K-pop group ENHYPEN returned to Los Angeles to wrap up the U.S. leg of their WALK THE LINE world tour in August. While past tours focused heavily on one theme per tour, this show was more of a highlight reel, showcasing their past concepts and spending the “now” with their fans, known as ENGENEs.
The night began with the group’s most loved concept—the gothic, vampire aesthetic that revolved around dark red and black color schemes. ENHYPEN began the show with “Brought The Heat Back,” an explosive and energetic start featuring all black outfits with leather jackets and pyrotechnics galore. The song featured bats on the back screens, emphasizing the vampiric aesthetic. This led into a shortened version of “FEVER,” further driving the overall energy of the show higher as fans screamed in excitement. Next was “ParadoXXX Invasion,” which felt slightly out of place in the moment but still fed the energy, and “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” to round out the first segment of the show. While the latter two fit the concept a little less, they kept the energy up and featured heavy stage effects—bursts of flames, confetti, streamers, and fireworks all appeared just within the first four songs, setting the tone for an extravagant show.
For the next part of the show, the members returned on stage donning prince-like outfits with black and white accents, yet still with their vampiric theme. This section started off with unit stages, each with a completely different vibe. “Lucifer” by JAY, JAKE, and SUNGHOON took place in a royal setting named “Walter’s Castle,” and it featured an introductory video with old-timey music and sepia tones. It references the anime series Castlevania, in which Walter’s Castle is the domain of a powerful vampire. The song insinuated that the members themselves were Lucifer, while adopting a sultrier, cool concept. Next up was “Teeth,” with JUNGWON, HEESEUNG, SUNOO, and NI-KI. Similarly, the song was preluded with an introductory video, showcasing an his bar instead of a castle this time. Featuring a laser light show fitting for a rave, the performance featured the members wearing jean jackets. It was paired with “Viesczy,” a Slavic folklore term referring to a type of vampire born with teeth.
Continuing on with the high energy gothic theme, JAY kicked off “Blessed-Cursed” with an electric guitar solo. This performance led into “Fatal Trouble,” which featured unique graphics on the screens behind the members. Similar to a mirror, the screens displayed the members dancing in various different directions, adding an ominous depth to the performance. Finally rounding out the vampiric theme and segment was none other than “Bite Me,” one of the most memorable performances of the night. With this track being one of the group’s most popular, it was no surprise that the fanchants for the song were extra loud and passionate. That combined with the group’s revitalized energy created an explosive performance to finish off part one of the show.
Going back to one of their past concepts, the next segment had the group as students, as a video played of ENHYPEN as part of the football team in bright vibrant colors. The group returned to the stage in colorful casual streetwear for the next slew of sweet and upbeat songs, including “Your Eyes Only,” the original English version of “Loose,” “Scream,” “Tamed-Dashed,” the English version of “Sweet Venom,” and “Go Big or Go Home.” These songs were bright and full of cheerful, youthful energy, contrasting the previous darker set. Each of these performances was paired with bright flashing lights and videos on the screens behind the members, with “Tamed-Dashed” referencing a football match with sports banners and a scrolling banner displaying “ENHYPEN vs. ENHYPEN.” During “Go Big or Go Home,” the group even prepared neon green lasers and plenty of pyrotechnics. Just like the final song of the first segment, this part of the show also ended with invigorating cheers and infectious energy.
Having gone through the cheerful and youthful phase and the gothic vampiric phase, the last section of the concert focused more on the present and the group’s latest evolution of their music. A video played of a character going through a journey in search of stars and planets, and they are suddenly accompanied by seven butterflies. As ENHYPEN joins their fans on their journeys in this metaphorical video, ENHYPEN reappeared on stage in dreamy outfits: sparkling sheer silver tops over white dress shirts and grey pants, reminiscent of shining stars in the night sky. They performed “Moonstruck,” the English version of “XO (Only If You Say Yes),” “No Doubt,” and finally, “Bad Desire” to round out the night.
These final four songs highlight ENHYPEN’s current musical color, which sits balanced somewhere between playful and mature. They’ve grown up, but they’re still growing and learning. Bringing back one tradition, they paired their performance of “XO (Only If You Say Yes)” with pink heart confetti, a feature that used to belong to their performances of “Polaroid Love.” Using that same special confetti, but with a newer song to express their love, was a simple and subtle way of emphasizing their growth and evolution.
Wrapping up the show with encore performances of “Helium,” “Paranormal,” “Drunk-Dazed,” and “Go Big or Go Home,” ENHYPEN ended the show and U.S. tour with mixed emotions of nostalgia, gratitude, ambition, and satisfaction. Nostalgia from performing older songs, gratitude for their fans, ambition to do more and visit bigger venues and see more fans on their next visit, yet satisfaction for how far they’ve come thus far. Member JAKE said it best: “LA is like a second home to us, so we’re so happy to be able to finish this part of the tour here. It always feels like a dream come true to be here.”
