Concert Recap: KAI’s Love Is Eternal In First U.S. Solo Tour
Some people are just natural-born performers, the type you can’t imagine doing anything else if it doesn’t involve a stage and spotlights. Sultry soloist, EXO member, and Mr. Rover himself, KAI, is one of those people. Debuting in 2012 under SM Entertainment, it was clear early on that Kim Jongin was destined for stardom, already having formal dance training in ballet and jazz by the time he was eight years old. Fast forward 13 years, and KAI has become one of the most revered and iconic performers in K-pop, dominating the industry with his bandmates (including his short stint with supergroup SuperM) before going solo and proving he can stand on his own just fine.
After releasing his fourth EP earlier this year, Wait On Me, KAI set out to check another important item off his bucket list: his first solo U.S. tour. Following his performances in Los Angeles, Grand Prairie, and Atlanta, the “KAION” tour finally made its full circle at Rosemont Theatre on September 4, the same venue where he performed with EXO back in 2016. For KAI, this wasn’t unfamiliar turf — it was a homecoming of sorts, and he got to share it with over 4,000 of his new and returning EXO-L to create something eternal.
Standout Performances
Mmmh: After a short n’ sweet intro of 2023’s “Sinner,” KAI wasted no time diving into the song that started it all for him as a soloist, “Mmmh.” I think everyone who was a K-pop fan in 2020 remembers where they were the first time they heard this track — even non-K-pop fans were enamored with this R&B gem. As of September 1, his debut album, KAI, is still the highest-rated male K-pop album of this decade, and it’s easy to see why. Dressed in an elegantly ribboned red outfit designed by Studio Dong Lyung (the first of three outfits from the studio), KAI’s transition into “Mmmh” was nothing short of breathtaking, like a Greek sculpture come to life. It was absolutely surreal to witness this beloved song and choreography in person, especially within the context of his flourishing solo career thus far. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who wasn’t actively losing their minds.
Vanilla: If the first set of “KAION” (mostly consisting of songs from his KAI and Rover albums) was dark and sensual, the next was dreamy, magical, and even heavier on the sensuality than the first — not that anyone was complaining. Trading in his red outfit for a dark green suit vest with matching pants and a pair of reading glasses, KAI looked like he had hopped straight out of a college AU. You know, the kind where he’d be the handsome new professor on campus, and all the students would be fawning over him? Safe to say, this particular set was not for the faint of heart, kicking off with “Vanilla,” an indie-pop B-side off of his sophomore album, Peaches.
Supported by two of his women dancers, KAI’s movements here are graceful, poised, and absolutely sinful. What makes the 31-year-old so mesmerizing is the constant fluidity in his movements, as if he were made of water. As his body ebbs, the music flows, creating a symbiotic connection that only a performer can truly understand. This is also where he allows himself to be a bit cheekier, a little more flirtatious, as he sways his hips and smiles like a male siren coaxing his prey into the depths of the unknown. “Even the air is sweet when I’m with you / It feels like time has stopped, it’s like a dream,” KAI sings softly, knowing it’s exactly how his fans were feeling at that moment.
Peaches: As if the show couldn’t get any more provocative, KAI pulled out his luscious 2021 title track, “Peaches,” the soulful R&B number that adds just a hint of his hip-hop flair and is way more sexually charged than I remembered. With a reworked choreography compared to the one fans had seen four years ago, this “Peaches” stage consisted of hip thrusts galore — on the floor, in the air, you name it. Between the lustful glances, knowing smirks, and languid movements, KAI knew exactly what he was doing and the effect it would have on the crowd, and he wasn’t even being shy about it.
“I am your bad hobby, I’m getting more out of breath / It makes me smile, it makes me want to embrace you more,” he sings in the pre-chorus. And it’s true. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since discovering EXO a whopping 10 years ago, it’s that KAI’s stage presence is a drug; once you’ve gotten a taste, you become hooked on the way his aura is felt with every step. And he just eats it up — every gasp, shriek, and excited expletive that emanates from the audience fuels him like a certain demon boy band that thrives off the souls of their fans. While the intent is much purer and more wholesome in theory, the trace-inducing concept remains the same.
Pressure/Walls Don’t Talk: By this point, we were surprisingly already halfway through the show — guess time flies when you’re trying so hard to stay afloat amid KAI’s surging waves. Following his lively stages of “Adult Swim” and “Wait On Me,” KAI expertly kept the party going with a mixture of “Pressure” and “Walls Don’t Talk,” two Afrobeat and reggaeton B-sides made for the dance floor and best served in a concert venue. While the former relies on its smooth and sultry nature, the latter completely brightens the ambience with addictive drum beats that boom so hard you feel them in your chest. “So that no one knows (keep that) / Go ahead and call the shots / So that nothing distracts us / Let’s hope the walls don’t talk,” he sang in the chorus while excitedly motioning the crowd to wave their hands from side to side.
The whole performance was a summer-time vibe, with KAI’s sillier side slipping through as he shimmied back and forth, hoping the crowd would catch on and follow him. To his dismay, however, we were a bit slow on instructions, which he joked about later that night.
Bomba: Dipping back into his Rover nachos for a bit, KAI turned up the heat from sizzling to burning hot when it came to “Bomba,” a relentless reggaeton track that can only be described as a sonic explosion. Nothing could prepare you for the absolute wall-shaking, floor-rumbling fun that was had during this performance. Not only was the bass so loud and thundering that you could feel it in your bones, but KAI was the conductor and literally gave “Bomba” his all in ways we hadn’t seen up until this point. When he wasn’t executing perfect hip-hop choreography or throwing his hips in a circle, he was practically yelling the chorus at the top of his lungs as if it were the last thing he’d ever get to do. The crowd followed suit.
This energy continued throughout the bridge as he shed the vest, knelt to his knees, and began unbuttoning a few buttons of his white dress shirt — just enough to get the fans going, but not quite giving in completely. However, everything came to a fiery head in the last chorus as KAI exerted as much passion as he could muster up, pouring every fiber of his being into this performance like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. This is a man who loves his job and would probably live on stage forever if he could.
EXO Medley: Imagine you’re a longtime EXO-L and you see a member of EXO for the first or maybe even second time. Now picture that member performing an entire medley of some of EXO’s greatest hits to date, casually dropping a massive spoiler bomb as if it won’t completely shatter your world—yes, KAI did that, and it was absolutely wild.
After the singer’s third and highly anticipated outfit change of the night (an all-leather ensemble, no shirt underneath, and topped off with a hat), “KAION” had officially entered the heavy hip-hop/R&B section. At this point, KAI was feeling the exhaustion sink in — not because his performance had dipped in energy levels, but because he had exerted so much of himself into the last few songs, “Confession” and “Domino,” that it understandably took a lot out of him. Nonetheless, after taking a moment to catch his breath, rehydrate, and relentlessly teasing the fans about his abs on full display, KAI healed just about every person in that theatre in the span of three minutes with his next performance.
Starting from “Growl” to “Tempo,” “The Eve,” and “Love Shot,” KAI dances his way through some of EXO’s most beloved and iconic eras, conjuring up enough nostalgia to have everyone’s heads reeling from the shock of it all. In a world where we seldom see EXO perform together as often as we’d like, the fact that a medley like this exists, performed by one of the group’s most profound and admired dancers, is a gift in itself. Cheers became violently loud, tears were undoubtedly shed, and the prospect of the band reuniting suddenly felt so real. It’s quite difficult to put into words just how influential EXO has been to the K-pop industry in the last 13 years, but KAI’s medley was a good glimpse into how much they still mean to people after all this time.
Rover: In 2023, KAI took the world by storm when he released his third EP, Rover, and its eponymous title track. In all honesty, the infectious dancehall track became a cultural reset — reaching just about every K-pop idol and fan who had begun posting their dance challenges to immortalize such a massive hit and easy-to-learn choreography. Within weeks, “Rover” was inescapable and had even made its way outside the K-pop bubble, with Hollywood star Kat Graham even dancing along. If “Mmmh” was only the beginning of KAI’s prowess as a soloist, “Rover” only solidified it.
Maybe that’s why seeing it live for “KAION” was such a celebratory finish, a testament to his worldwide appeal and star power. “Baby catch me if you can, let’s race so stop / I’m throwing away my name, Mr. Rover,” the singer belts out before the final chorus — knowing no one could catch him even if they tried.
