Kicking away the Monday blues for their fans, known as BRIIZE, SM Entertainment’s latest boy group, RIIZE, brought their fan-con to the City of Angels. Although this wasn’t the group’s first time in LA, this was their first solo show, and the six active members very clearly gave it their all to make a lasting memory for both themselves and their fans. The event was set in a fan meeting format, filled with games, talking segments, and performances, allowing the group to show off not only their talents, but their wit and charm as well.
At 8 p.m. on the dot, the lights began to dim, and “Get A Guitar” began blasting out loud of the speakers. Once the song reached its end, the screens lit up with the first video of the night. This first video featured the six members in a field, enjoying the nature around them. As the group came together, the cloudy blue sky began to change in hue, ranging from blues to purples and pinks. This video could be described as representing RIIZE’s youth, as they are a newly debuted group that is still fresh and innocent to the world. Just when fans thought the video was over, however, it transitioned into a much darker tone. With blood red lighting morphing into a somber black and white, the group was reintroduced to the audience with a more mature vibe. This video transition reflects RIIZE’s eagerness to showcase their real-time growth. On the screen, each strike of lightning revealed a member until the full group appeared to begin the show.
Starting off strong, the group stepped forward as the beginning notes of “Siren” began to play. Filled with difficult and fast choreography, the group’s heavy breathing could be heard as they flowed through the song. Taking a break to catch their breaths and greet the audience, RIIZE went through group and individual introductions next. In an unintentional display of their rookie innocence, members Sohee and Anton even forgot to mention their own names in their excitement. The music stopped momentarily after their introductions, as the group moved in to their first few game and talk corners.
First up was “BRIIZE to RIIZE Capsule,” a Q&A session where each member chose a capsule containing a request or question from BRIIZE. These paper slips contained requests and questions such as asking the members to imitate one another, sing pop songs, do a flying kiss relay, cover a dance, record morning calls for fans, show off their most charming physical features, and conduct “yaja time,” in which the younger members can temporarily speak informally to the older members. The group made sure to show off different aspects of themselves with this section, as Sohee and Anton performed “Rewrite the Stars” from The Greatest Showman, Wonbin performed “Love” by Musiq Soulchild, and Shotaro performed dance covers of aespa’s “Supernova” and SEVENTEEN’s “Maestro.”
RIIZE prepared special stages for their fans, performing One Direction’s “One Thing,” “HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY!” from the SEALOOK (씰룩) OST, and Super Junior’s “Odd Imagination / White Christmas” (엉뚱한 상상), originally by JINU before getting back into their own groove with a performance of “Love 119” and the next game corner. The “Odyssey For Everyone” game saw the group split into two teams to compete for points. Team Babies consisted of younger members Anton, Sohee, and Wonbin, and Team Bros consisted of the older members, Shotaro, Sungchan, and Eunseok. The six members competed in a balloon cup battle, using blown up balloons to push a cup off the table, a three-legged race, and a TikTok challenge competition, dancing to Tyla’s “Water” remix challenge and J.Tajor’s “Like I Do” challenge.
Team Bros swept all three games, leaving two of Team Babies’ members to receive punishments. Anton was given the punishment to walk like he’s on a runway and pose five times the next time they’re at the airport, and Sohee was given the task of singing each member a goodnight lullaby at least once when they’re heading to sleep. Attendees of the next fan-con in Hong Kong will get to see video confirmation the members execute their punishments. Meanwhile in LA, fans saw recordings of the two losers of the “Odyssey” game from the Mexico concert complete their punishments: Eunseok had to go on a morning jog like the locals, and Sungchan had to do one hundred push ups in two sets of fifty. This was a fun way to connect each city on the tour together and see the members in different cities.
Through another video highlighting RIIZE’s youth, fans were given a glimpse into their memories through vintage style video recordings and film photos. The group was seen playing basketball, skateboarding, and hanging out like a regular group of young adults, emphasizing the video’s initial tagline: “We didn’t really do anything particularly special, we just did whatever we liked.” This led into the next segment, as the group returned to stage for “Honestly,” “Talk Saxy,” and “Get A Guitar” before sharing their final thoughts full of gratitude. With this segment showing off a cooler, more mature side of the group, the group continued the momentum with their dance cover of Missy Elliot’s “Joy,” which was choreographed by Shotaro and Wonbin, “9 Days,” and “Impossible” to end the night.
Returning for an encore performance, the group fittingly ended the show with their recent release, “One Kiss,” and sentimental song “Memories.” With a fan concert designed to make lasting memories with their fans, RIIZE did a great job showcasing their hard work and efforts thus far.
Despite using backing tracks for a majority of their fast-paced songs in order to execute their tiresome choreography, the members could still be heard panting and trying their best to sing live. Adding in their awkward stage presence between songs as they had difficulty smoothly transitioning from segment to segment without sudden pauses to think, the show further emphasized the group’s inexperience as a rookie group, but in a charming manner. Their youth and innocence were clear, as the members showed off their childlike wonderment at seeing so many people there to support them. RIIZE carried a refreshing sense of modesty as they familiarized themselves with the stage and grew more confident as the night went on, and while the show wasn’t perfect, it did well in showcasing the group’s potential to grow bigger and better in the future.
