The Christmas cheer was heavy in the air when Korean superstar Wonho took the stage at The Regent Theater in Los Angeles back in December. The talented vocalist and dancer’s Welcome Back Wenee Fan Meetup closed both the tour and the year in front of a sold out crowd eager to hear the soloist’s catalog live after such a long time away and they showered the performer with an abundance of love.
The anticipation in the room as the introductory music played was palpable and the screams that ensued when Wonho emerged could have shattered glass (in the best way). His matching red outfit put his impressive physique on display and drew even more screaming from the fans as he launched into the English version of “Open Mind”. Flanked by several charismatic backup dancers, Wonho gave his set an intermission consisting of various dance covers from his K-pop contemporaries, including sensual renditions of “Guilty” by Taemin and “Sticky” by Kiss of Life.
He also put his dancers in the spotlight and they playfully outdanced the boss before his solo material continued. This was only his first fanmeet as a soloist but his energy and charm from years of industry experience made him a force on The Regent’s stage. Certainly his Wenee enjoyed every moment, singing along to “Come Over Tonight” and “With You” before closing the main set with the English version of “Lose”.
Naturally he re-emerged clad in his tour’s official merchandise to be flooded with gifts from the crowd and bursting into laughter when his dancers snagged a Captain Korea flag to gleefully wave throughout the encore. Wonho spoke mainly in Korean to express his happiness and gratitude for a successful first tour and after delivering such an engaging performance, there’s no chance that his devoted Wenee won’t be there for the next one.
Fans were devastated to see the end of the night finally arrive but Wonho delivered a delightful reprise of “Open Mind” before the show concluded with “Weneed”, a love letter to his fans. There was an enormous amount of love and appreciation in the atmosphere of this final show and the demand for his return is already growing in the hopes that he’ll make the journey back to his American fans very soon.
