On April 19, soloist KINO kicked off the U.S. leg of the FREE KINO World Tour in New York City. The show marked his return to the States after last year’s I think I think too much tour. FREE KINO has served to support his sophomore EP, EVERYONE’S GUILTY, BUT NO ONE’S TO BLAME, which touched on themes of mental health, insecurity, and self-discovery. In an interview ahead of the U.S. leg, KINO told KpopConcerts.com that this tour felt more personal, and that he intended for fans to feel “freedom, even just for one night” at his shows. In the intimate back room of Mercury Lounge on the Lower East Side, KINO delivered just that.
Fans milled around the small club before the show started, socializing, trading freebies, and buying drinks at the bar. Finally, the house lights went off, and the stage lights turned crimson. A recording of a crowd chanting, “Free KINO! Free KINO!” began to play, and the audience in the lounge joined in.
KINO’s band – Mario on the drums and Chesley on guitar – took the stage first. They began playing an intense overture. The red and blue stage lights flickered on and off dramatically as KINO entered the stage. He was dressed in a black suit and tie, glasses, and an office ID lanyard, reminiscent of the disgruntled salaryman persona he portrayed in EVERYONE’S GUILTY, BUT NO ONE’S TO BLAME. KINO performed a dance solo that saw his character focused on reviewing documents before eventually tearing the papers into small pieces and tossing them into the crowd.
The scene led right into “WURK,” a haunting rap-forward track critiquing hustle culture. The live band added depth to the song, with sudden electric guitar riffs during the verses and a dramatic drum breakdown during the bridge where KINO asks, “How long will I be stuck in this bullshit?”
“MY TURNTABLE IS CONCRETE PT. 2,” was next, complemented by bright green flashing lights and turning the room into a rave. The moment saw KINO breaking free from the angst of “WURK” by declaring his rise against expectations. Chesley delivered a fantastic and fast-paced electric guitar accompaniment. The track led into a seamless transition into “DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER.” For the song’s ending chorus and breakdown, KINO brought out a megaphone to amplify his frustration into the void, asking, “Devil…can you hear me? Are you trying to fucking kill me?”
Afterward, KINO undid a piece of fabric that had been tied to his mic stand. He unfurled it to reveal a flag that said, “FREE KINO.” The “Free KINO” chant started up again, followed by the familiar electric guitar intro of “CLUB SEX CIGARETTES,” where he stood on business about his newfound freedom. He encouraged the crowd to sing as loudly as they could to the chorus.
After four straight songs, KINO finally had the chance to take a breather and greet the audience.
“New York City! Wassup? Nice to meet you again. It’s been a year!”
A fan called out, “It’s not snowing this time!” referring to the weather during KINO’s last appearance in NYC in January 2025.
“It’s not snowing! Finally!” he echoed. “But it is raining! So maybe next time, it will be spring.”
After joking with some fans about when he should schedule his next tour, KINO explained the first portion of the show.
“I opened the concert with ‘WURK,’ ‘MY TURNTABLE IS CONCRETE,’ ‘DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER,’ and the last one was ‘CLUB SEX CIGARETTES.’ So much energy from the beginning. So, can you imagine how this concert will turn out? It will be the craziest night ever,” he said. “I tried to liberate myself from frustrations in the beginning, but after you guys shouted out ‘Free KINO’ so loud for me, I became freer and more confident, so I could fully enjoy the stage. If you guys keep this energy, and sing and dance like crazy tonight and forget the world and feel freedom, that’s enough for tonight.”
He moved on to “MAPSI,” a witty, self-deprecating parody of toxic masculinity. The crowd loudly joined in on the song’s chant, “KINO, sit, stay! Sit, stay!” KINO followed with a punky rendition of “Cerberus,” a fan-favorite trilingual single by KINO and his PENTAGON bandmates Wooseok and Yuto, sung in English, Korean, and Japanese. The guitar riffs and energetic drum line had the crowd jumping along as the stage lights flashed. KINO then stepped aside to give Mario and Chesley a chance to shine with a brief drum outro and guitar solo, respectively.
Next on the setlist was “Tell Me What You Want,” an early self-produced solo track that KINO originally released on Soundcloud under the pseudonym, Knnovation. The song seamlessly transitioned into his debut solo single “POSE,” a smooth and sexy Afrobeats-inspired track that put KINO’s vocals on full display and captivated Universe (PENTAGON fans).