Blue: In his first encore of the night, KAI slowed things to a peaceful lull, opting to sing his first and only ballad of the night, “Blue.” As each section of the show passes, the 31-year-old’s outfits get more and more relaxed, with KAI now sporting a Chicago Cubs jersey with his name and designated number embroidered on the back and a pair of blue jeans. As he begins singing this quiet R&B/lo-fi number, I’m reminded of the years of hard work, patience, and perseverance it took to get to this point, where he’s able to explore all these different facets of himself, yet remain the same KAI so many grew up with.
Aside from being positioned as one of EXO’s main dancers, KAI’s vocal presence back in the early days was usually relegated to sub-rapper, fulfilling any rap-like verses that weren’t already taken by the group’s main rapper, Chanyeol. And when he had singing parts, they were far and few in between, making every opportunity more special than the last. He always had such a rich timbre, but not enough chances to highlight it. Now here he was, singing on his own with such depth and emotion, wearing his heart on his sleeve and letting the subtle huskiness of his voice carry throughout the venue. “I don’t even know what I want now / I don’t know if I’m lonely or if I want to be lonely,” he croons in the song’s opening.
Although KAI’s sensual and confident persona is what most people see and love at first glance, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find his vulnerability is just as much of a superpower as anything else.
To Be Honest: As “KAION” in Rosemont officially came to a close, the legend himself signed off with his bouncy 2022 B-side, “To Be Honest.” Lyrically, the track is about coming clean and expressing your true feelings for someone rather than hiding behind them — something both KAI and his fans have done tenfold throughout this concert. As he sang his heart out for the last time and fans waved their lightsticks in the air, KAI couldn’t help but try to make eye contact with as many people as he could — as if committing each face to memory. If there’s one thing KAI will always do, it’s speak from the heart and leave the stage with no regrets.
Eternity With EXO-L
Since KAI’s solo debut in 2020, there has been a whole new wave of fans introduced to him via his different solo eras. From Kai to Peaches, Rover, and now Wait On Me, the singer has garnered a whole new fanbase of his own, in addition to his ever-loyal EXO-L. Of course, while the “KAION” tour can easily be enjoyed regardless of when or how you discovered KAI, the experience is entirely elevated when you’ve watched him grow and develop from the young rookie in his late teens to the powerhouse idol he is today — a fact he’s very much aware of. “So we’re spending our 10s and 20s and 30s together,” he stated during one of the show’s comment sections. “Maybe some of you saw me all the way through my growing up…how am I? Did I grow up well?” As expected from the audience’s response, the answer is undeniably ‘yes,’ a thousand times over.
Fortunately, the “KAION” tour, according to the singer himself, is only the beginning of forever for him and his fans, with the combination of his name KAI and the word ‘on,’ referring to the Greek word meaning ‘eternity.’ I’m sure there are a bunch of theories one could come up with to also tie it together with EXO’s lore, but that’s a conversation for another day.
Verdict
Though it feels like I’m stating the obvious — as if anyone needed a second opinion — “KAION” is a masterclass on how to put on a memorable show and work a crowd. It’s no wonder he has the K-pop industry in the palm of his hands, with so many younger artists specifically citing KAI as their inspiration and role model. He’s cheeky yet earnest, humble yet insanely confident in knowing what makes the fans tick and how to push them over the edge. When he’s not playfully teasing the fans or cracking jokes, he’s fighting back tears from how touched he is to receive such an abundance of love and support this far from his home country.
So the verdict: if you ever have the chance to see KAI, do it, as he is art incarnate. From pure poetic excellence to oozing charm and charisma, it’s hard to not be completely absorbed into KAI’s orbit; there’s an innate magnetism surrounding him, and it’s all-encompassing. You’ll find yourself doubled over in laughter, jaw dropped to the floor at how ethereally he moves, and smitten with just how much he strives to perform at his best every single time and succeeds.
For more updates on all things KAI, be sure to follow him on Instagram and follow EXO’s accounts on Instagram, X, and subscribe to their YouTube.
Want more concert recaps? Don’t forget to check out our review of Hojean’s NYC show here!
