Enhypen performs at Honda Center in Anaheim on April 24, 2024, courtesy Belift Lab.

OAKLAND — Judging by enthusiastic crowd reactions, which included ear-piercing screams, massive singalongs and plenty of creative homemade signs throughout Oakland Arena, it appeared as though the Friday Enhypen performance was the most anticipated K-pop show in the Bay Area since Blackpink played Oracle Park last summer.

The septet’s current five-date jaunt, FATE PLUS, is the second leg of a tour that began in 2023, when the group made its U.S. stadium debut, and on Friday it felt like stadiums are the only place for Enhypen to go next. Whether the group was blowing through bass-heavy bangers, happy pop tunes or smooth R&B cuts—even a brief Keyshia Cole cover!—it had a packed house jumping for most of a nearly three-hour set.

Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo and Ni-ki made their debut with Belift Lab in 2020, and since then they’ve had three records within the top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart. The set was split about evenly among 2023 EPs Dark Blood and Orange Blood—the latter of which sold 1.8 million copies in its first week last November—2021 album Dimension: Dilemma and 2022 EP Manifesto: Day 1, as well as some earlier releases.

The songs showed off multiple sides of Enhypen, as flames, lasers, fireworks, sparklers, confetti and smoke cannons kept the energy high. The group didn’t hold back on the pyrotechnics, blasting jets of flame from the moment the members made their entrance. The rest of the production was also top-notch. Rather than two stages connected by a catwalk, the group opted for one giant, wide stage extending a third of the way onto a general admission floor. This is less common in K-pop, where fans’ extreme love for artists might inspire prolonged camping to get up close—which is exactly what happened on the U.S. tour opener in Anaheim, and fans are still talking about it on TikTok.

Enhypen performs at Honda Center in Anaheim on April 24, 2024.

Tinnitus-triggering screams erupted as the group launched into “Drunk-Dazed,” which came with a bass-thumping dance break and the first of many colorful fireworks blasts. Enhypen quickly moved on to industrial banger “Blockbuster.” But otherwise, the earlier part of the performance consisted mainly of ’90s-R&B-influenced songs like “FEVER” that built excitement.

“Let Me In (20 CUBE)” recalled Montel Jordan or Ginuwine. “Flicker” was equally soulful and ballad-like. The group ended the song on the floor of the stage, some members propping up others. A few songs later, “ParadoXXX Invasion,” which Boyz II Men fans would appreciate, inspired a massive singalong.

There were a few rap-leaning songs, but those were blended with poppy elements. “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)” had fans, called ENGENEs, chanting along as colorful lasers and more fireworks blasts lit the room up like a rainbow while the group delivered one of its livelier dance sequences. “Blessed-Cursed” was set to drill-like percussion and had some rapping, but stayed melodic. Toward the end of the performance the group offered up “Chaconne,” a dark and moody pop song but with that similar drill rap beat.

Enhypen performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on April 26, 2024.

The group’s choreography relied on synchronicity rather than acrobatics. Nothing was over the top, yet it had the effect of the septet not looking like it was trying too hard. When Enhypen busted out its most involved dance moves on main set closer—and massive hit—”Bite Me,” it was a reminder that they’re good at this, too.

During “Attention, please!” the members took turns trading sweet boy band lines back and forth before the song opened up into a pop-punk number. There was a bit where Jay pretended to play a white electric guitar before twirling it around his body and throwing it down the stage. It looked a bit cringy—and it appears this guitar was a prop that’s been thrown many times—but both Jay and Heeseung more than made up for it a few songs later.

Jay—for real this time—fingerpicked a sweet melody on an acoustic guitar during “TFW (That Feeling When)” that stood out even when a backing track kicked in and picked up the tempo. And then Heeseung handled himself well, leading “Just A Little Bit” from a piano.

Enhypen performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on April 26, 2024.

Other mid-show highlights included Enhypen kicking a football into the crowd during “Tamed-Dashed,” but it went so high that it bounced off a hanging speaker stack and came right back down onto the stage; the group walking onto the general admission areas to both sides of the stage sang to fans up-close while giving away high fives, and leading a dance party with several inflatable Pikachus during “One and Only.”

After “SHOUT OUT,” a rock-centric song with poppy singing in place of screaming that had Enhypen on a hydraulic platforms that rose out from the stage like a tiered cake while the song’s title flashed across LED screens to dizzying effect, the group separated into two units. Jay sang a cover of James Arthur’s “Say You Won’t Let Go.” He was followed by Heeseung singing a couple verses of Keyshia Cole’s “Love.” He must not have been satisfied, because when the group reconvened a minute later, he performed it again.

“This song actually came out the year I was born!” said Ni-ki, the group’s youngest member, or maknae.

Jock jam “Go Big or Go Home” had more fireworks, streamers and confetti. The group broke out some sexy dancing for nostalgia-inducing earworm “Bills.” A handful of songs later, the group made it to the encore but wasn’t ready to call it quits, saving two more hits for the very end in “Sweet Venom” and “Orange Flower (You Complete Me),” as well as “Karma.”

Follow editor Roman Gokhman at Twitter.com/RomiTheWriter.