As one of the last stops on the U.S. leg of his first solo world tour, Off the Beat, I.M performed a sold-out show at The Wiltern on August 31. Despite battling a slight cough, I.M delivered a performance that was energetic and unforgettable from start to finish.
The show began promptly at 8PM, with an instrumental introduction from the live band consisting of a guitarist, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer. As I.M slowly made his way on stage, the crowd’s cheers only elevated in volume and fervor. The set began bathed in purple and blue lighting with “Burn,” “More,” and “nbdy,” before the performer took a quick pause to greet the crowd. “Welcome to the I.M first world tour, Off The Beat, in LA!” he shouted in excitement, leading the crowd into even louder cheers. Shortly mentioning how good it feels to be back here after about two years, the singer and rapper moved on to the next set, ready to get back into the music.
I.M launched straight back to the music with “OVERDRIVE,” “Bust It,” “XO,” “Slowly,” “nvrmnd,” and “flower-ed.” While the first few songs were energetic and upbeat, he showed off his versatility with the latter few. For “XO,” “Slowly,” and “nvrmnd,” the singer performed while sitting on a stool, allowing everyone to just focus on his music and not his sultry hip sways and dance moves. For “flower-ed,” he brought a mic stand on stage and stood front and center with just a single spotlight on him, letting his voice mesmerize the crowd.
Returning to the stage after a short VCR, the next set consisted of songs “LURE,” “Not Sorry,” “Habit,” “Blame,” and “Loop.” Despite performing so many songs back to back, I.M’s energy never dwindled, showing off his passion for the stage and stamina stemming from years of performing intense choreographies with his fellow group members. Fans matched his energy and continued to cheer with fervor and passion, never letting up as they sang, danced, and screamed along to each track. Continuously referring to the audience as cute and giggling to himself, I.M ended this part with one of his earliest solo tracks, “God Damn.”
I.M returned once more, diving straight into “Howlin’” and “Skyline.” Though the two songs were paired with low lighting that made the singer a little difficult to see, they still garnered endless excitement as his body rolled and grooved along the stage, even preparing a dance break at the end of “Skyline.” Introducing the last official song for the night, I.M taught the audience the fanchant behind “MMI” before getting right into it.
Not long after his exit from the stage, I.M’s band ran back on, shortly followed by the singer himself. I.M expressed his gratitude to his fans for waiting for his return and for showing up and selling out the venue. He jumped straight into his last two songs: “Happy to Die” and “Dumb,” pausing between the two to take a group photo with the audience and introduce his band. With one final deep bow and countless hearts, finger hearts, and flying kisses directed to the audience after “Dumb,” the show came to a close.
The concert sat at just under two hours long — the perfect length for both I.M and his fans to keep up their energy while making countless memories. I.M left the crowd with promises of a swift return, hopefully with his members alongside him as well.