Girls cover).

The five-member backing band, led by its rhythm section, added a punch to every song in the set. This included rap-heavy cuts “Born to Be,” “Gas Me Up” and empowering “Crown On My Head,” which ITZY leader Yeji performed without her groupmates—she was head-banging at one point and belting the words at another. It included R&B crossovers like “Untouchable,” which morphed into a ’90s pop banger, for which the girls were wearing baggy cargos or denim with crop tops, looking the part for anyone who lived through that decade.

ITZY performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on June 8, 2024. Photo: Chris Tuite.

It most definitely included rockers like “Kidding Me,” with an arrangement that turned the rhythm section into something resembling nu-metal, “Psychic Lover” (highlighted by ITZY collectively working every bit of the stage and siding up to musicians) and the powerful backbeat of “Don’t Give A What.” Thanks to the band, the reggae-inspired “Loco” got more depth.

Even the member intros got some musical accompaniment, and one break that would typically be filled with a video segment was filled with the band performing alongside the ITZY dancers, the interlude turning proggy and then becoming an extended intro the uptempo, drum-and-bass-heavy “Not Shy.”

The fans in attendance, known as Midzys, loved every bit of this, obviously.

ITZY performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on June 8, 2024. Photo: Chris Tuite.

And for their part, Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna were in top form, hitting their marks despite the fast pace of the show, vocally stepping up when moments called for it, and communicating their personalities well (an important part of any K-pop show but not always easy to do).

“I tried to steal Ryujin’s choreography [for “Crown On My Head”] but I kinds failed, Yeji said with a smile on her face.

They showed off some salsa steps during the poppy “Mr Vampire” and even some Western line dancing during “Sneakers,” delivered some sugary candy pop on the flirty “Cake” and Yuna solo number “Yet, But” (during which she was pushed around in a pink shopping cart), and belting away on “Dynamite,” a highlight for Yeji and Yuna.

ITZY performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland, Calif. on June 8, 2024. Photo: Chris Tuite.

Yeji’s solo performance was the most engaging out of the solo segment, but none of the others disappointed, either. Chaeryeong performed sultry R&B tune “Mine” and Ryujin, the rock-oriented “Run Away,” which she later explained she wrote the song about accepting a villain role after an ex ghosted her.

Other highlights included the moody, sleek and thumping “Kill Shot” and “Wannabe,” which began without the band, accompanied by programmed beats. The drummer occupied himself by dancing on his stool. When the band did join in halfway through, the song instantly became funkier.

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.