“You just heard ‘MAPSI,’ ‘Cerberus,’ ‘Tell Me What You Want,’ and ‘POSE.’ Before this tour, I named this section ‘Sexy.’ Do you agree?” KINO asked.
Fans screamed their approval, but KINO, amused, joked that one audience member’s excited shriek sounded like a dinosaur. He found her in the crowd and asked her to make the dinosaur sound again, to which she obliged. Impressed, KINO asked that she take care of her voice since there would be lots of shouting later on in the show.
KINO continued recapping the set so far. “I performed ‘POSE’ too.”
One Universe yelled out, “That’s my song!”
“That’s your song? No, it’s my song! Don’t steal it,” KINO jokingly replied. More seriously this time, he explained, “‘POSE’ is very precious to me because it was my debut solo song. I remember when I was preparing the song, I worried about myself, questioning what artist do I have to be? What should I do as a soloist? Those kinds of worries kept running in my mind. But along the way, I released almost twenty songs. This is my third tour. I’m proud of myself.”
KINO pushed his set forward by pulling out a metal stool to the middle of the stage and sat down as he addressed Universe again.
“Writing EVERYONE’S GUILTY BUT NO ONE’S TO BLAME was extremely challenging for me. Of course, I had so much fun, but at the same time, I lost many things, like I showed you through the documentary. I lost people around me, love, and freedom – the most important things in my life,” he said. “But after I released my second EP, I realized that those negative things and negative emotions are still part of me, so what should I do? Just accept it and break through it. After I knew that, I learned how to love myself again, including ‘imperfect me.’ So what I wanted to say is, I hope you guys love yourself too, please, including ‘imperfect you.’”
After KINO’s heartfelt words, he slowed things down with “ANNIE,” a heart-wrenching ballad about loneliness and uncertainty. Mercury Lounge was silent as Universe listened reverently as he sang, illuminated by the blue and white glow of the stage lights. He moved into “Skyfall,” a piano-led yearning breakup track that stirred the hearts of everyone in the room. Next was “Back in Time,” a deeply personal reflection of his career and experiences. The emotional pop-rock track turned the longing mood into one of hope. KINO had the audience sing along. The sound of voices echoing throughout the venue was a moving close to this portion of the concert. The lights faded, and KINO went backstage for a brief intermission. As fans waited for KINO, a mashup of “Freaky Love” and “Broke My Heart,” with Mario and Chesley accompanying the audio in perfect harmony.
KINO then returned to the stage in a more casual fit, looking looser and more at ease in a leather jacket and an edgy Union Jack t-shirt. He went into “Dancing On The Road,” without further ado, which lifted the spirits of the crowd. In a departure from the more somber blue and red lighting of the previous sections, the stage lights for this section included brighter colors like green, yellow, and pink. He kept the fun going with “How It Was,” KINO’s funky collab with producers Fudasca and lentra.
Next up was “Fashion Style,” KINO’s first English single, which was released in 2024. The song’s positive message of embracing one’s unique style resonated with the audience, who danced and sang along with KINO. The song was topped off with an electrifying guitar solo courtesy of Chesley. KINO stepped aside to give Chesley the spotlight, and he could be seen bopping his head to the music and truly appreciating the talents sharing the stage with him.
KINO then asked Universe to put their phone flashlights in the air for the alternative rock-inspired “Everglow.” The lounge was illuminated as fans waved their phones back and forth to the beat of the song.
KINO took a water break and asked the crowd to give Mario and Chesley some more love before he explained the motive behind the last two songs. The attendees were happy to do so, applauding and shouting out, “We love you, Chesley!” and “We love a drummer!”
“This last section was my last few years. It started depressed with ‘ANNIE,’ but after that, I was finding the lovable me with ‘Everglow’ and ‘Fashion Style.’ It’s a lively section. I guess it’s like my diary,” KINO explained. “‘FREE KINO’ has two meanings – one is about liberation, and one is about freedom. But I feel so free now because I can sing with you, so I’m so happy. You guys don’t know how happy I am now.”
A fan shouted in response, “You deserve the world!”
