To wrap up his first solo U.S. tour, MONSTA X member I.M performed two nights in Los Angeles at the historic venue, The Wiltern. Originally slated for just one night, the group’s youngest member added the second date due to popular demand, with the first night’s show selling out immediately. The evening was jam packed with sultry and energetic performances accompanied with live instrumentals, creating a lively atmosphere from beginning to end. In addition to his great performances, I.M also showed off his humble and playful personality in talking segments throughout the concert.
The show began right at 8pm with a brief introduction from the live band. Throughout the night, the singer expressed his gratitude to them for keeping him company on the tour. Additionally, he mentioned how happy he was that fans have been loving the live band versions of his songs, declaring that this was an exclusive for those attending his shows. An instrumental introduction led into the singer’s entrance, and I.M started the night with “Burn,” “More,” and “nbdy.” Notably, each of these three songs the comes from each of his EPs in order of release — 2021’s DUALITY, 2023’s OVERDRIVE, and 2024’s Off The Beat. This combination of songs was a great prelude to the show, as I.M took fans on a journey through his career, performing songs old and new.
While the energy in the venue was nearly palpable just from the first three songs, this next segment brought higher energy with sultrier songs and body rolls galore. I.M dove straight into “OVERDRIVE,” “Bust It,” and “XO.” After a short introduction for those songs, he slowed things down with “Slowly,” “nvrmnd,” and “flower-ed.” Since “Slowly” originally features singer Heize, I.M requested fans to sing along if they could. However, with the lyrics being in Korean, fans stood dumbstruck when he pointed the microphone at the crowd, causing the singer himself to burst into laughter mid-song and calling his fans “cute.”
The next part of the concert began with a VCR showing the performer walking around and posing in various settings, before he reappeared on stage. While his previous outfit was much more casual, consisting of a bedazzled jean jacket and pants along with a sheer tank top, this time around, he was donning a full suit, with a jacket, dress shirt, tie, slacks, and even dress shoes. I.M performed “LURE,” “Not Sorry,” and “Habit,” before taking another quick break. During “Habit,” the singer tried pointing his microphone at fans once again, during an English line this time, and much to his delight, fans sang along with ease.
Taking off his suit jacket while introducing the next two songs — “Blame” and “Loop” — as some of his favorites, the crowd’s cheers made the singer laugh incredulously once more. “I didn’t think that would get everyone so excited when I only took my jacket off. What would happen if I took the shirt off too then?” he asked hypothetically, before assuring he wouldn’t do so. This led into what was undoubtedly the highlight of the show, as the energy truly peaked and hit an all-time high. As one of I.M’s first solo tracks ever released, “God Damn” brought on a whole new wave of cheers from the crowd, as if their energy had also been revived. The whole venue shook as fans sang and grooved along to the song, and every time his hand slid down his chest while body rolling, the crowd screamed once more. The singer himself described this past section of the show as one meant to make fans fall in love with him: “I know you love me, but I want you to fall deeper and deeper.”
Coming back to the stage in tassled jeans and a black fitted tank top on, I.M performed “Howlin'” and “Skyline,” with the latter earning noticeably loud cheers. “I see you guys like the sexy vibes kind of songs,” he said with a laugh, before moving on to the final song of the setlist, “MMI.” “This was song I wrote when I was having a tough time in the studio,” he began. “I was struggling and in the studio, it really is just me, myself, and I. But, now that we are here together, I’m fine now.” When the song started, the crowd screamed the lyrics back as I.M performed, flawlessly executing the fanchant and keeping the energy going strong, all the way through to the end.
It wasn’t long before the singer returned to the stage for an encore performance, donning the same pants and a tour tee instead. Humbly thanking the crowd once again, I.M made sure everyone truly understood how grateful he was for this moment and this tour. “You guys are so precious to me, every one of you. You can’t love me more than I love you, but I’m truly so happy to be here today,” he started. “Someone asked me during an interview recently what my goal was. I don’t have any big goals like being #1 on the charts, but my goal is just to have a good day and a better tomorrow. You guys helped me achieve that, and I’m so grateful to all of you. I won’t ever take you for granted,” I.M finished, holding back tears. Lightening the mood again, the singer noticed fans crying, and jokingly laughed at the crowd.
Soon after, the show came to an actual end with “Happy to Die” and “Dumb,” but not without a few more surprises prepared. As I.M mentioned taking a photo with the crowd, his tour staff surprised him on stage with a cake congratulating the end of the tour. In addition, while introducing his band members one by one, they each played one of MONSTA X’s songs, prompting the youngest member to share how much he misses his brothers. With one final bow and a promise to return with his fellow members, I.M retreated backstage.
Though the concert only lasted a little over 90 minutes, it was full of great memories to cherish for both I.M and his fans. While the artist is known to be introverted, he filled the venue with his energy that was equally reciprocated from the crowd. Seeing how fans trickling out of the theatre couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear, it’s safe to say he not only succeeded in this endeavor, but excelled at it as well.
