ONEUS Brings La Dolce Vita to D.C
Photos by Roxanne Wilson
On a mild spring evening in March, the quintet of ONEUS once again visited the theater at MGM National Harbor to bring their latest world tour, La Dolce Vita, back to the nation’s capital. The group had previously stopped at this location for their first tour in January 2023, and as commented later in the show by the members, they were very familiar with the venue. The latest tour spans about a month, beginning and ending on the west coast with the final stop in L.A on April 10.
Seoho, Leedo, Keonhee, Hwanwoong and Xion opened up the show with their latest release “Baila Conmigo,” dressed in intricately styled light blue and white jackets. They followed up with a performance of “ERASE ME” before stopping for their first ment to introduce themselves to the crowd. To the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd, they continued with performances of “Simulation” and “FULL MOON” before taking another break to speak to the audience. The next track was a treat and a personal favorite, the performance of their debut title track “Valkyrie (Rock Version).”
The first costume change would come next with the first VCR, which was shot beautifully and kept the audience engaged while waiting for the return of the members. When they came back on they kicked off the next portion of the show with “Intro: Window” before transitioning into the fan favorite title track “LUNA.” “LUNA” would slowly transition into an older track that also features traditional Korean instrumentation, “LIT.” As they took their time for the third ment, the boys mentioned they selected these songs together to showcase the beauty of traditional Korean music, and they truly did a great job showcasing that beauty in their performance.
The show would continue on with performances of “Same Scent,” “A Song Written Easily,” “Unforgettable” and “STUPID LOVE.” A very extensive VCR series would follow after, where four chapters of the groups’ storyline as mermaids were portrayed on screen. As someone not as familiar with this lore, the videos were shot in a very intriguing way and showcased an interesting story.
When the boys returned from their final costume change of the night, the energy in the room was turned up to 11 with the performances of “COME BACK HOME,” “Twilight,” “Lion Heart,” “Level Up” and “Halley’s Comet,” building up a strong crescendo toward the end of the show. The final ment would take place, complete with Leedo poking fun at Seoho on how much time they had left in between sets, before they would finish out with “Bring it on” and “No Diggity.”
No show is complete without an encore, so of course they all returned to give an energetic send off with “BLACK MIRROR,” “BBUSEYO,” “Life is Beautiful” and Shut Up 받고 Crazy Hot!.” The real joy in the encore came when the boys took it upon themselves to hop off stage and run through the crowd, at least one person gracing each section. In our section, Xion flew up and down the stands, giving as many high fives as he could. We also caught a glimpse of Seoho sneaking into a selfie a fan was taking as he passed, which was incredibly endearing. This was definitely a surprise for fans, and I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen a group take the initiative to do such a thing at their own show. It definitely ended the show on a special note.
We did thoroughly enjoy the chance to catch ONEUS’s tour, and if you haven’t had the chance to see them perform, don’t miss out!