ARTMS sub-unit ODD EYE CIRCLE started the U.S. leg of their Volume Up tour with confidence in New York City. The three-member group had a whirlwind of a year in 2023; they left their old company, joined ARTMS under MODHAUS, made their first comeback under a new agency, and even embarked on a Europe tour in the latter half of the year. At the first stop of the U.S. tour, the historic Town Hall in New York was packed with Orbits and Ourri alike. The venue was also filled with an atmosphere of anticipation and excitement for the show.
As the lights dimmed, fans quickly stood up and exploded into uproarious cheering. The show began with Kim Lip and her backup dancers walking onto the stage in the dark and laying on the stage to set up for the performance. As the music came on, the stage became bathed in a warm red light, accentuating the mood of Kim Lip’s solo song, “Eclipse.” Following Kim Lip, JinSoul and Choerry also performed their solo songs, “Singing in the Rain” and “Love Cherry Motion,” respectively. Each individual performance featured unique outfits as well as lighting that matched each member’s representative colors. Just as Kim Lip was illuminated in red light, JinSoul’s was covered in blue and black while Choerry’s was purple and white. Not giving the crowd a moment to rest, Kim Lip and JinSoul moved on to performing their duet, “Love Letter.” After the song, as Kim Lip walked off the stage, Choerry came back out to perform “Puzzle” with JinSoul. The show opened in such a way that even newcomers to the group would be able to learn each member and appreciate their unique voices and performances.
After a short VCR, the members made their way back onto the dark stage, sporting matching black outfits. Finally, all three members appeared together onstage, and the energy in the venue flared up as the dreamy, R&B instrumentals of “Uncover” started playing. The group then slowed the pace down and performed “Chaotic.” The slow song put the group’s vocals on full display, showing off their skills as veteran idols. Throughout the entire show, their steady live singing, even while performing choreo, was something to behold.
Following the two group songs was a segment that many fans have come to look forward to and expect at K-pop concerts nowadays: the vocal cover portion. What made these covers special, however, was that the group allowed fans to vote for what songs they wanted to see covered via the official MODHAUS app in an event called Gravity. Gravity events are how many releases and events for the group are decided. For this Gravity, each member had four different song options for fans to vote from. Kim Lip and JinSoul’s solos won their votes by landslides, while Choerry’s top 3 choices were only a few hundred votes apart.
Starting the solos off was JinSoul, who covered “Kill Bill” by SZA. While the solos did not have any choreo per se, JinSoul’s was the only solo in which she stayed stationary in front of the mic stand. Making her best effort to sing the English song, JinSoul was able to pronounce and enunciate the words, showing how much she’s improved since she last performed in the U.S. Next was Kim Lip’s cover of Tyla’s “Water.” Much like JinSoul’s performance, Kim Lip was able to show off her confident vocals while singing in a language she was not fluent in speaking. What really blew the crowd away during this solo, though, was when the backup dancers appeared during the second chorus and performed some spicy choreo for the crowd (a toned down version of the viral TikTok challenge for this song). Rounding off the trio, Choerry performed the upbeat “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa. A great, energetic song to jump around to at a concert, Choerry walked and danced across the stage, hyping up the entire crowd with her infectious energy.
After a set of performances and a quick VCR to cool the room and let everyone catch their breaths, ODD EYE CIRCLE returned with another costume change, this time sporting some cute, matching pink and white outfits. Seated in a row, they performed a slow R&B song, “Starlight.” The crowd sang along during the slower parts of the song, as the girls looked out into the vast crowd of fans waving their hands and lightsticks slowly overhead. Moving on, they performed “Lucid,” with all three members walking along the stage and interacting with fans as they sang. Being the first song the group worked on in a recording studio since moving to their new company, it unintentionally became a fan song that fans enjoyed while waiting patiently for their return.
Reaching the climax of the show, the girls performed the English version of their song, “LOONATIC.” The song’s fast tempo and accompanying cute choreo had the crowd dancing along as the energy and temperature in the venue rose. The group kept the momentum going, immediately moving into “Air Force One,” the title track of their recent album. Amidst the cheering, fans sang along to the song clearly as the ODD EYE CIRCLE danced on stage, never missing a step and staying in sync the entire time.
Before performing the final song, the group took a moment to grab a drink of water and thank fans for coming to the show. Kim Lip also teased the possibility of coming back as a full group with ARTMS, saying “Though we aren’t sure, I think we are going to have a lot more opportunities to meet our fans. We aren’t sure if it’ll be just three members or more. You guys will be here when we come back, right?” Moving on, the final song of the main set was the English version of “Sweet Crazy Love,” which was released through voting in a Gravity event.
After a final short VCR, the trio came back on stage in their merch and holding their official lightsticks as they started “My Secret Playlist.” While interacting with fans, the members enjoyed themselves, running and jumping around the stage. After fooling around, they had to organize themselves a bit to perform one of their most popular songs, “Girl’s Front,” with full choreo. Ending on a high note, the members appeared to be wrapping up the show with a few parting words, a group photo with the crowd, and a bow. Soon fans realized that ODD EYE CIRCLE launched into a performance of “Hi High,” a LOONA song. Many in the crowd felt a swell of emotion, hearing the members perform the classic while taking selfies on fan’s phones as well as playing with props and toys the crowd had given to them.
Ending the show on a LOONA song was bittersweet had fans reminiscing about the group they were in the past but also smiling to see how far they have come along. The setlist showcased ODD EYE CIRCLE’s music, both old and new, as well as proving to fans that they were here to stay. As JinSoul, Kim Lip, and Choerry waved goodbye and walked off the stage, there was a distinct feeling of sadness that it was over, but also excitement for what was to come. ODD EYE Circle and MODHAUS have shown that the girls are still here for their fans and that although LOONA is separated, they are always together. As fans were reminded many times that night, there is a lot to look forward to when they come back again as ARTMS.
Click on the photo below to view our photos from the concert:
