ONEUS, the five-member K-pop group made up of Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwanwoong, and Xion, made their return to Chicago for their second world tour, La Dolce Vita. After a year-long wait following their appearance in Madison, Wisconsin on their previous tour, ONEUS returned to the Windy City with plenty of additions to their discography and new stages to perform for their TO MOONs (their official fandom).
The group wasted no time hyping up their introductions, immediately launching into “Baila Conmigo” off of their latest release, La Dolce Vita, and “Erase Me,” from Pygmalion, both tracks having been released following their previous tour. Straight out of the gate the group pulled no punches on their intense choreography, giving it their all and almost immediately breaking into a sweat from the sheer intensity of the performances and the heat of the packed venue, despite being a sub-freezing Chicago evening.
I’ve always noted how unique the choreography of ONEUS songs is, incorporating lifting of members, assisted jumps, and trust falls onto the group, and it seems that with every tour, they’re only getting better. With a lot of K-pop groups, their incredible dance performances are a sight to see, but ONEUS has so many moments within their shows that might actually make your jaw drop if you aren’t already familiar with their choreography.
Changing things up for live performances is always welcome, especially if a track has been performed many times on previous tours, and ONEUS did a nice job of adding and changing some tracks to fit the new setlist. The combination of “LUNA” and a remixed “Lit” saw the group incorporating traditional Korean elements into the performance, which they noted that they were very excited to bring to the US to show to their fans.
“Come Back Home” was another standout, with some stellar vocal displays as well as a very fast-paced choreography. The set also saw new additions including an older fan-favorite track “Valkyrie,” which garnered lots of singing along to the energetic chorus, and an exciting club remix of “Shut Up Crazy Hot” as an encore moment. Despite being the last full song of the night, everyone was on their feet, jumping and singing just as loud as they had been during the previous 2+ hours of performance.
Running “Bring it on” and “No Diggity” back-to-back to end the main set of the show was a bold move, as both are very difficult and fast-paced with their dancing. While the group looked overheated during the moments between songs, there was nothing but crisp, in-sync dancing once the performance began.
K-pop shows are just something that you have to experience once to understand what all of the hype is truly about, and a ONEUS show would not only be an excellent time for a TO MOON, but also to someone interested in experiencing a different type of show and atmosphere.
Setlist:
Baila Conmigo
ERASE ME
Simulation
FULL MOON
Valkyrie
Intro : Window
LUNA
Lit (Road to Kingdom Version)
Same Scent
A Song Written Easily
Unforgettable
STUPID LOVE
COME BACK HOME
Twilight
Lion Heart
Level Up
Epilogue
Halley’s Comet
Bring it on
No Diggity
Encore:
BLACK MIRROR
BBUSYEO
Life Is Beautiful
Shut Up Crazy Hot
Last Song
