On October 18, K-pop septet ENHYPEN touchdown in New Jersey for their FATE World Tour. Within a year of their previous tour, the boys are back in the Tri-State area again but this time at a bigger venue and for two consecutive shows. Despite it being held on a Wednesday night, this show was bound to be a full house as numerous ENGENES (their fandom name) waited since early morning outside of Prudential Center.
In only three years since their debut, ENHYPEN has already garnered a generous fanbase and is headlining arena shows. They appeared on American talk shows such as The Kelly Clarkson Show broadcasted earlier that day and continue to win over international audiences. Thousands of ENGENES were mesmerized by the group’s charms and showed their support by bringing in banners and fan signs to the show.
The arena was filled with electrifying energy as members Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Ni-ki took the stage. Clad in fully white clothing, the group dived right into “Drunk-Dazed” which features a dance break segment before transitioning over to “Blockbuster.” They gave their introductions, indicating the start of a lively show among the never-ending screams.
Ear-splitting cheers erupted for “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC),” especially during the marvelous display of pyro towards the end of the song. “Blessed-Cursed” was another fan favorite due to its catchy melodies. ENHYPEN proceeded to bring out a more edgy, rock version of themselves with “Attention, please!” as Jay started finger-synching a guitar during the solo before flinging it across the stage.
The show wasn’t just all performances though, as ENHYPEN started a cheering contest to see which section of the venue was the loudest. They divided the room into three groups – green, blue, and red – as the fans from each respective section waved their lightsticks with their corresponding color when it was their turn to scream. After a round of cheers and lots of barking, it was hard to tell which section was the loudest but Jake declared everyone the winner. The group strived to make the show interactive when they signaled the audience to do a wave (an “ENGENE wave” as they would call it), which created a magnificent spectacle with the blinking lightsticks.
There were several special stages in store for this tour. For instance, fans were treated to a performance of “TFW (That Feeling When)” with Jay on the acoustic guitar accompanied by Jake, Sunoo, and Sunghoon. They sang while perched on bleachers surrounded by flowers, creating a dreamy atmosphere. During “Just A Little Bit,” Heeseung showed off his piano skills as he was joined by Jungwon and Ni-ki who captivated the crowd with their pleasant vocals.
In an effort to get closer to their fans, ENHYPEN stepped offstage during “Polaroid Love” and proceeded to serenade the audience with the song’s endearing lyrics. After the song and dance went viral on TikTok, it was no surprise that many ENGENES knew the lyrics as they began singing along. The boys gave their biggest smiles while they walked down the aisles and high-fived fans. Next up was “SHOUT OUT,” another uplifting, lighthearted song that brought about another round of confetti showers.
During one of their ments, ENHYPEN mentioned that they have a new album coming out called Orange Blood. Attendees were gifted album sleeves upon entrance specifically for this purpose. They’ve also been posting spoilers on their Instagram leading up to the album release. Heeseung took a moment to express his contentment with ENGENES, “I’m so happy that there were many people who sang this song together. ‘Polaroid Love’ just became much more special thanks to you.”
“Put your hands up if you think you could dance better than us,” Jake asked the crowd, leading up to their next segment. The members decided to turn the spotlight over to the audience with a dance battle among ENGENES. Jake became the cameraman as he panned over to fans trying to showcase their best dance moves. Most notable were two fans dancing in pepper costumes as Jay coined them the “pepper sisters.”
Jake encouraged everyone to dance along to the performances but also brought up the importance of safety, “You could jump but you have to stay in your seats” – quite a contradictory statement but the sentiment was there. The energy never wavered that night, most particularly during the loud fan chants for “Go Big or Go Home.”
Yang Jungwon! Lee Heeseung! Park Jongseong! Sim Jaeyun! Park Sunghoon! Kim Sunoo! Ni-Ki! ENHYPEN!
– fan chant for “Go Big or Go Home”
The last third of the show was dedicated to songs from their Dark Blood EP such as “Chaconne,” “Bills,” and “Sacrifice (Eat Me Up).” The members were dressed up in red and black suits to match the sultry vibes of those performances. The venue lit up in a bright orange ocean from the lightsticks during “Bite Me,” creating an eerie, Halloween-esque ambiance. As mentioned in a ment by Jungwon, the time they spent with ENGENES was precious and they expressed their excitement to see them again for Day 2.
After a short video intermission of fans showing off their handcrafted signs, the boys were back out for an encore stage. They performed “One In A Billion” and “Karma” with a vigor that it didn’t feel like the show was nearly over. For their finale, they chose a different song for each stop on the tour, and for New Jersey Day 1 it was “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC).” The boys spent a good amount of time thanking the crowd and saying their goodbyes.
To sum it all up, it was a 3-hour show filled with non-stop dancing, heartfelt speeches, and endless confetti showers. Like their name ENHYPEN – inspired by the ‘hyphen (-)’ that connects one word to another – suggests, the teamwork this group exudes is undeniable. We could only imagine the energy to get even hotter for Day 2. If you haven’t seen ENHYPEN yet, we recommend you check them out whenever they’re in your area!
Quotations have been edited for clarity and conciseness.
Words by Angela Leung
Photos by BELIFT LAB
