CORTIS “Fixes” Controversial Concert Overnight—Changes Backfire As Fans Demand Refunds

Fans who attended first night are now furious.

CORTIS seemingly made several significant changes to the second night of their first concert following intense backlash over the opening show. Rather than calming the controversy, however, the apparent improvements have left many netizens demanding compensation for the fans who attended Day 1.

CORTIS’s First Ever Concert Setlist Sparks Huge Controversy And Brutal Reactions

CORTIS held the opening concert of their first tour on July 18, but the show quickly became one of the most heavily criticized K-Pop concerts of the year. Attendees reported that the performance lasted only about 1 hour and 40 minutes, despite tickets costing approximately ₩145,000 KRW (about $97.50 USD). The concert reportedly featured no outfit changes, no cover stages, and no unreleased songs, while several tracks from CORTIS’s limited discography were performed repeatedly.

The disappointing setlist was soon joined by another controversy. Videos of an energetic group of men dancing in the standing section had initially gone viral internationally, with some viewers praising CORTIS for apparently attracting an unusually large and enthusiastic male audience. Korean attendees later alleged that the men were actually professional dancers placed among the audience as part of the production. Neither CORTIS nor BIGHIT MUSIC has confirmed those claims.

Against that backdrop, considerable attention turned to the second concert on July 19. According to accounts from attendees, CORTIS appeared to respond to several of the previous night’s complaints. During Day 1, the members repeatedly encouraged fans to put their phones down. At the second concert, they reportedly told attendees that they were free to film and simply asked them to enjoy themselves.

The group also performed a seven-song encore after taking requests directly from fans inside the venue. Their talking segments were reportedly extended as well, bringing the total concert closer to two hours.

앵콜곡 멘션미 래드레드 아사이 조이라이드 영크크 고 왓츄원 💕💕💕💕💕

— ddu.. (@ddush99) July 19, 2026

Encores were Mention Me, Red Red, ACAI, JoyRide, YOUNGCREATORCREW, Go!, and What You Want

— @ddush99/X

The quick turnaround earned some praise from fans who were relieved that the criticism had seemingly been heard. For others, however, the changes only made Day 1 look worse. Because the second-night audience received a longer concert, more interaction, a proper encore, and looser filming rules for the same ticket price, netizens questioned why the opening-night attendees should be expected to accept a noticeably inferior experience.

• What are the fans who went to the first concert supposed to do…? If they had at least stuck to their guns, people might have called it a genuine concept. Changing it so quickly means they really treated those fans like guinea pigs and assumed it would be fine.
•  I feel bad for the fans who went to the first concert, LOL. What were they thinking when they planned the concert like that?
• This is why the first concert is never the best one, LOL.
• At least give the first-concert attendees a partial refund.
• LMAO.
• I only feel sorry for the people who went on the first day, LOL.
• I’m glad they at least listened to the feedback, but I would’ve been annoyed if I only had tickets for the first concert.
• They probably didn’t expect it to make the news, LOL. They changed things a little as soon as it became a huge controversy.
• They stretched it out to two hours, LOL. I feel bad for the fans who went to the first concert.
• At this point, shouldn’t the first-concert tickets have been at least 10% cheaper? LOL. It was the same concert, but they used the first one as a test run.
• What are the people who only went to the first concert supposed to do…?
• They stretched it out to two hours, LOL.
• It’s not even like they confidently stood by their decision. This is embarrassing.

One description spread throughout the discussion more than any other: Day 1 had effectively become a “₩145,000 KRW (about $97.50 USD) rehearsal.”

• What does that make the first concert…? What kind of concert gets changed as they collect feedback…?
• The number of songs was absurdly low. What gave that company the confidence to hold a concert without proper planning or preparation?
• I understand that it would’ve been difficult to add much in only one day, but didn’t they just repeat the same songs again? This seriously feels like lazy concert planning.
• The first concert was basically a ₩145,000 KRW (about $97.50 USD) rehearsal.
• Can the people who went to the first concert get refunds if they were dissatisfied? LOL.
• But weren’t those songs already performed earlier?
• If they’re sorry, they should refund the first-concert tickets. The company has plenty of money.
• Shouldn’t they refund the people who paid the same amount?
• If “YCC and “Red Red” were also in the encore, does that mean those songs went from being performed five and seven times at the first concert to six and eight times…?
• What did the people who attended the first concert do wrong? The first concert isn’t supposed to be a rehearsal. This is honestly ridiculous… It’s also funny that complaints had to keep pouring in yesterday before they understood.
• I understand that they don’t have many songs yet, but don’t groups normally prepare individual member stages or cover songs in that situation? Repeating songs from the setlist again…
• Then what does that make the people who only attended the first concert? It wasn’t supposed to be a rehearsal.

Although no refund or compensation plan has been announced, the calls are unlikely to disappear easily. By visibly changing the concert overnight, the organizers may have unintentionally validated the central complaint themselves: the opening show was never ready to be presented as a finished, full-price concert.

Read more:

CORTIS Accused Of Planting Dancers In The Crowd To Fake Viral “Mosh Pit”