Singer-songwriter WOODZ made his long-awaited return to Los Angeles on Saturday, July 25, taking over the iconic Dolby Theatre for the first U.S. stop of his 2026 Archive. 1 World Tour. The tour marks his first concert since the OO-LI world tour in 2023 before he enlisted in South Korea’s mandatory military service. Now armed with his first full-length album, Archive. 1, WOODZ finally reunited with international MOODZ (his official fan club name) after three long years to share with fans the new music that he earnestly worked on during his enlistment.
As the lights dimmed, WOODZ confidently walked onto the stage in a white crop top, blue jeans, and dark sunglasses. He slung a guitar over his shoulder and launched into the epic rock ’n ’roll anthem “Bloodline.” Bathed in deep crimson lighting, his crisp live vocals cut through the venue while the audience quickly found themselves singing along to the catchy “La-la-la-la-la-la” hook. The momentum grew with “Downtown,” as WOODZ led fans in clapping along as a sunset visual filled the screens behind him. WOODZ left behind the mic stand for “Dirt on my Leather” and roamed every corner of the stage with the wired microphone to interact with every section of the theater.
Following the explosive opening, WOODZ paused to introduce himself properly. He happily recalled that it had been three years since his last visit to Los Angeles and this was only his second concert in the city. He then proudly introduced each member of his live band: drummer Seo Ju-young, bassist Yang Kyung-ah, guitarist Kim Ho-hyun, and keyboardist Kim Dong-min, earning loud cheers from the crowd. The live band was instrumental to making the night come alive as a true live music experience.
Before continuing, he recruited the audience for “Dayfly,” teaching everyone the signature “Yes, ooh” response until the theater echoed back perfectly. The singalongs continued through “NA NA NA,” highlighted by a groovy bass intro and high energy as everyone bobbed along to the beat.
From there, WOODZ brought us back to his earlier hits and shifted between the many musical identities he’s developed throughout his career. He performed his 2020 pop track “Love Me Harder” as he danced around the stage and teased the audience by delaying the chorus. Midway through the song, he pointed his microphone to a fan in the front row to finish the chorus lyrics with him.
WOODZ asked MOODZ if they were ready to get louder, then delivered the perfectly edgy, rebellious stage of “HIJACK.” He transitioned seamlessly into the sultry atmosphere of “Trigger.” He then launched into the fan favorite “READY TO FIGHT” that transformed the Dolby Theatre into a high-energy party where both WOODZ and MOODZ aggressively sang the uncensored lyrics together in unison.
Showing his love for MOODZ, WOODZ asked if everyone was still doing okay and reminded fans to grab water, take a break, and let him know if they needed anything.
Continuing with the show, he performed a rearranged version of “FEEL LIKE” that slowed things down as leand heavily into jazzy instrumentation while maintaining the electric energy. He followed it with an upbeat remix of “Kiss of Fire,” playfully sending air kisses into the audience (and making fans go crazy when he planted kisses onto his own neck) before delivering the soaring high notes of “Chaser.”
Introducing the next section as something “a little emotional,” WOODZ asked everyone who knew the songs to sing along with him.
“GLASS” transformed the vibe into something resembling a psychological thriller, complete with eerie visuals of his blurry silhouette and hands dragging across fogged glass. Fans fell almost completely silent during the softer verses, creating one of the evening’s most intimate moments.
That silence only made the opening of “I’ll Never Love Again” even more impactful. Beginning with only his voice under a single backlight, WOODZ’s performance gradually exploded as his band entered with the first dramatic guitar riff.
Then came the song everyone had been waiting for. The opening notes of “Drowning” sent the entire theater into a frenzy, drawing the loudest cheers of the night. While serving in the military, WOODZ performed this 2023 rock ballad for an Armed Forces Day television special, and the song resurged in popularity. “Drowning” climbed the charts quickly and peaked at No.1 on major South Korean music charts. This tour marked the first time WOODZ performed this song for international MOODZ since his viral breakthrough, making it even more highly anticipated. Every fan stood from their seats, singing every word back to WOODZ at full volume. When the song ended, they continued to cheer and turned the brief pause into a standing ovation for WOODZ. He was noticeably touched by the cheers but quickly got back to business and played his latest power ballad “CINEMA.”
Following back-to-back emotional performances, WOODZ took a moment to chat with fans before revealing a special surprise prepared for L.A. MOODZ. The crowd got so excited that a male audience member shouted “Oppa, saranghae!”, drawing laughter from the crowd. The moment prompted WOODZ to reply that he loved him back, earning another eruption of cheers. WOODZ then gifted L.A. fans a special short acoustic cover of Justin Bieber’s “Yukon,” performed with nothing but his guitar and warm vocals.
The intimate atmosphere continued with “To My January.” Strumming his acoustic guitar while lyrics filled the screen behind him, WOODZ shared that he hoped every MOODZ’s wishes would come true and promised he would always be cheering them on. Unable to hide how much the song meant to him, he stopped after it ended just to ask everyone to sing the chorus together one more time. For a brief moment, only thousands of fan voices and his acoustic guitar filled the theater before the band gradually joined back in.
Although it was sadly time to say goodbye, he hinted that he would happily come back if MOODZ cheered for him to return.
“The Spark” brought back the funky, groovy vibe with standout electric guitar parts to ease the crowd into the last official act of the night. WOODZ quickly switched the mood again by performing “AMNESIA,” his last 2023 release before his enlistment, making MOODZ nostalgic and emotional. The rapid-fire sequence and aggressive rap verses in “Busted” followed by the psychedelic visuals of “Human Extinction,” combined for an explosive back-to-back stages that left fans stunned. With a casual “Thank you guys!” WOODZ walked off stage, and fans immediately chanted for an encore.
Minutes later, the band quietly returned to their positions before WOODZ reappeared wearing his white tour T-shirt and sunglasses once again. He began the encore with “Smashing Concrete” and brought that rockstar spirit back as he sprinted across the stage, reaching out to touch as many fans’ hands as possible before launching into the emo-rock energy of “Who Knows” and “Stray.”
For the final songs, WOODZ thanked everyone for bringing so much love and energy before asking one simple question: “If I come again, would you be as loud as today?” MOODZ answered with deafening screams.
Closing on a more lighthearted note, he launched into “STOP THAT,” where he proudly danced around waving a fan-made slogan banner before fully unfolding it at the end to unveil handwritten messages from fans. During “I hate you,” he accidentally dropped his microphone but continued singing without missing a beat. He then borrowed fans’ phones near the barricade to sing directly into their cameras, bringing fans further into his performance.
The night reached its epic conclusion with “BUMP BUMP,” as the entire theater jumped and danced together one final time. Rather than pausing for one last speech, WOODZ simply said his goodbyes during the song’s instrumental break before strutting off stage, with shoulders held high.
Fresh off of releasing a 17-track self-written and self-produced album, WOODZ spent nearly two and a half hours doing what he loves—sharing his music with the fans who waited patiently for his return. The explosive rock anthems, intimate acoustic moments, and emotional singalongs were a testament to WOODZ’s growth as an artist and how he created an unforgettable night for MOODZ.