On April 27, CIX successfully kicked off their REBEL U.S. tour at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA. Riding on the coattails of their first concert in Korea, it marked the group’s first-ever overseas tour. Eager fans, called FIX, lined up as early as the night before to secure a decent spot in the two-story venue’s GA standing floor. Hours before doors opened, hundreds of FIX lined the KTown streets and wrapped around the block. For many LA FIX, the show was long overdue as the five-piece group’s 2020 US tour was abruptly canceled due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seunghun, Yonghee, Bae Jinyoung, Hyunsuk, and BX made up for lost time with a phenomenal, jampacked show.
CIX kicked off their long-awaited show with the powerful electric pop starter, “Black Out,” followed by the rebellious anthem tinged in EDM, “Numb.” Both hailing from the group’s 2nd EP, Hello Chapter 2: Hello, Strange Place, the tracks address social issues such as bullying that continue to run rampant in today’s society. While “Black Out” sings of the desire to give up, “Numb” encourages listeners to persevere in the face of adversities and fearlessly chase after their dreams. The songs’ powerful messages were emulated in the dynamic performances, highlighting the members’ teamwork and synchronization with the use of formations, levels, and technical twists that set the tone for the exhilarating night.
Despite LA being their first concert in the US, CIX showed no nerves as they confidently greeted their fans. Seunghun’s “Hey FIX, are you ready?!” triggered a colossal uproar of screams and cheers. When they were not wiping off their sweat, drinking water, or catching their breaths, the members continuously egged on the crowd to scream, basking in the sound that they have long been deprived of. After their introductions, CIX moved on to perform “What You Wanted” and “Like It That Way” from their debut EP, Hello Chapter 1: Hello, Stranger. While the previous set embodied powerful and fierce stages, this set made space for easier, listening tunes to groove along to and served as a testament to the group’s versatility.
The biggest uproar of the night were the new special stages that differed from the Seoul concert. Seunghun and Yonghee showcased their harmonies in their vocal cover of The Kid LAROI’s “Stay (with Justin Bieber)” while Bae Jinyoung and Hyunsuk turned up the heat with their sexy swagger and “wow point” body rolls in their dance cover to T-PAIN’s “Up and Down (Do This All Day).” Last but not least, BX closed off with an impressive rap cover of Joey Bada$$’ “Christ Consciousness.” The special stages were a refreshing inclusion to showcase each member’s strengths and charms through never-before-seen performances.
After a VCR segment, CIX returned onstage for their atmospheric track, “Jungle.” The stage’s moody spotlights paired with the song’s haunting piano and organ melodies set the tone for the performance. The next song’s teasing opening lines, “I wanna play with you / You wanna play with me?” sent the crowd into a frenzy as the members segued into their debut song, “Movie Star.” Inarguably one of the fan-favorites of the night, “Movie Star” had fans from the VIP pit all the way to the last rows of the balcony singing along to the English lyrics “She’s a movie, movie star” and “Take me high, take me low.” During their ment, CIX took time to acknowledge and thank singer-songwriter Anthony Russo who was present for the group’s first U.S. show. Russo is credited for writing and producing several of CIX’s tracks, including “Movie Star.”
It was also during this ment that the members shared their honest TMIs. Having flown in just the day before, Bae Jinyoung admitted that he and the members were exhausted. “We’re suffering from time zone differences right now. We all woke up at 5 or 6am.” Despite the jetlag, the members, running on pure adrenaline and their fans’ enthusiasm and energy, persevered.
During “Lost,” the members wandered around the edge of the stage, kneeling before the lucky fans in the front rows and serenading them. While “Everything” expresses CIX’s love for their fans, FIX returned the sentiment as everyone came together as one to passionately sing the lines “You’re my everything / With you, you / Love you everything” back to the members. The fans’ actions did not go unnoticed. During the following ment, Bae Jinyoung said, “Until now, we’ve been performing in places where everyone had to wear a mask and cannot scream…it’s been two year since we’ve been able to hear your screams.”
After the members’ showed off their suave footwork and smooth vocals in “Rebel,” the members walked offstage and a documentary-style VCR reflecting on their first tour, their group’s synergy, and their relationship with FIX was shown. With this tour, the members hoped that it would become a stepping stone to many more opportunities to meet FIX in the future. Seunghun commented, “Even when the first concert is being forgotten, it doesn’t matter. Because we will never forget the feeling and the big love of our first concert.” Although no one knows what the future may hold, he hoped to continue to stand beside the members through all obstacles, “…Even though we are not sure what kind of huge struggle we might face in the future…when these big waves come toward us, I hope we can overcome them together.”
After the moving VCR segment, CIX returned onstage dressed in their tour merch and began their encore stage with “Wave” followed by another fan favorite of the night, “Cinema.” The group seemed refreshed and had a spring in their step as they executed their performances with precision, beaming smiles, and subtle fan service mixed into their choreography. CIX wrapped up their first-ever US concert with “The One” as they serenaded FIX and professed their love for them. LA FIX left the venue with smiles on their faces, memories to cherish, and a new yearning for CIX’s hopeful return to the City of Angels.