K-pop group OnlyOneOf wrapped up their North American tour on Saturday with a vibrant show at The Novo in Los Angeles. KB, Rie, Yoojung, Junji, Mill and Nine have been all over the world on the Things I Can’t Say LOve Tour and California LyOns helped them bring things to a close with their positive energy and good wishes.
The upstairs venue was lit by the fans’ lightsticks as the opening video introduced the group to the room before they emerged for a high-velocity performance of “dopamine” from their latest album. Immediately after, the members took their first pause to speak with the fans and promised that LA’s show would be even more special since it was the last night of the run.
OnlyOneOf has made a name for themselves with their controversial portrayal of LGBTQ love stories in their music and videos and they bring those stories proudly to their stages as well. Pride flags could be seen waving as the group used their choreography to beautifully illustrate these concepts for the fans.
After the first part of the set brought the powerful dancing to “gaslighting” and the ambient brilliance of “give me the lOve, bitxx”, the group disappeared for an intermission only to reappear with stunning renditions of their solo songs for the middle of the show. Their coordinated black and white outfits fit perfectly for “skinz”- one of their most popular songs- and the provocative choreography of “libidO” that had every phone in the sky to capture the moment.
The guys were goofy between songs, speaking directly to each other and the fans and, as a special treat from the fan chat requests before the show, they added “bOss” back into the setlist for one night only to the ear splitting delight of the fans. They also slowed things down to showcase their stunning vocals and harmonies as a team, letting Junji take the spotlight on his killer high notes.
With the night coming to a regrettable close, the guys took one final time to speak to their LyOns and Rie found himself so choked up that the other members expressed their love and gratitude while comforting him. One more intermission video (an emotional montage of the group’s journey to this point and preparation for the tour) later and OnlyOneOf emerged for the last time in their own tour shirts to close out the set. Even though the venue’s policies prevented the usual plethora of large pride flags for the LA show, the fans made up for it by absolutely showering the boys in love all evening.
Everyone’s eyes were locked on the stage for “chrOme hearts” and “angel” when Junji stole the show by ripping off his tank top as Nine chased him around the stage. This was only the final show of the North American tour and while there is much more to go for the OOO boys, they were clearly emotional to be leaving the United States and all the wonderfully receptive American fans. They encored with “blOssOm”, spraying the audience with water and making sure that no one left the venue too upset at their departure. With a heartfelt plea to not forget them and always return to their future shows, the fans made a promise of their own- and honestly, how could we ever stay away from such a phenomenally talented group?
