Tomorrow x Together Made Dreams Come True on Stage at Madison Square Garden — Their Fans' and Their Own (Exclusive)

The K-pop stars open up about feeling "grateful" as they tick off major milestones on their ACT : PROMISE tour and enjoy every moment along the way

• Tomorrow x Together played Madison Square Garden for the first time this week

• The tour wraps up its U.S. leg in Washington, D.C. this weekend before heading to Japan

• Their set list was a combination of album tracks from their latest release, Minisode 3: Tomorrow, and fan favorites from over the years

When Tomorrow x Together takes the stage on their third world tour, they're dressed like prnces, draped in finery. About three hours later, as they make their final bows, they're in jeans, t-shirts and hoodies.

The transition from untouchable idols to approachable friends, is one the K-pop group's five members — Soobin, 23, Yeonjun, 24, Beomgyu, 22, Taehyun, 21, and Hueningkai, 21 — revel in every night on their 22-date tour, ACT : PROMISE, which wraps up its U.S. leg in Washington, D.C. this weekend before heading to Japan.

"I think one of the unique aspects of our show is that it has storyline. It makes the entire experience more immersive for our fans," says Soobin, the group's leader, while catching up with PEOPLE backstage at Madison Square Garden on Sunday

Related: Tomorrow x Together Talk Rocking Out, Voguing and Why They Loved Making Their New Album (Exclusive)

Taehyun is a fan of their opening number "Deja Vu" for "the sound and the visuals. They're all grand in terms of scale," he shares. While Hueningkai appreciates the finale for its fashion: "The end of the show, it's too hot so it's just t-shirts," he says with a laugh.

Asked what they want fans to come away from their show saying, Hueningkai's hope is simple: "I was happy. It was a happy moment for me," and of course, "I want to come again."

TXT's shows — like most in the world of K-pop — are elaborately choreographed and exactingly executed, but five year's into their careers, the members have hit their stride in a way that allows them to relax a little more and savor the experience.

"I've started to feel this like the year before last year or last year. I think we definitely evolved. And we've improved a lot of our music and also vocals and performances," says Taehyun, who sang a remarkable few bars of "Empire State of Mind" at the New York show. "But at the same time, I feel like we've grown so much in terms of our demeanor on stage. We feel more relaxed and comfortable. I'm quite surprised about myself and my members."

That evolution allows them to enjoy the unplanned moments on stage too. And there have been quite a few.

During their outdoor show in Oakland, for example, a confetti canon's streamers were caught by the wind and ended up clobbering Beomgyu and Yeonjun, who like true pros carried on singing and even turned it into a catwalk featuring their accidental accessories. (That moment may also remind fans of TXT's label mates BTS, whose member V famously handled a similar conundrum the same way.)

Sometimes, says Beomgyu, the props are just out to get you. He recalled one such night to PEOPLE: "I had this buchae [a traditional Korean fan] that I used while I was performing and it just flew away. And then I kicked the mic stand and it's supposed to be knocked over, but instead it just came back. So that night, I had that kind of moment."

On occassion, MOA (their fans' collective name, an acronym for "Moments of Alwaysness") create those unexpected moments for them.

Recently during a meet-and-greet, a fan handed Yeonjun a piece of paper asking if he'd film him proposing to his girlfriend. Yeonjun was elated and the video of the special moment — and his completely shocked expression — has naturally gone viral on Tiktok.

"I didn't have any expectations for that, so I think that makes it even more memorable," he says, grinning, before adding that another fan recently told him they used their 2021 track "Magic" as their wedding song.

Related: Tomorrow x Together on Their New Album, World Tour and 'Those' Outfits: 'We Were Kinda Worried'

Their set list at MSG, where they played back-to-back shows this week, was a combination of album tracks from their latest release, Minisode 3: Tomorrow, and fan favorites from over the years. Some songs are fully in English, like "Back for More," which they first recorded as a duet with Anitta, but many are primarily in Korean.

The group's international fans still sing along to the best of their ability and make up the difference by shouting out the English parts. And it doesn't bother the group one bit that they're not having every syllable echoed back to them. "I actually find it adorable," says Hueningkai. "It's cute that they are trying so hard and they go [he hums the tune of one of their songs enthusiastically]. They know the melody."

In 2022, PEOPLE caught up with TXT at their New York hotel after a show at the Hulu Theater (capacity 6,500). Asked whether they liked the intimacy of that venue or would prefer something bigger, Yeonjun answered immediately, "Larger spaces." In particular, the dream was Madison Square Garden.

"We'd love that. It sounds so fun," Soobin added at the time. On Saturday and Sunday, they realized that dream, filling the venue that can seat 20,000.

"I'm so grateful that we're hitting so many milestones," says Taehyun. "My goal for this tour is just for everyone in the group to stay healthy to the last show. For next year's tour, if it's possible, I would like to see more stadiums."

Adds Hueningkai, "We're going to dream big."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.