Despite abnormally chilly temperatures, Texas OURIIs braved the cold last Friday for Odd Eye Circle’s concert at Houston’s Bayou Music Center. The stop was one of many on the group’s first-ever world tour 2024 ODD EYE CIRCLE <VOLUME UP>.
The trio, Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry, originally debuted as a subunit of Blockberry Creative’s LOONA. After their exclusive contracts terminated, the three signed a contract with the label Modhaus and released their most recent album Version Up on July 12, 2023.
The concert opened with a haunting, moody track as photos and video clips flashed on a stage-wide LED screen that served as a CGI-filled background throughout the show. Each stop on the tour cycled through the screen until it stopped on “TODAY: HOUSTON,” eliciting screams of delight throughout the crowd. The screen then pulsed through each member’s representative colors of red, blue, and purple before the house lights bathed the hundreds of OURIIs (the group’s fandom name) in a deep red.
The first act of the concert was dedicated to long-time fans of the three members on stage as Kim Lip, JinSoul, and Choerry performed their 2017 pre-debut solo singles while dressed in coordinating plaid stage outfits. Kim Lip started the show strong, performing the bass-heavy “Eclipse” while showing mastery of integrating floor work throughout the smooth choreography. JinSoul increased the tempo, spitting out rap lines in her EDM-focused solo “Singing in the Rain.” Choerry completed the set with the ever so cute “Love Cherry Motion,” a perfect rendition of the bubble pop, K-Pop genre that dominated girl group discographies in the mid-2010s.
Odd Eye Circle continued to delight older fans by performing “Love Letter,” a duet between Kim Lip and JinSoul, and “Puzzle,” another duet between Choerry and JinSoul. Both songs appeared as B-sides on each member’s pre-debut singles. The group then disappeared backstage to change outfits as a VCR played for the enraptured audience. Each member was challenged to play Charades, but each topic progressively got harder. Everyone seemed flustered as the members tried to act out Objekts, which are digital photo cards distributed within every album and during every Odd Eye Circle event.
After some nervous laughter, the three returned to the stage to perform two additional songs from the group’s 2017 album Mix & Match, “Uncover” and “Chaotic.” Fans waved their lightsticks in unison to the latter’s timeless R&B tempo. After leaving the stage again, each member returned to perform a solo stage of their choosing with JinSoul performing SZA’s “Kill Bill”; Kim Lip singing Tyla’s “Water,” and Choerry finishing up the set with Dua Lip’s “Don’t Start Now.”
The group reformed and finally performed songs from last year’s comeback, Version Up. OURIIs in the crowd grooved to B-sides “Love Me Like” and “Je Ne Sais Quoi.” Taking a break, each member joked with the crowd, asking them about famous food available in Texas and what their next meal should be.
“We had tacos today,” exclaimed Kim Lip, “but, what should we have next?”
After a brief VCR where fans got a peek into the behind-the-scenes of the tour, the group returned to perform “Starlight,” “Lucid,” and the English version of “LOONATIC” before launching into their most recent comeback “Air Force One.” The main set of the concert then finished with the English version of “Sweet Crazy Love.” OURIIs were touched by this last song, as it was selected to be rerecorded in English based on a worldwide fan vote.
Endless chants of “We want more!” and “Odd Eye Circle!” filled the Bayou Music Hall and wouldn’t stop until the members returned. “We all know what you want,” said JinSoul. “But, what we really want is to have you all add our songs to your playlist!” The group then launched into a final encore set of “My Secret Playlist,” “Girl Front,” and “Where You At” before leaving the concert stage for good.
After Houston, Odd Eye Circle continued onward with their VOLUME UP tour with stops in Fort Worth and Dallas followed by Tempe, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Mexico City, and Monterrey before ending in Tokyo.