Returning stateside for their second world tour, ENHYPEN kicked off their Fate U.S. Tour with a fiery show in Los Angeles. As the group’s first American stadium show and first outdoor show, it was clear that the group took the title of their song, “Go Big or Go Home,” literally, as they performed all out from start to end.
With ENHYPEN’s latest comeback centered around a vampire concept, most of the evening’s VCRs and the members’ initial stage outfits took on an elegant gothic vibe. The show began with a video to set the tone, as each member of the group could be seen sitting along a long dining table in a palace. Donning all white suits with gold embellishments, the members saw their outfits quickly stain red as they transformed into vampires, and the screen cut to black. All that could be seen was darkness, and all that could be heard were the deafening screams from passionate fans, known as Engenes, before the lights reappeared and ENHYPEN finally graced the stage.
The first outfits of the evening were nearly identical to the regal suits in the VCR, only taking on a slight light blue hue instead of pure white. And as the group stood on stage for the first time on this U.S. tour, the lights went red for the first song of the evening, and “Drunk-Dazed,” began to play. Building on the dark atmosphere, “Blockbuster” came next, full of continuous red lighting and bursts of fire shooting up from the edges of the stage, before the group took a pause to greet their fans and introduce themselves.
Showcasing the group’s versatility and range, the next few songs were sultrier tracks, including “Let Me In (20 CUBE),” “Flicker,” and “Fever.” While many fans describe the group as cute due to their bright concepts and young age, the first portion of the setlist was a stark contrast to that image, portraying them in a more mature manner.
Moving forward in the show’s storyline, the next prepared video was a slideshow of various landscapes tinted red and blue, with a bat flying to indicate its continuation of the vampire theme. The red to blue in the VCR hinted at a transition in performances from sultry red to a cool blue, and as expected, the next stages had ENHYPEN greeting fans in casual all-white streetwear outfits with songs “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” and “Blessed-Cursed.” However, this small section of the show flew by, and the next video played immediately afterwards, hinting at the next concept switch.
The third VCR started with the group in a bright flower field, which quickly disappeared as flowers began to wilt, and blood began to spill into their surroundings. A quick message popped up asking if this was a blessing or a curse, alluding to the previous performance. Suddenly, the sun was out again; the group shifted back into humans, enjoying the warm sunshine while reading, eating, and drinking tea in the same flower field, with no hint of the previous dark image. This led into the third section of the show, which was met with casual school uniforms, still in a bright white color, as ENHYPEN performed more upbeat and happy songs such as “Attention, please!” and “ParadoXXX Invasion.” Continuing this bright section of the show, the group split into two units for special, never-before seen unit stages, as Jake, Jay, Sunghoon, and Sunoo performed “TFW (That Feeling When),” accompanied by Jay strumming an acoustic guitar, and Heeseung, Jungwon, and Ni-ki performed “Just A Little Bit” as Heeseung played the piano.
Following the return of all seven members of ENHYPEN to the stage, the next section of the show was undoubtedly the night’s highlight. With renewed energy and fervor, the group prepared a special gift for their Engenes: their biggest hit, “Polaroid Love.” As the group began to sing the sweet serenade to their fans, every member exited the stage to run through the crowd. The members got closeup with Engenes across the entire floor section of the venue, greeting fans and giving high fives. As they finished the bridge of the song and went into the last chorus, a burst of pink confetti shot into the sky, slowly flittering down for fans to discover that the confetti was heart shaped in one final sweet gesture. This section of the show finished with “SHOUT OUT,” which was paired with a burst of rainbow confetti as the group stood on a rising stage so the whole stadium could see them, and “Go Big or Go Home,” an EDM party track that had the whole venue jumping along with the group.
Approaching the concert’s end, the next video transition took the audience back to the beginning of the show, as the group was once again in the same setting, blood and all. The scene then cut to the members crying and gripping their chests, as if they’re trying to fight the transition but to no avail. When ENHYPEN once again turned into vampires, they changed from their all-white outfits into red and black suits, signaling the transformation was complete. As they performed songs like “Chaconne,” “Bills,” “CRIMINAL LOVE,” and “Sacrifice (Eat Me Up),” the stage once again bathed in red lighting against a background of a full moon switching between white and red colors. The concert’s official last song was their latest comeback song, “Bite Me,” and the stadium shook when fans screamed the pre-chorus and chorus along with the group, making for a memorable last track.
Clearly not wanting the evening to end, ENHYPEN returned to the stage one last time for final messages from each member, and encore performances of “One In A Billion” and “Karma,” the latter of which even included a quick fireworks show. Aussie member Jake even insisted on one more bonus song, as the group performed “Go Big or Go Home” once again to close the show.
While their first U.S. tour was centered around the group’s innocent first love for their Engenes, the ‘Fate’ tour demonstrated the group’s evolution and confidence onstage. Their previous tour showed how the members reveled in the new world of being singers and idols, but this current tour was prepared with a storyline to match their “Bite Me” vampire concept, and it displayed a whole new side to ENHYPEN.
