Lights On for ONF in Toronto

Photos by Jean Libert

After years of waiting, it was finally time to see ONF (On and Off) live! With a three stop Be Here Now in Canada tour that started in Vancouver and ended in Montreal, the sextet made it to Toronto to the delight of FUSE (their fandom) for their show on March 1 at the Meridian Arts Center. FUSE, who had waited patiently through COVID-19 and their military service time, were more than ready for the night. The sextet made up of Hyojin, E-Tion, Seungjun, Wyatt, Minkyun, and U debuted in 2017 under WM Entertainment. The tour itself, arranged by J&B Entertainment, provided opportunities for soundcheck, meet and greets, and polaroids for those wanting more interaction with their favorites. The patience paid off that Friday night as the guys brought their charisma, moves and vocals to a packed house excited to finally see them. As ONF says, “Light's on,” as it was time for the show to begin.

Starting out with a bang, ONF opened with their most well known hit, “Beautiful Beautiful.” Dressed in courtly black with golden details, these princes were more than ready to give Toronto their all. The cheers quickly turned into singing at the outset as everyone knew the song. Minkyun’s smile and wave “Hi” at his part of the song was a special touch to further kick off the night. “Ugly Dance” was next and kept the energy was on high as everyone moved along yelling “춤춰 (dance)!” as dictated by the song. It was not only the music, but their expressions, humor, and sincerity that set the tone for a night filled with cheers, dancing and moments that kept everyone smiling.

As they went into their first ment, the humor and engagement that they had with one another came naturally whether in broken English or Korean. Wyatt wore the MC hat as he was the comfortable English speaker, though they all managed the best they could filling any holes with hilarity and charm. From the onset when Seungjun called out “MK (former stage name)” instead of “Minkyun” to start the introductions, U piped in, “Who is MK?” Making the name game more complex, they also introduced their chosen English names. Starting with Sebastian (Minkyun), onto Kevin (aka U), Tommy (E-Tion), Brandon (Hyojin), who has the princely bow perfected by the way, Chris (Seungjun), and of course Wyatt (who was once upon a time Jay, but now remains just Wyatt). With much ribbing over the pronunciations of their English names, which frankly the members themselves forgot now and then through the show, they jumped into the cute and quirky “My Name Is.” The random ad-libs through the song made it even more fun and fresh. 

With it clear who was who, ONF immediately jumped into “Popping.” Energy on high, it was impossible not to dance along as they moved effortlessly from one formation to the next. The melodic part of the song that goes from Minkyun to Seungjun to Hyojin was a highlight with Hyojin hitting a high note right before jumping, literally, back into the song. Moving straight into their most recent track “Love Effect,” the song continued to show off their brilliant energy and live vocals. Hyojin and Minkyun would note later in their ending ments, that they weren't feeling their best, but it wasn't apparent here or in any performances during the night. 

Taking a moment to breathe, the crew moved onto their next ment with “OFF Team Talk Time” as per Seungjun as the ON Team (Hyojin, Minkyun and E-Tion) got ready for their subunit performance. The OFF Team (Seungjun, Wyatt, and U) were hilarious as they went from discussing Seungjun’s new blond locks to the correct pronunciation of Toronto. As the OFF Team went back to get ready, the ON Team was on with “Thermometer.” The ballad was lovely showcasing the merits of each of their strong vocal skills. The harmonization between the three was seamless.

As the “OFF Team” returned Minkyun spoke about how it had been ages since they had an overseas tour, also noting that after military service, knowing that so many FUSE had waited for them, made him so happy. E-Tion jumped in talking about how hot the “Toronto Vibe” in the venue was before the OFF Team went backstage. The “ON Team” was ready to show off their sexy vibes with “Secret Triangle.” The performance team clearly showed off their moves.

The rest of the team filed in while standing mics were set up for the next song group. Returning in patent black and white jackets, their fashion went from royal to street. Tugging at the feels, the group started with “Moscow Moscow,” following up with the lovely “Traveler” and the bit more upbeat “The Realist.” When the rest of the crew went back to change mics, Minkyun and Wyatt were left on stage to chat. Minkyun charmed FUSE by singing a bit acapella, including the chorus to Shawn Mendes’s “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back.” Wyatt, biding time, asked FUSE what songs they wanted to hear and how they got into ONF. FUSE jumped in yelling album titles, benchmarking their time when they discovered ONF. Learning that there were those who had followed them since their “ON/OFF" debut surprised and touched Wyatt as the rest of the team folded in preparation for their next song.

Minkyun’s delicate voice opened “We Must Love,” a favorite that demonstrates how effortlessly ONF manages dancing the intense choreography while singing live. Every member has steady vocals, and as they took turns with each verse, the push and pull of their different voices made the wait to hear it live worth it. Following next was “Why,” “New World,” and “Dam Dam Di Ram.” 

Before the final song “Goosebumps,” the members gave some of their last thoughts. U in particular stated that he really missed the sound of cheering fans. Noting that they had heard it so much upon their debut, but with COVID-19, and then all members going into the military together (without him as he is a Japanese national), that it had been about four years since he had been able to hear live sounds while performing. The “I love you” that U stated afterwards was clearly replicated by all there. Minkyun also noted his thanks to all the FUSE for making the night so memorable. It was here he noted that in actuality he wasn’t feeling well and was really worried prior, but as soon as he stepped on stage the sound of cheering energized him. 

After a short VCR, the encore blew open with “Show Must Go On.” With everyone ready to give their love to FUSE, Wyatt especially giving the crowd something to scream about by baring his abs, it was time for ONF to have one last moment of fun to give back. Taking time to throw signed bags and shirts to the crowd and giving as much fan service as they could from the stage, they jumped into “Be Here Now.” A fitting song as we all wished to sing along all night with them. With a few last words, the commemorative group photo, Seungjun taught the “Oh-oh, oh-oh” part of “Your Song” for everyone to sing along. After the “Oh-ohs” burst out, the show came to a close, only remaining to announce the raffle winners which included a RT flight to Korea via their sponsor, Air Canada. 

Though the lights turned off that night after the show, the light lit within FUSE is likely to remain on with the hope that ONF returns, not only to Canada, but everywhere, so they can shine even further and FUSE can once again sing along to their songs.

Thank you to WM Entertainment, J&B Entertainment and most of all to ONF.