K-R&B luminary Colde has proven good things come to those who wait, officially having kicked off his first headlining stateside venture with his artistically intimate BluePrint Tour.

The singer-songwriter first made waves on North American soil when he toured with Club Eskimo in 2016, the same year he debuted as part of offonoff. Fast forward eight years, and Colde has since made a name for himself as one of the biggest solo acts in the Korean R&B scene, releasing some of the most enchanting work, collaborating with some of the industry’s biggest names, and also starting his label WAVY. As his popularity rose, so did the popularity of Korean music in the Western market, opening up avenues for artists of any size or style—with this, a Colde world tour seemed inevitable.

Pick any song by Colde and you can immediately conclude one thing about him as an artist: his music is emotionally raw. Now pair that vulnerability with a charmingly cozy venue like Chicago’s House of Blues and you may just have the stuff of concert dreams. 

The weather is always hit-or-miss in the Windy City, but for an introspective artist like Colde, a weekend full of rain almost felt like the perfect welcome. Fans filtered into a venue appropriately doused in blue before the lights went down to welcome WAVY’s Jiwoo to the stage. Setting the mood with slinky cuts “Lustre,” “Inner Eden,” “Greed,” “Comme des Garcons,” “In the Blur of the Rain,” and “Afterimage,” Jiwoo ushered in Colde to rapturous cheers (and definitely gained new fans of his own that night).

Colde kicked things off with one of his newest releases, “Toxic Love.” For anyone wondering what the night would be like, this performance quickly gave the answer. Despite it being his first U.S. solo stint, Colde masterfully commanded the stage, enticing the audience with his easy grooves and high-energy performance. Up next was “Heartbreak Club,” the lead single off last year’s Love Part 2. The third song of the night was one I’ve dreamed of hearing live since its release in 2018:—“YAYAYA”—and I cannot stress how much it exceeded my expectations. With the booming bass and the crowd chanting along to the chorus, “YAYAYA” felt like it was made specifically for being performed in front of that Chicago crowd and I’m sure any other longtime fan there that night would agree.

“if you love me” was the first chance for Colde to catch his breath, before drifting into sultrier territory with “Poem (Shhh),” which Colde happily joked sounded incredibly similar to the English curse word. “Light” closed out this portion of the show before Colde turned it over to his groovy backing band and labelmate basecamp who ended up being one of the most pleasant surprises of the night. The producer duo gave the setlist (and a very sweaty Colde) a much needed break, switching up styles with their retro-influenced jams “Okay,” “Sun and Life,” and “Elephant Man.”

Colde came back refreshed and ready to take the rest of the concert by storm, starting off with a nod to his appreciation for ‘90s band Nirvana with his new track “Nirvana Blues.” The energy only amplified with an equally gritty and electric performance of “Lighter” off 2021’s idealism before dipping back down into “I Fxxcking Love You,” the bluesy title track from 2019’s Love Part 1.

Continuing the trend of old title tracks was the single off his debut album Wave, “Sunflower.” The performance came as no surprise, as Colde entered the stage with a bouquet of sunflowers in hand—all of which went to a handful of very lucky fans. In a concert where he spent much of his energy hyping up the crowd, the hazy atmosphere of “Sunflower” as Colde crooned into the microphone while bathed in the warmth of golden stage lights felt almost divine.

“Control Me” picked the pace back up, injecting Colde’sl flair for bossa nova into the setlist before jetting off into the third track that night from his new all-English release YIN, “I Color You.” You’d be hard pressed to find an artist with the guts to launch their first full English release a mere two weeks before their first North American tour, but Colde has always been a daring man. Despite only being weeks old, the crowd belted the lyrics right along with him.

If there was one song that was sure to make the setlist, it was “WA-R-R.” Amidst the crowd singing and swaying along to the 6/8 beat, Colde proved why the track is regarded as a classic, as he only too easily hit the falsettos, closing out the main portion of the show.

Not long after, Colde re-entered the stage to raucous cheers for an encore, before giving two of his most touching performances that night. “After Everything,” my favorite off Love Part 2, was as personal as could be, with Colde’s signature hazy vocals taking front and center as he sang under a single spotlight. For “Star,” concert-goers were told to light up their phone flashlights, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere that was already so characteristic of Colde’s more somber discography.

If you’d asked me before the concert what Colde would’ve ended the show with, I never would have guessed correctly. With the first notes of offonoff’s “Dance,” I felt the shock sink in: offonoff is how I discovered the singer back in 2017 and their boy. album might just be my favorite album of all time. If waiting seven years to see Colde perform live hadn’t already felt worth it, the satisfaction certainly hit me at this moment. But that wasn’t the only surprise in store: the true closer of the show was Colde’s version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Yes, you read that right. Colde covering Nirvana wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card, but he delivered it flawlessly—truly, only a jack-of-all-trades artist like Colde could.

I knew I would love this concert: after all, Colde has been my favorite soloist for nearly a decade now. But, I was genuinely in awe of his ability to control the stage. He effortlessly pulled in the audience from all sides, crafting an experience that was so immersive without having to employ any gimmicks. More than that, I was stunned at his ability to sound identical to his recordings. This is already a feat for any artist, but for someone like Colde who has such a distinctively relaxed voice, I thought it would be near impossible for him to emulate that same energy in real life. I’ve never been so glad to be proven wrong.

The icing on the cake: “Photograph” by offonoff is the song that introduced me to Colde. I loved his voice from the first listen and it’s remained my favorite song ever since. Coincidentally, part of the visualizer for the song was shot in Chicago; getting to finally see him in this city of all places felt serendipitous.

To anyone on the fence about buying a ticket to Colde’s BluePrint Tour, I implore you to do so. This concert has something to offer everyone, from dedicated fans to casual listeners to people entirely unaware of the magic of Colde. 

Head to LiveNation.com to grab your tickets for the “coolest” tour in town.

All photos taken from Colde’s official Instagram, @wavycolde. Thank you to LiveNation and KOHAI for inviting us to the show.