ENHYPEN’s “FATE” World Tour in Chicago Review: Seven Highlights and One Lowlight
ENHYPEN’s “FATE” World Tour in Chicago Review: Seven Highlights and One Lowlight
The best and worst things about ENHYPEN’s “FATE” live show
#1: Staying True to Their Rich Narrative
ENHYPEN have a very specific musical style, both aesthetically and narratively. Their Webtoon characters in DARK MOON: THE BLOOD ALTAR are also their characters in their music videos, vampires and reincarnated knights. The story’s mix of gothic, mythological, Shakespearean, and supernatural sources of inspiration lends itself to a visual palette as dramatic and detailed as their auditory world’s. They took full advantage of their fascinating story’s potential. People did not have to know the full backstory to enjoy the show, but having that extra knowledge sure made the viewing experience more exciting!
#2: Webtoon Tie-Ins
As mentioned above, ENHYPEN made no secret of this show’s presence in their Webtoon’s and music videos’ fictional realm, and while they kept the premise accessible to all viewers, they did incorporate subtle details for the super-fans! Some of the Webtoon’s most meaningful props, like a sword, appeared during video interludes, and others, like a “Nightball” (a reference to their school’s most popular sport) were physically present. It was also a nice touch for them to wear Decelis Academy logos with some of their outfits, a reference to their characters’ high school!
#3: The Wardrobe
The members wore an array of dapper, clean-cut ensembles, which ranged from clearly vampire-inspired to schoolboy-esque! Their outfits also contributed to the storytelling through contrasts, like when they changed out of embellished, regal attire into more low-key, plain outfits with a similar color scheme. They went from singing about embodying their vampire-prince characters fully to leaning into their characters’ more human, down-to-Earth sides.
They also personalized their outfits in fun ways, each putting their own stylish spin on the tour merchandise during the encore!
#4: The Synergy
In-sync choreography is a staple at K-pop shows, but ENHYPEN’s stood out for unique reasons. Like their outfit choices, each choreography choice seemed tailor-made for their specific narrative. The ways they brought to life their songs’ themes through dance were amazing and encompassed despair, loss, euphoria, and everything in between. They committed to staying in character, literally pushing and dragging each other away at times and literally leaning on each other and lifting each other up at other times.
#5: Constant Surprises
Each performance had a special distinction, from a surprising confetti blast to an unexpected instrumental remix. They also mixed things up by playing guitar and piano during a couple of songs and using props, like the ball they tossed to each other (before throwing it into the crowd!) during “Tamed-Dashed.” Plus, they made full use of the stage, from the far-back risers to the very edge of the runway.
#6: The Crowd
The audience had a delightful lack of self-consciousness! People danced and sang along like no one was watching, even when everyone was, when the members themselves put a literal spotlight on groups of them! The crowd’s personality also popped while awaiting the encore. The camera showed close-up after close-up of signs, all with amusing quips. Some attendees even dressed in full costumes!
#7: The “Drunk-Dazed” Dance Break
ENHYPEN performed the “Drunk-Dazed” routine that long-time fans have memorized by this point, but they surprised with an extended dance break for an outro. That dance break showed off many of their performance strengths: their ability to move as one organism, to seamlessly split into duos or for solos before jumping right back into one unit, and to have to-the-nanosecond synchronization. That syncing even extended to the stage elements. They perfectly timed their stomps and jumps to pops of firecrackers, flashes of green lasers, and other elements that lent themselves to a dramatic effect.
One Downside
Because of ENHYPEN’s fascinating storytelling, their show is uniquely primed to sweep listeners into a specific and all-consuming headspace. Because of this, the type of concert that does the greatest service to their discography is one with little or no interruption. The group is at their most exciting to watch when in the zone, going from song to song, chapter to chapter, without stopping. After all, people do not pause a movie just as the plot really gets going! It was frankly disappointing that they interrupted their own momentum several times. Viewers were snapped out of the story for extensive talk breaks, which got repetitive and at times overtly appeared to be stalling. With such a relatively small discography, knowing that ENHYPEN had time to perform the handful of songs that were not on the setlist if they had talked less seems like a missed opportunity. While there are upsides to K-pop shows with an emphasis on audience engagement, this particular show would have been best served continuously.
That being said, it was sweet to see how much ENHYPEN wanted to show off their new English-speaking skills and connect with the crowd more than they felt like they could during the last tour, and their likability was evident throughout their conversations with the crowd!
For more ENHYPEN coverage, check out these 17 Carat K-Pop podcast episodes and articles!
“DARK BLOOD and ENHYPEN’s Humbling Journey”
“The Deeper Meaning Behind ENHYPEN’s Setlist”
“MANIFESTO” U.S. tour review (and a shorter version)
The ultimate guide to DARK BLOOD
Stream on Apple Podcasts here!
The ultimate guide to MANIFESTO : DAY 1
Stream on Apple Podcasts here!
A guide to their story’s mythology references
Stream on Apple Podcasts here!
An overall guide to the ENHYPEN Music Video Universe
Stream on Apple Podcasts here!
The podcast version of the “MANIFESTO” U.S. tour review
Stream on Apple Podcasts here!
And for future ENHYPEN coverage, subscribe to this newsletter and to 17 Carat K-Pop!