For the first time as a complete group, THE BOYZ electrified Los Angeles with their 3rd World Tour: Zeneration II at the Peacock Theater on Thursday, July 25. Although THE BOYZ are no strangers to Los Angeles, having been at KCON LA for the past two years, it was an unforgettable night for the group. Born and raised in the City of Angels, Eric finally performed in his hometown after he had to sit out their second world tour in 2022 for health reasons.
The Zeneration II world tour kicked off earlier this month in Seoul, South Korea, and, after the United States leg, will complete 12 more shows in Asia and Europe. Los Angeles The Bs, the official fandom, were treated to never-before-seen performances, and several of THE BOYZ’s celebrity friends and family members were also in attendance.
With eleven members, THE BOYZ is one of the larger active K-Pop boy groups and is currently composed of members Sangyeon, Jacob, Younghoon, Hyunjae, Juyeon, Kevin, New, Q, Ju Haknyeon, Sunwoo, and Eric. Since their debut in 2017, they have consistently gained popularity and acclaim for their high-quality, challenging performances. Notably, they beat out six other boy groups on Mnet’s competition show for up-and-coming boy groups, Road to Kingdom, where they secured a spot on the tougher competition show Kingdom: The Legendary Way.
As anticipation filled the air, the night officially began when the center-stage LED screen transformed into a sky of twinkling lights. The first VCR showed THE BOYZ in dazzling white suits as they floated through vast, empty white space and came together as a group, which prompted eleven silhouettes and faces to flash on the screen.
Finally, the members entered to start the night with “Diamond Life,” a song emphasizing their ability to fill every inch of the stage. Eric screamed for the crowd to make some noise to lead into the song “Out of Control.” They then performed the rock version of the high-energy “MAVERICK” as The Bs’ fan chants reverberated throughout the venue. In this special concert remix, the music faded out to highlight Sangyeon’s impressive, sustained high note at the climax. Although the venue is situated like an intimate theater, the concert felt like a stadium show as the jumbotron screens on each side of the stage displayed various stage angles, individual member close-ups, and each song title.
THE BOYZ exited the stage, and the second VCR depicted them running through the same white rooms but dressed in all black. Highlights of the first outfit change of the show included Kevin with his faux-corset top, Eric in a fitted crop top, and Sunwoo and Hyunjae in skin-tight, long sleeves with cheekily placed cutouts. Complementing the powerful sides they showed in the first section, this next section focused on their darker, more sensual sides as they performed “TATTOO” and “Levitating.” The eleven members stood in a line at the edge of the stage for the last chorus of “Levitating” and made fans go feral at the sexy dance moves, notably the synchronized floor dive.
After an explosive start to the show, THE BOYZ lined up to chat with the crowd but sweetly stalled for time as Sunwoo went off stage to fix his mic. When Sunwoo returned, THE BOYZ enthusiastically greeted The Bs, with Kevin exclaiming excitedly, “OT11 for the first time, baby!” Each member took turns introducing themselves and said their opening ments. Jacob remarked that they kept their promise from two years ago on their second world tour to return. Juyeon flirted with the crowd by saying, “LA is the city of angels, right? My angels are here,” to the crowd’s delight and the members’ cringe. Eric excitedly asked fans if they knew he had a tattoo on his back and requested that the camera zoom in on him as he lifted his shirt to show “City of Angels” tattooed across his mid-back. Kevin cheekily teased that if Eric’s tattoo were any lower, it’d be considered a tramp stamp.
Following the introductions, THE BOYZ chatted about what food they’ve been eating. Hyunjae reenacted his funny experience at Chick-fil-A, where he ordered in English. His pronunciation of “Zero Coke” was mistaken for a “Cherry Coke,” so he received the wrong soda. Kevin whispered (but hilariously, not quietly enough as the mic still picked it up) into Hyunjae’s ear to get him to say the viral “No Chick-fil-A sauce” line. After goading innocent Hyunjae into being a meme, Kevin apologized for being chronically online. Resuming the performances, THE BOYZ showed the suave, addictive “Back All Black” for the first time and then the intense, fiery “Breaking Down.”
In the third VCR, Hyunjae is seen waking up and leaning against a tree. The other members, wearing youthful white T-shirts and jeans, joined him in a grassy meadow as they basked in the sunlight. For the set of stages, the theme was casual and summery as the group reemerged in sports jerseys to a stage decorated like a beach hangout layout with various inflatable floats. First up was the more laidback “Complete Me,” where they roamed the stage freely and interacted with fans. Next was the playful, energetic “Fantasize” with a special fan event where the song seemingly ends, and Eric says, “Remember that THE BOYZ love you!“ to resume the song, and all the members threw flowers into the crowd.
