U-KISS Embarks On First Leg Of US Tour in New York With Dynamic Performances And Overwhelming Love From Fans

In the midst of their first-ever US tour, K-Pop idols U-KISS are definitely showing American fans a good time.

Formed in 2008, U-KISS has seen a steady stream of success in both South Korea and Japan, and now has their sights set on the United States.

Comprised of six members - leader Soohyun, vocalists Kiseop, Hoon, and Kevin, and rappers Eli and AJ - U-KISS, which stand for Ubiquitous Korean International idol Super Star, is bringing a dynamic performance and positive vibes on their three-city tour of the US, making stops in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Their first concert on January 9 at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square, was a testament not only to the group's talents as pop stars, but to the deep rooted passion of their North American fans.

Filing into the venue in high spirits, the U-KISS fans, known as KissMes, held up handmade signs and eagerly chatted with each other about their favorite songs and personal histories as fans.

A stroll past the front lines prior to the show's kick-off saw nothing but smiles, with fans being courteous and kind to one another - a much different scene than New York's last K-Pop concert event, November's INFINITE show at the Hammerstein Ballroom that saw well over 100 girls get trampled and pulled out of the general admission floor by security guards after fainting or having panic attacks.

One fan, 23-year-old Priya Mistry of Toronto, proudly stood in the front row at the Best Buy Theater waving her Canadian flag.

"I've been a KissMe since 2010 and always told myself that if they ever came to North America or anywhere remotely close, I would have to go and support the boys no matter what," she explained. "Seeing them live is a dream come true."

Mistry was not the only fan who travelled a great distance for Thursday night's show. A quick glance of the theater turned up dozens of flags from Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico in addition to the fans from the middle United States who will flock to the coasts to catch U-KISS at one of their three live performances.

She added, "I know there are fans who traveled even further than me for this concert, so shout out to them too!"

The energy in the room multiplied infinitely when the six members finally walked on stage at 7:45. An animated performance of "Stop Girl" revved the crowd up with thumping bass and seamless choreography.

U-KISS followed with a high energy staging of "Bingeul Bingeul" inciting the crowd to join in with the dancing, a trend that did not let up for the entire duration of the nearly two-hour-long concert.

Taking the reins of communication with the crowd, members Eli, Kevin, and AJ (who are all fluent in English) expressed how excited the group was to be performing in New York.

Explaining that member Hoon had been studying English leading up to the US tour, they invited him to address the fans himself to show off his new skills. "Seeing you in person... KissMes are so hot," he said and a roar of screams erupted from all corners of the room.

After showcasing their sensual dance moves during "Dora Dora," U-KISS continued to raise the energy level of the crowd with their 2013 hit "Standing Still" before slowing things down a bit with a compassionate performance of "Someday."

While the members ducked backstage to prepare for the next round of songs, a video introduction of each member played on a large screen. As Mnet's Headliners for the month of January, U-KISS's journey across America is being documented every step of the way and fans were treated to exclusive video footage of U-KISS arriving in the US and exploring the streets of New York.

The members returned to the stage in small groups to sing a few of their sub-unit tunes "My Girl," "More Painful Than Pain," and "Obsession" then announced, to the excitement of the crowd, that another official U-KISS sub-unit is set to debut later this year.

Bringing a bulletin board out on stage covered in dozens of Post-It notes containing fan questions, each member chose a question and answered it for the audience.

In response to "How are your US fans different from Korean fans?" Soohyun explained, "First of all, our Korean fans are like family because they are always with us," but before he could finish a series of moans burst out of the crowd. He then added with a smile, "but the US fans are like our wives," and the audience released a deafening cheer.

After another two songs U-KISS read a letter from one of their American fans, Lindsay, and then brought her up on stage for a special performance of "Mysterious Lady" dedicated just to her.

The next song, "0330" was met with a loving atmosphere that included the entire audience singing along and transitioned nicely into the final leg of the concert where the individual members shared their final thoughts on the night's performance.

"I'm just so happy to be back home," started Korean-American member Kevin as he began to tear up. "It's a dream come true to come back home and perform for you."

For the final songs of the night, U-KISS gave fun, upbeat performances of "Believe" and "Neverland" and the entire general admission floor turned into a giant KissMe dance party.  Even Eli's family, spotted in the upper balcony, and AJ's classmates from Columbia University were cheering and moving to the infectious beats. 

After several minutes of encore chants, fans all around the venue got out fuchsia balloons (the fanclub's official color) to wave around as the guys came back on stage to sing "Without You." A showcase of their love for their fans, the U-KISS members sang while making hearts with their hands and throwing towels into the crowd.

"As we came out for the encore, we noticed your balloons," said Kevin at the song's end. "That's so sweet of you!" Balloons are often utilized by K-Pop fans in Korea to show which group they support and it was shocking for the U-KISS members to see the tradition carrying over to the States.

Explaining they really only had one song left, U-KISS demanded a high-energy reaction from the crowd for their final number, the group's first big hit "Man Man Ha Ni," and they definitely were not disappointed.

Felix Rivera, a 22-year-old New Yorker, reflected on his experience at the show Thursday night. "It was great, the energy was high!" he said. "KissMes are mostly female, so it was a little awkward being one of the few guys there. For K-Pop concerts, I always buy the most expensive ticket because you never know when the acts will return to the States. I got to the venue later in the day, but I managed to be up front because of the ticket I had."

He added, "There were so many screaming fangirls and the energy level was high. I could tell the other fans really enjoyed it as well."

With about 1300 attendees, the crowd actively participated in the show with non-stop dancing and cheering while singing along to the songs. The atmosphere was so lively and positive with no shoving on the floor, no bickering or fighting amongst fans, and nothing but love and admiration for U-KISS on the first official venture into North America.

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