On Saturday, Apr. 26, a line stretching past two blocks wrapped The Fillmore in Detroit. With a hint of pearl aqua green visible throughout the crowd, that meant only one thing—SHINee fans are in the house. As the eager fans approach the door, their excitement grows, knowing in one hour, ONEW will greet them and welcome them to his The Live: Connection in the USA Tour. POP TOKKI caught the vocalist at the second stop of his tour in Detroit. Let’s recap the highlights of ONEW and JJINGGU’s night together.

Opening Ment
ONEW, who had stunned fans with his opening performances of “Focus,” “Shape of My Heart,” and “O (Circle),” took the time to personally welcome the audience to his show. He expressed gratitude while also admitting to being nervous about his first solo tour in the United States. Subsequently, the singer discussed the meaning behind the title—The Live: Connection in the USA—breaking it down into two parts. “The Live,” which symbolizes his amazing live singing during the performance, and “Connections,” which represents his desire to connect with the audience and make them feel closer to him after the show. Then, before returning to the music, he leaves the audience with a meaningful quote:
Towards the end of the show, you’ll feel that we’ve all connected truly

“Boy,” and “Beat Drum”
Following his heartfelt opening message, ONEW (holding a picnic basket) begins his performance of “Boy.” As the song continues, the soloist reaches into his mysterious basket and withdraws paper airplanes, tossing them into the audience! Then followed an energetic performance of “DICE” that left the crowd ready for more. Suddenly, the lights turn low, heartbeats pulsate through the speakers, and “Beat Drum” begins. With much passion, fans keenly sing along and follow ONEW’s chant perfectly in Korean, showing their love for his music goes beyond language barriers.

“Hola”
After the main show comes the encore, and ONEW takes this moment to be as close to his fans as possible. During the song “Hola,” he took a trip around the main floor meeting fans face-to- face. He stops to give lucky JJINGGUs a beautiful blue bouquet of flowers, something to help them remember this night with their idol. Although the singer can’t reach the fans in the balcony, he still makes it his goal to give them something too—no matter how many tries it takes. Like a baseball pitcher in action, he throws small balls into the crowd with force and passion, and he doesn’t stop until the fans in the balcony feel included.
Lastly, the artist closes his show with a round of applause to his audience—showing his gratitude one last time before departing from his Detroit supporters.
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Featured Image Credit: PJ Farinas (pfari_nas)