ENHYPEN kicks off ‘FATE’ tour in LA
The vampiric K-pop group charmed their fans after a year since their last tour.
By AUBRIE COLE
Dignity Health Sports Park fell under a spell Friday night, enchanted by the gripping charm of K-pop group ENHYPEN.
The moment the stadium threw open its gates, the wave of ardent fans flooded the concourse, pickets, lightsticks and photocards in tow. In an almost fluid-like movement, the deluge of black-and-white-clad “ENGENEs” — ENHYPEN’s loyal fans — rushed to their seats.
The cultish devotion of the ENGENEs resembled a rabid bloodlust, fitting for a group whose concept revolves around vampirism and all things supernatural. The earsplitting cacophony of screams perfectly communicated the level of excitement that grasped the nearly sold-out stadium — after a full year since fans had seen their idols, ENHYPEN had finally returned to California.
As the stadium plunged into darkness, the feral audience was treated to an opening VCR depicting the seven ENHYPEN members at a vampiric feast clad in 18th century-style outfits. As each member flashed across the screen, the crowd’s screams only rose in volume.
After the video concluded, the noise reached its peak as members finally graced the stage. With a fiery flourish, the seven members glided across the platform, sporting luxurious white-and-gold costumes like hauntingly handsome royalty. Snapping into position, the idols immediately plunged into their hit song “Drunk-Dazed.” Garnering an impressive, ever-increasing 234 million streams on Spotify, “Drunk-Dazed” is one of ENHYPEN’s most popular tracks.
The first segment of the night, during which the group performed “Let Me In (20 CUBE),” “FEVER” and an original composition of “Flicker,” acted as a callback to ENHYPEN’s first two albums, embracing the dark, sultry side of their discography. Establishing themselves as thoroughly seasoned performers, ENHYPEN showcased its exceptional talent with flawless choreography and clean vocals. The segment also featured an intense dance break, which had the audience going absolutely ballistic. Coupled with pyrotechnics, the opening set kicked off the show with a bang.
Greeting the audience after the opening set, the seven members — JUNGWON, HEESEUNG, JAY, JAKE, SUNGHOON, SUNOO and NI-KI — introduced themselves one by one. Members expressed excitement and gratitude.
“It’s our first time playing in a stadium,” JAKE said to the audience. “Thank you all for coming, I want you guys to have the best night of your lives.”
On that note of appreciation, ENHYPEN plunged into the next segment of songs, which included more cute, personal pieces written for fans. The idols treated fans to special performances of “TFW (That Feeling When)” and “Just A Little Bit,” which were both sung with a new acoustic twist. SUNOO, JAKE, SUNGHOON and JAY sang “TFW,” showcasing JAY’s guitar skills as he strummed a special guitar signed by all the members. “Just A Little Bit” featured JUNGWON and NI-KI, with HEESEUNG dazzling on the piano.
“Tamed-Dashed,” one of the group’s title tracks, was met with loud cheers while members passed a rugby ball as part of the choreography. (BELIFT LAB)
Of course, no ENHYPEN concert would be complete without the mandatory performance of its iconic track “Polaroid Love.” Dashing into the audience, members serenaded fans, flashing charming smiles and completing hand-hearts along the way. The adorable song concluded with a flurry of pink, heart-shaped confetti raining down on the audience.
Despite this issue occurring at almost every show, the venue was unable to prevent many fans from rushing from their seats toward the boys in a mob-like fashion during “Polaroid Love.” This was especially disappointing given that JUNGWON had made fans promise not to leave their seats earlier in the evening. Luckily, all the members made it back to the stage with no issue.
Closing out this second group of songs was “Go Big or Go Home,” arguably one of the group’s most popular songs. Fans moshed and chanted the members’ names, giving this part of the set euro-club vibes.
The only thing that tainted the otherwise unblighted first two segments were some of the background videos, which showcased a rather lackluster, elementary approach to visual media design compared to previous ENHYPEN concerts. However, the lacking quality was easily dismissed because the two massive coffin-shaped screens were usually dominated by gargantuan close-ups of the member’s faces throughout the night.
The final section of the concert highlighted ENHYPEN’s newest album, “DARK BLOOD,” which was released to astronomical success. Charting on the Billboard 200 for 10 weeks and peaking at No. 4, the album was met with high praise from critics and zealous fans. It’s unsurprising that fans waited with bated breath to see the songs finally performed in the United States for the first time.
Fans met “DARK BLOOD” with an electric wave of excitement, especially for “Chaconne,” “Bills” and “Sacrifice (Eat Me Up),” all B-sides from the album. Every audience member knew each lyric despite the newness of the tracks. The audience devotion added to the concert experience, with every attendee just as ecstatic to be there as the person next to them.
“CRIMINAL LOVE” elicited a guttural roar from fans — released just two months ago, the song has been performed only a few times live. The group performed it flawlessly.
The show concluded with the “DARK BLOOD” title track “Bite Me.” Even after a show spanning almost three hours, the members still executed the track perfectly. The only thing that could have made the performance better would be the women back-up dancers featured in the “Bite Me” music video.
Knowing the concert was drawing to a close, ENHYPEN members each said their goodbyes, expressing sincere adoration for their American fans.
“American ENGENEs, you really know how to party!” SUNGHOON said. Clearly this was a point of pride for the audience — fans responded with deafening barking and feet stamping throughout the stadium.
Of course, ENHYPEN returned clad in T-shirts for an encore consisting of “One in a Billion” and “Karma.” At the peak of “Karma,” a barrage of crimson fireworks shot into the air behind the stadium, a grandiose addition to the already larger-than-life performance.
Following a surprise second performance of “Go Big or Go Home,” ENHYPEN bid its fans a final sorrowful farewell. With heavy hearts and tear-streaked cheeks, ENGENEs filed out of the stadium. After a night of enchantment and ecstasy, fans can only hope that ENHYPEN will return next year.