KINO smiled bashfully at the praise. He mentioned that a fan recently expressed disappointment that “Do I Deserve It,” a Knnovation unreleased track, was not on the setlist this time. But in response to the encouragement and kind words, he treated New York fans by singing a line from the song a capella. The lyrics, which see KINO wondering if he is worthy of love, seemed to perfectly encapsulate his feelings.
KINO introduced the next song, telling Universe that it was time to dance. He refreshed the crowd on the simple choreography for “Freaky Love.” Once they got it down pat, KINO went right into the drum-and-bass love song. After the lyric, “Where is the love,” he changed up the next line to say, “It’s in New York!”
He moved on to “Solo,” another upbeat song off his debut EP, If this is love, I want a refund. KINO performed a dynamic dance solo, and fans hyped him up to the song’s beat.
Sadly, KINO told the audience that the show was coming to an end. Fans playfully booed and demanded that he perform “Taxi,” the title track of his latest album, Lost and Found. KINO gave them a little teaser by rapping the chorus of “Taxi” a capella, which satisfied fans.
But KINO dropped a little hint for the audience: “If you guys shout out, ‘Free KINO’ loud enough for me after the show, I might be back.”
Before going into the “final” section of the show, KINO took a moment to thank each of the teams that helped make the Free KINO tour happen, from Mario and Chesley, his label and management, lighting assistants, venue staff, and of course, Universe.
KINO then performed “Broke My Heart,” his collaboration with rapper Lay Bankz. Fans enjoyed the punky flavor that Chesley added to the Jersey club and R&B-influenced track. Afterward, he threw it back to his PENTAGON days with “Call My Name,” a sexy track about love and lust. The red lights made the stage around KINO glow and complemented the heated nature of the song.
The house lights dimmed and the opening notes of “DIRTY BOY,” featuring dancer UWA and singer JAMIE, began to play. KINO encouraged the audience to jump with him to the sleazy techno beat. The song was a fitting pinnacle for the show, with KINO moving fully into his element as brought the club energy to Mercury Lounge.
At the song’s close, KINO and his band went offstage. But Universe demanded an encore and began to chant, “Free KINO! Free Kino!” To the delight of fans, KINO returned to the stage, this time decked out in tour merch. He kicked off with “Shine+Spring Snow,” another Universe favorite from PENTAGON’s appearance on the survival show Road to Kingdom.
Finally, it was time for the song fans had been waiting for: “Taxi.” Universe went wild for the fun party track, dancing and singing along to the catchy chorus. KINO followed with the homebody anthem, “BIG HOODIE.” KINO put on a cozy white hoodie from his tour merch line to perform the upbeat song was a reminder that sometimes, the most fun you can have is at home.
While “Taxi” and “BIG HOODIE” were fun for fans, KINO wanted the audience to get even crazier. To get the party really going, he jumped (literally and figuratively) into “Flake,” his collaboration with Garzón Robie. The song’s club beat, techno synths, and gritty rap had the entire room moving with their hands in the air. KINO didn’t hold back this time. He hopped and danced around the stage as the stage lights flashed. The song transitioned into “ALL LOVE,” a fun, positive track that added to the mini rave vibe of the show.
KINO prepared to say goodbye, but before he could get sentimental, fans chanted out requests for him to play “Flake” one more time. KINO was surprised, and asked them if they for sure wanted to hear “Flake” again, and when the audience shouted their yeses, he obliged. By the end of the song, he was sweaty and out of breath. But Universe wanted another reprise of the song. Not one to turn them down, KINO again performed “Flake.” This time, he sprayed water on the audience and, to everyone’s excitement, jumped into the crowd and swung the ‘Free KINO’ flag in the air.
Finally, KINO got to say his goodbyes and take one last bow with Mario and Chesley at his side. “Universe, I love you, I love you so much! See you again in New York, okay?”
But the party wasn’t quite over yet. KINO had staff turn on a remix of “CLUB SEX CIGARETTES,” and briefly danced with Universe before leaving the stage on a high note.
The Free KINO tour was a personal display of KINO’s growth as an artist, and allowed fans to experience all the highs and lows he has experienced along his journey. It was a love letter to Universe. Although the tour has concluded, New York fans will eagerly look forward to KINO’s next visit.