The line started in the early hours of the morning and stretched down the street in front of Tempe’ Marquee Theatre as hundreds of fans turned out for the return of ONEUS. The KPOP group brought their most recent tour to Arizona last week, nearly a year after their first run at the same venue- but this time, the crowd was larger, the cheers were louder and the show was on a whole new level.
With a large time gap between the doors opening and the start of the show, fans queued up inside to secure the best possible view for the fourth generation group. The excitement built to a frenzy as the members took the stage, backed by a large LED video screen and a host of talented dancers.
Even their stage outfits took the visuals up a notch with the coordinating blue suits bringing both sophistication and showcasing each member’s personality. Since their last visit to Arizona, the group has put out two new albums so they had plenty of material to draw from for their set.
“Black Mirror” was a standout in both musicality and choreography, with each member getting their time in the spotlight. Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwanwoong and Xion are known for their incredible synchronization onstage and they moved in perfect unison to the delight of a packed house.
ONEUS added a few new covers to their repertoire as well with their own spin on Blackpink’s “Pink Venom”. The videos had been circulating for weeks, but the group’s provocative dance covers to a medley of “Sexyback”, “Danger Zone” and “I Ain’t Worried” had the screams reaching ear splitting volumes.
The group went through several outfit changes to match the mood of the songs and took brief pauses to talk directly to their fans about being back on tour and what the last year has been like for them. The rest of the 19 song setlist had plenty of standouts- everyone particularly enjoyed “Luna” and “No Diggity” (as they should).
As is customary, the boys returned to the stage for an encore of the uplifting “Life is Beautiful” and the aptly named “Last Song” before departing in a shower of love and applause. Already an Atlas favorite, ONEUS has propelled themselves to new heights since the last time we saw them and their star will only continue to rise as they grow as a group. They assured the fans that they’d return and, after the welcome they received, we have no doubt it’ll be very soon.
Check out all the photos from the show!
Story and photos by Olivia Khiel
