On May 10, Wango Tango 2025 featured for the first time five acts with Asian performers, coincidentally during AAPI Heritage Month. Taking place at the Huntington City Beach, it was also the first time the event took place at the beach. Although the event went smoothly for the most part, there were some logistical shortcomings and technical hiccups.
The day began at the Wango Tango Village, which featured performances by acts such as Rhea Raj and KINO, as well as a few brand activations. This part of the event opened at 1 p.m., right as the sun was reaching its peak on one of the hottest days of the year thus far. While the beach tends to be a little nicer with a cool breeze, it wasn’t that way that day and it was essential for attendees to stay hydrated due to the heat.
Attendees were encouraged to bring their own empty reusable water bottles, but only plastic bottles were permitted inside. This left non-plastic bottles checked in at the front of the venue, where there was no actual check-in system to retrieve the correct bottle when leaving the event. For those that were able to bring their bottles in, there weren’t any water refill stations that could be found. While there were beverages for purchase, the lack of water refill stations defeated the purpose of bringing a reusable bottle.
Photos by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
As fans trickled into the Wango Tango Village, attention was diverted into two main areas — the line for the GA admission to the main concert which would start in four hours, or to the front of the Wango Tango Village stage to see the performances. Neither of these locations were shaded, but fans braved the heat to see their favorite artists. At the Village stage, Rhea Raj kicked things off with a short but spicy set with tracks like “MESSY” and “HUSH,” followed by KINO, who brought a more relaxed vibe with songs like “Skyfall” and “Everglow.” The stage also featured performances by Asher Angel and True Blood, before 102.7 KIIS FM resident DJ, DJ Triple XL, took over for the rest of the time.
At 4 p.m., fans were allowed into their respective GA standing sections to start waiting for the main event. GA Pit fans were allowed into the section on stage right, and VIP were allowed into the section on stage left. While the VIP section had a bar (with no lights by the end of the night) and a small seating section with food trucks, GA Pit had no amenities. For anyone hoping to hold their spot for the whole show, they had no way of leaving their spot to grab water or food if needed. Regular GA still had access to the bars and food stalls within the Village space, truly leaving GA Pit with the shortest end of the stick. The only positive was that fans were much more relaxed, laying beach towels on the sand and taking a seat to enjoy the music or wait for their favorite artist. This, of course, became impractical as the night went on and the crowds grew in size, but it was a great starting point for the show.
Beginning at 5 p.m. on the dot, the show showcased the following performers in order: Sorellé (winners of a 102.7 KIIS FM music competition), NMIXX, Hearts2Hearts, A2O MAY, xikers, KATSEYE, Meghan Trainor, Gwen Stefani, Doja Cat, and finally, David Guetta.
Each of the acts brought their best for their sets, and put on great performances, though some were simply too short. NMIXX kicked things off with a 20-minute set, performing “See That?,” “DASH,” “Run For Roses,” and a medley of “Soñar (Breaker),” “Dice,” and “Love Me Like This.” Notably, the group brought along a live band, impressing the crowd with their live vocals that were complemented by the live instrumentals. Even despite not having much time, they also showed their humble personalities, taking time to introduce each member of their band to the crowd before taking their leave.
Photos by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Next up were Hearts2Hearts and A2O MAY, two acts that only got two songs each. It’s worth noting that they each only have two released songs, but fans had hoped for some cover stages or special performances to be included. Hearts2Hearts started off with “The Chase” before taking a brief pause to say hi to the crowd and wrapping up their set with “Butterflies.” After a warm welcome from host JoJo Wright (known as “JoJo on the Radio”), A2O MAY was slated to come next, but some technical difficulties delayed their appearance. After a 10-minute DJ interlude, the Chinese girl group then appeared onstage, performing the English versions of their songs, “Under My Skin” and “BOSS.”
Photos by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Then, the only boy group on the lineup, xikers, took the stage. They completely switched things up from NMIXX’s refreshing summer vibes, Hearts2Hearts’ dreamy atmosphere, and A2O MAY’s girl crush concept, by diving in with their hip-hop-centric tracks. The group performed “BREATHE,” “TRICKY HOUSE,” and “Koong,” before pivoting to brighter tracks geared towards their fans like “HOMEBOY” and “We Don’t Stop” to finish off their set. Not long after, technical difficulties occurred during the beginning of KATSEYE’s performance. While the instrumentals did not play for “Gnarly,” the girl group did not let that stop them from proceeding to sing acapella. Thankfully the track picked up by the time it reached member Lara’s lines, and the rest was smooth sailing. The group whipped through their latest song, as well as their very first song, “Debut,” the meaningful track “My Way” that highlights the group’s journey to becoming KATSEYE, “Tonight I Might,” and finally “Touch.”
There were pros and cons to having all the acts with Asian performers grouped together for the beginning of the show. The upside was primarily for fans of only these specific acts, as half of the crowd left the event upon KATSEYE finishing up their set. While it was phenomenal to see so many acts with Asian performers taking the main stage at a Western festival, having them grouped together in this section only felt like they were being included but also segregated simultaneously. It seemed like only people familiar with the artists already were in the audience during their performances, making it a miss in terms of giving them a chance to perform for new listeners.
JoJo Wright did a great job at introducing each act, sharing some information about them along with his personal experiences with each artist, but ultimately, the separation between the artists with Asian performers and the Western artists made it feel like two completely separate events that just happened one after the other in the same place. At the very least, Wango Tango brought these artists to perform at a beachside festival in an experience they all described as “a dream come true.”
