ENHYPEN enjoyed a full crowd at their first stadium show in the United States this past weekend. Although the show took place at an unlikely venue, the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, which is rarely used for concerts, the audience was filled to the brim with light stick-wielding ENGENEs and their loved ones. Read on for seven highlights from the sold-out show.
1. They’ll be your boy-boyfriend
The fan-favorite track “Let Me In (20 Cube)” accompanies many a fan-made edit, a no-brainer when the line “I’ll be your boyfriend” fills the song. Seeing the members perform this song live was not only a highlight in itself, but hearing the crowd sing along to the catchy melody created a fun and welcoming environment even for those not as familiar with the group. Adding “Bills,” effectively the big sister of “Let Me In (20 Cube),” to the setlist was also a highlight as far as sing-along moments go.
2. A little subunit moment
To bring two of their more easygoing songs to the stage, ENHYPEN opted to split into smaller subunits of the group: Jay (who also strummed along on the guitar), Jake, Sunghoon, and Sunoo sat in a plush plant-filled wonderland to sing “TFW (That Feeling When)” before the stage shifted just in time for Heeseung (on piano), Jungwon, and Ni-ki to join and serenade fans with a soft version of “Just A Little Bit.” The performance showed the deep scope of ENHYPEN’s abilities beyond the typical showy, catchy nature of their title track performances.
3. Bringing “Polaroid Love” to the masses
A newly minted tradition of ENHYPEN concerts is for the members to run out into the audience to get up close and personal at some point. They’ve kept with it since their first foray into American concert venues last year, shocking concertgoers with in-person accessibility to their favorite artists. During “Polaroid Love,” their arguably most popular B-side track, the group ran in opposite directions around the floor of the venue giving high fives, taking selfies, and singing to fans. It was a whirlwind, and they were back onstage almost as quickly as they walked off. Given the screams of “JUNGWON TOUCHED MY HAND!” that occurred for a few songs after, it seems like a core memory was set in stone for many ENGENEs that night.
4. Heeseung taking over the spirit of Scooby-Doo
The members of ENHYPEN aren’t afraid to get a little silly-goofy. In fact, they thrive in that space. Heeseung decided to step it up a notch and pull a classic boyband concert trick: getting the crowd to repeat his every word. This time, he started simply, getting the crowd to repeat “Say ho-oh! Whoa-oa! LA! ENHYPEN!” before saying, “Say ‘Scooby dooby doo’?” Not sure what that was all about, but it’s become a meme in ENGENE friend groups everywhere.
5. How did we get to handcuffs? (“Criminal Love”)
In recent comebacks, ENHYPEN have taken to showing more of their mature, edgy side. They’ve gone far into this concept, with not only their single releases but non-album releases as well. An example of this is “Criminal Love,” an OST made for a Webtoon based on the band called “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar.” It made for a surprising but welcome addition to the setlist with its sultry and somehow threatening choreography.
6. “Bite Me”
A sure way to fire up a fanbase: vampire concept. They shook the world with the release of “Bite Me,” and it shows. The ever-imitable chorus sung by an entire stadium of 23,000 people was goosebump-inducing. If you’ve ever wanted a taste of ENHYPEN’s stage presence, the hors-d’oeuvre and the dinner are both “Bite Me.”
7. “Go Big or Go Home” (literally)
You can’t have a K-Pop concert without a huge surge of energy during an endless last song. It’s basically the rules of the game. For LA, this song was “Go Big or Go Home.” They took the title to the extreme, with Jake even noting halfway through their goodbyes at the end that those opting to leave already “clearly hadn’t come to see ENHYPEN before” if they didn’t know that this was actually the time to rage, not to say goodbye! They repeatedly jumped around the stage for a few more rounds of the chorus before actually letting the concert close. Energy in the stadium was already at a peak, so ending the show on a high was super memorable.
Catch ENHYPEN on their ‘FATE’ tour in the following U.S. cities:
- Tue Oct 10 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
- Fri Oct 13 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
- Sat Oct 14 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
- Wed Oct 18 & Thur Oct 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
- Sun Oct 22 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Find tickets HERE.
___
Written by Lily Dabbs.
