As ENHYPEN hit the stage, Radio City Music Hall’s crimson walls pulsated with enthusiasm. Fans were excited to see the seven-member ensemble on the last stop of their North American ‘MANIFESTO’ tour.
The band’s first tour traveled through Los Angeles, Frankfurt, and Seoul in November 2020. During their tour, they gave their best to establish themselves are a dominant K-Pop act.
Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and NI-KI form ENHYPEN. They’re the first boyband from BELIFT LAB, a joint venture between HYBE and CJ ENM. The trainees competed on I-LAND to join the new group.
Their name comes from the en-dash and hyphen, which combine words and meanings, and the members swear to “connect, explore, and develop together.” They’re the youngest K-Pop group to hit the Billboard 200 Top 10 since their debut.
The first song they played, “Given-Taken,” had a beautiful and elegant beginning, but grew more strong towards the end. The members introduced themselves after playing “Flicker” Heeseung’s birthday coincided with their last gig, so the lads sang “Happy Birthday” to the eldest member. After “Not For Sale,” they played “Let Me In (20 CUBE)” and “TFW (That Feeling When)” from Manifesto Day 1.
Sunghoon and Heeseung high-fived before the chorus of “Upper Side Dreamin'” “Mixed Up” was opened by NI-KI, Sunghoon, Sunoo, and Jake.
Each member danced effortlessly to the mesmerizing “Drunk-Dazed” beat. The lads shifted into regality in “One in a Billion,” seated in a banquet-like table procession where they proudly jumped off the table during the song’s climax and went into an enticing dance break that leads into Border: Carnival’s smash song “FEVER.”
The lads were divided into units to change as the remaining units onstage teased the crowd by removing their coats to expose their glammed-out jerseys. It worked well because it propelled them into “Attention, Please!” which emphasized each vocalist’s ability with eye-catching lyrical visuals and made the music hall leap.
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“Without fans, you’re not an artist,” resident Aussie Jake said between songs. The audience mirrored ENHYPEN’s excitement. Engines (the group’s official fan moniker) swung their bright Engine bong lightsticks and held up banners. The band strolled across the aisles to sing “Polaroid Love” with Engines. With a lovely spring-like atmosphere, they sang “Just a Little Bit” to the crowd. “Tamed-Dashed” brought summer to New York in the fall with its fiery dance.
The boys resumed their unbreakable performances in “Blessed-Cursed” with “Don’t tell me what to do” lyrics. “Go Big or Go Home” samples Robin S.’s “Show Me Love” and is a joyful dance track that leads into “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)”
After the encore’s rebellious first song, “ParadoXXX Invasion,” each member thanked their fans and said they were proud of how far they’d come since their trainee days. Jungwon, the group’s leader, promised a greater performance. Jay told Engines, “New York is a gorgeous city, but you all are so much more beautiful,” amid a chorus of “Aws.”
The remaining members tried but failed to create a hand symbol representing New York to show other cities. Sunoo sobbed at his final speech, and the band soothed and affirmed him. Their delicate moments culminated in “Yell OUT,” which matches ENHYPEN’s ethos: “We shout, shout, shout when we’re together / Stay, stay, stay, you make things better.”
ENHYPEN wanted to remain long after all those major occasions. The band repeated “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” and “Go Big or Go Home” after the last song. ENHYPEN became big—and we didn’t want to go.