Photos by BELIFT LAB
While it is seemingly impossible for the average person to sing, dance, and engage thousands for almost 3 hours straight, Enhypen accomplished exactly that and more during their Fate Plus World Tour at the Honda Center. Enhypen’s members and music embody the essence of a K-pop group, characterized by stunning visual elements and performances paired with the unique charm and stage presence of their members.
As someone who had tuned in to and even voted on their reality competition series I-Land in 2020, I was especially pleased to reconnect with my multi-year K-pop phase. The series featured twenty-three male trainees competing against each other to debut in the final seven-member group: Enhypen. The show’s release at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic had me and thousands of others tuning in to vote on the final lineup. As I entered the venue, hearing the screams of thousands of fans brought a rush of excitement and energy as the opening song, “Drunk-Dazed,” filled the venue with the unique sound of psychedelic synth-pop. Although I reached my seat at its culmination, I felt the same anticipation as those dedicated fans who had camped outside of the venue days prior in hopes of reserving their spot at the barricade. Bright lightsticks filled the air, synchronized in flashing colors. There was a palpable sense of unity amongst Engenes (Enhypen’s fandom name), who had dressed to align with Enhypen’s group aesthetic, holding signs and flags featuring each member.
Enhypen captivated their audience with enticing visual elements sprinkled throughout the show, known as VCRs. While most concerts utilize the venue’s screens to showcase the artists during performances, these VCRs feature exclusive pre-recorded content that plays before and between performances. The show’s beginning further solidified Enhypen’s high production value, with deep red, blue, and black enveloping the stage in a fanciful light. Fast-paced songs such as “Flicker” and “FEVER” featured complex choreography paired with engaging visuals of smoke and a beating heart, perfectly aligned with their vampire narrative.
The midst of the show featured a stark change of pace, with light-hearted and youthful fan favorites like “Tamed-Dashed” and “Polaroid Love”. Notably, “Just A Little Bit”, a slow-paced ballad featuring Jungwon, Ni-ki, and Heeseung took me by surprise as animated visuals of rolling green hills and shooting stars supplemented the melancholic nature of the song. Each change in pace steered the audience in the right direction as Enhypen guided their fans through an emotional journey. The clear sequencing of the show contributed to the characteristic theatrical nature of K-pop, a testament to Enhypen’s versatility and audience engagement.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a K-pop concert without the synchronized and skillful choreography that epitomizes the genre. As a dancer myself, it is clear that Enhypen possesses spellbinding skills in stage presence, stamina, and fan engagement. From sensual and slow choreography to hip-hop elements, the show featured a skillful pairing of stylistic choices, visual elements, and eye-catching choreography to create the perfect combination of breathtaking moments. Individual pieces of the members like Heeseung playing the piano, Jake covering “I Don’t Think I’m Okay” by Bazzi, Jay playing the guitar, and Ni-ki’s solo choreography moments were sprinkled throughout the show to embody each of the Enhypen members’ unique artistic characteristics.
It was only right that the climax of Enhypen’s live show featured their most recent songs “Chaconne”, “CRIMINAL LOVE”, and “Bite Me”, characterized by a final shift toward mature, sultry, and hedonistic sounds and sights. Coming full circle from their opening sequence, dark colors paired with striking red and gold chandeliers, moons, and corridors encircled the members on the surrounding screens. These shifts in pace, paired with stages where the members engaged with, poked fun at, and even connected face-to-face with their audience contributed to a sense of connectedness within the Honda Center that night. These moments epitomize the intense unity only seen in K-pop and its group’s fanbases; a unity that brings together fans of all ages to enjoy the performing arts. Enhypen represents how to engage a fanbase in all the right ways: with a blend of mesmerizing performances, interactive and intimate moments, and an engaging atmosphere that leaves its audience yearning for more.
