Aespa performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Jan. 30, 2025. Photos: Aaron Lee/STAFF.

OAKLAND — Outside Lands producers knew what they were doing when they booked aespa as the festival’s first K-pop group a couple of years ago. While pop charts are flooded with Asian groups who specialize in pop spectacles or various flavors of rap, fewer groups are as solid in both categories as the quartet of Karina (Yu Ji-min), Giselle (Aeri Uchinaga), Winter (Kim Min-jeong) and Ningning (Ning Yizhuo).

Performing in the Bay Area for the first time since that starring turn at Outside Lands, aespa demonstrated its vocal range again at Oakland Arena on Thursday.

Aespa performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Jan. 30, 2025.

The concert was the second of seven on this North America run of its expanded SYNK: PARALLEL LINE tour, with thematic elements drawing from concepts of perceived existence vs. reality (think “The Matrix”) and multidimensional existence. The theme didn’t mean so much for the fun songs the group performed, from all of its five EPs and debut 2024 LP, Armageddon, but it came up again and again in the video segments that separated the show’s acts, as well as in some of the videos that played during the songs themselves.

The imagery varied from paranoia-fueled —the ladies ripping pages from a book and seemingly noticing different versions of themselves behind a mirror — to multiple returns to some breaking news story blaring on small TVs.

Once the show began, the four appeared behind one of the video walls in sheer white outfits. Out of the numerous dress changes, the ones in which they began were the best. A group of dancers in black soon joined in, facing the opposite direction. Most of the roughly 23 songs were either in the rap or pop sides of the spectrum, and aespa was strong with both sounds. What stood out was that the group showed various shades of each.

The best examples came during “Flights, Not Feelings” and the following tune, “Better Things.” The lackadaisical, woozy flow of the former recalled ’90s G-funk. It wasn’t hard-hitting like “Salty & Sweet” or “Drama”—though both of those also stood out—but it didn’t need to be, relying more on melody. The uplifting message and salsa-like rhythm of the latter didn’t offer the sugary bombast of songs like “Hold on Tight,” newer cut “Whiplash” or “Set the Tone,” but for a few minutes it changed the temperature in the room.

Elsewhere, the group blended harder rock into the mix with “Black Mamba,” “Armageddon,” a cover of A$ton Wyld’s “Next Level” and TOKiMONSTA collab “Die Trying.” On the latter, their sweet voices and harmonies paired well over the abrasive beat and discordant metalic melody.

During “Mine,” a jungle-gym-like box was pushed onto the stage, around which the ladies sensually danced while singing in sparkly pastel dresses.

“Spicy” and “Pink Hoodie” offered a similar vibe, with chanted gang vocals.

“‘Pink Hoodie’ is just cardio,” a tired Giselle said afterward.

For much of the show, aespa largely eschewed long chitchat sessions in favor of keeping momentum strong. When they did speak, their voices were often drowned out by cheers. The performance offered energy in spades. Other highlights included the uplifting “Live My Life,” with pitch-perfect belting, and the sugary pop of “We Go,” from the “Pokémon” soundtrack.

Each member also performed a song solo, with Ningning and Winter shining on poppy tunes “Bored!” and “Spark,” respectively. Giselle’s rendition of “Dopamine,” while shrouded in fog, was a smoky-voiced R&B jam during which she worked in speedy raps.

Just about the only thing that didn’t go off swimmingly at the show was the use of confetti cannons. The first time, several solid chunks of cardboard nose-dived into the crowd. The second time, the crew attempted to shoot streamers into the audience, but instead, a tangle of paper spaghetti didn’t get much airtime at all. Luckily, most of it landed on the B-stage.

Contact editor Roman Gokhman on Bluesky at roman.riffmagazine.com. Follow photographer Aaron Lee at Instagram.com/aaronxphotos.