Although the U.S. tour was ending soon, THE BOYZ praised each city for raising the bar at each show. Eric jokingly complained that his fellow group mates have been pressing him and putting higher expectations on L.A. as it is his hometown. They continued that energy into “Right Here,” with the fog machine synchronized to the “na na na” in the chorus. For “Thrill Ride,” it felt like the theater transformed into an amusement park as the boys and fans had a blast dancing and singing together. Eric was extremely energized, so he showed his enthusiasm by unbuttoning his Dodgers jersey as Sunwoo poured water over him. “D.D.D.” was the last song of this fun, upbeat section, and the group led the fans to jump altogether to the chorus. Like the hyper puppy fans know him to be, Eric ran around the stage to splash water on fans. For the final chorus, they cut the music for a dance battle with The Bs in the crowd, including special celebrity friends Scott Hoying from a capella pop group Pentatonix and Zach Kornfeld from The Try Guys. To top it all off, Eric completely took off his shirt just as the lights dimmed down.
The next segment began with a VCR of the group back in the grassy meadow, but in a more solemn mood as water dripped on them. Back in clean white and beige outfits, the boys were seated on stools with handheld mics for the pop ballad “Walkin’ In Time” against a moody cityscape with shooting stars. This section focused on the vocals and messages they wanted to convey to The Bs through their songs. The boys looked like ethereal angels, serenading The Bs in “Horizon” while illuminated by Northern Lights in the background. The personal, emotional lyrics like “By my side as I cried / You became the horizon” moved Eric to tears, and Kevin, seated next to him, comforted him as they wrapped up the song. Standing up altogether now, they performed “Survive The Night” as each member looked lovingly out into the crowd to savor the moment with The Bs.
Kevin teased Eric for crying during “Horizon,” which Eric vehemently denied. Eric explained that he was thinking about how he is a very blessed young man to perform in front of The Bs and that THE BOYZ and The Bs still have many years together. At the end of his explanation, he coyly confessed that he did indeed cry “just a little bit.” Throwing it back to 2018, they performed “Back 2 U” from their mini album, THE START, utilizing microphone stands. They wrapped up this section with “Hurt Me Less” from their most recent single album [PHANTASY] Pt.3 Love Letter.
A VCR with a darker vibe, featuring the members amidst fiery flames with blackened veins appearing on their faces, transitioned the show into the last portion of the night. Now in black and red, street-style clothing, THE BOYZ treated fans to a hot performance of “Bite Back,” an unreleased song inspired by Latin club music. The group continued to amaze fans with their unmatched energy and stamina as they performed three of their biggest hits (“Reveal,” “The Stealer,” and “Watch It”) back-to-back, overwhelming fans in the best way possible. Eric shocked and successfully hyped up fans for the ending stage of the rock version of “Watch It” by screaming, “This is the last song. Make some fucking noise!”
The members exited the stage, and “Dancing Til We Drop” played as the cameras panned the audience, displaying fan-made signs. After a quick break, THE BOYZ returned for the encore in their tour merchandise T-shirts, donning cute animal ears and beanies as they sang “Nectar” while interacting with fans across the entire stage. Kevin even picked up an American flag with a picture of him flexing and happily posed with it.
They teased that their unreleased song, “Bite Back,” will be a B-Side to an upcoming album to be released very soon. Ju Haknyeon shared that he was very impressed by the fan chants. Eric asked if fans wanted to see the “Nectar” choreography, but because he couldn’t remember it, he requested Juyeon to show it while the other members sang the song a capella. They did a roll call on how many fans were at each level of education, from elementary to PhDs. Eric interjected and asked if any moms were in the house because his mom had come to the show. He hilariously led the crowd to say, “Hi, Eric’s mom!” in unison.
It was time for individual ending ments where highlights included Jacob recalling the last LA concert was on his birthday, but today had felt just as precious; Q and New showed off their improved English skills; Juyeon set a goal to see The Bs next time at the large Crypto.com Arena right next door; and Sangyeon told KCON attendees to not have too much fun without them. Kevin also shared that he grew up dreaming of major pop culture moments created in L.A. and thanked The Bs for making his dream come true. Eric echoed that sentiment in that he had dreamed of this moment for nine years. They also took the time to thank all their special guests, which included American soloist MAX, Mark Tuan from GOT7, and Eric’s childhood friends. Regardless of the venue they see The Bs at next, THE BOYZ promised to always do their best for just one or thousands of fans. The night ended with the bright, upbeat “Fire Eyes,” where they “finished” the song but continued singing a few more times, unwilling to say goodbye.
It was a magical night for Los Angeles The Bs as they saw OT11 perform together for the first time at their concert. THE BOYZ demonstrated their versatility as performers with their carefully curated and segmented setlist. It cemented their reputation for being some of the most well-connected idols, with various celebrity friends in attendance. Undoubtedly, THE BOYZ and The Bs are already looking forward to the next time they will be reunited!