The lineup for day two of the We Bridge Music Festival & Expo consisted of BE’O, ONEUS, VIVIZ, BamBam and headliners ENHYPEN.
The MC for the evening was Yuri Park, South Korean-Russian actor, model and rapper. Park was in the 2021 South Korean television series “Imitation.”
BE’O
The first artist who took the stage was BE’O, who became popular after appearing on the rap competition TV show “Show Me the Money 10” in 2021. Before the concert, I was not familiar with many of his songs, so I was anticipating his performance.
As he performed his first song “Counting Stars (Feat. Beenzino),” the stage transformed into a starry night sky, setting the tone for the performance. The song was slower than most performances of the night, yet catchy and seemed to raise the crowd’s mood as they sang along and waved their lightsticks to the beat.
BE’O divided his attention to fans around all areas of the stage, was not afraid to dance around by himself and even took selfies on some fans’ phones. More than once, he was surprised at the crowd’s loud response when he announced the next song he was going to perform.
Other songs he performed included “Without You (Feat. ASH ISLAND),” “Complex (Feat. Zico)” and “LOVE me.” My favorite song of his performance was “Complex (Feat. Zico),” from his 2022 album “FIVE SENSES,” which starts off with a more relaxed feel then transitions to being more upbeat.
BE’O said it was his first time in the United States and promised to come back with even better songs. I would enjoy seeing him perform again and will be keeping up with his new releases!
ONEUS
Next, was ONEUS, who I was excited to see after watching their performance at the GRAMMY Museum. The group opened with their song “Valkyrie” and the crowd loved it.
Nothing could prepare me, however, for how beautiful the performance of their song “LUNA” would be. “LUNA” is part of the group’s 2021 album “BLOOD MOON.” The members introduced the song by emphasizing how they wanted to showcase Korean culture in their performance.
The intro began with members Seoho and Leedo, then transitioned to including all the members. They all held folding fans for a portion of the choreography, which gave the performance a majestic feel. The choreography also consisted of a lot of floor work, which was unique.
Many of the group’s songs were so upbeat, they had the crowd jumping! The group also mentioned it was their first time in Las Vegas.
VIVIZ
It was then time for VIVIZ, the only girl group of the night to take the stage. They opened with their song “PULL UP” and the crowd grew loud with cheers. It was clear the members gave each song their all and I appreciated their bright energy on stage. They interacted with fans a bit and stayed in sync with each other well.
Additionally, they sounded amazing live! I enjoyed all of their songs, but my favorite of their performance was “Love, Love, Love,” which is from their 2022 album “The 2nd Mini Album ‘Summer Vibe.’”
Bambam
BamBam then took the stage, and really knew how to get the crowd dancing. He was very energetic on stage and talked a lot to the crowd about how thankful he was for their support.
It was also his first time in Las Vegas, but because of how well-received his performance was, I would not be surprised if he plans to perform there again. Some songs he performed included “Ride or die,” “TIPPY TOE” and “… Sour & Sweet,” from his 2023 album “Sour & Sweet.” The crowd got most excited for “…Sour & Sweet” and most of the crowd knew the lyrics enough to shout them with him. The dancers accompanying him on stage matched his energy well and also interacted with fans, waving and sending back finger hearts.
ENHYPEN
MC Yuri Park then announced it was a moment many had been waiting for, as it was time for headliners ENHYPEN to take the stage. The crowd roared with excitement as the arena transitioned from rainbow colors in the crowd to being majority blue ENHYPEN lightsticks.
They opened with “FEVER” from their 2021 album “BORDER : CARNIVAL” The group’s stage presence and accuracy of how in sync they stayed throughout their performances was impossible to miss. While they talked to the crowd, multiple members re-enacted the choreography from “FEVER,” garnering another wave of cheers from the crowd.
The group also performed “TFW (That Feeling When)” from their 2022 album “MANIFESTO : DAY 1,” an upbeat song that includes such cheerful choreography, it was difficult to not smile the whole way through. They matched each other’s energy as they transitioned in between songs with a more intense feel to them like “Future Perfect (Pass the MIC).” During this song, member Ni-ki successfully wowed the crowd during his dance solo, diverting the attention to him as that part of the song intended.
During their break to speak, they had the crowd sing along with them a few verses from their song “ParadoXXX Invasion,” and the crowd did not disappoint. After saying goodbye and thanking the audience, they performed the high energy song “SHOUT OUT” which included a very cinematic moment in which confetti filled the arena. The members’ vocals during this song were both loud and stable, and they spent a majority of the song interacting with the fans.
For more information about We Bridge Music Festival and Expo, visit webridgeexpo.com.
For more information about the GRAMMY Museum, visit www.grammymuseum.org.
Recap Press Release from We Bridge:
WE BRIDGE MUSIC FESTIVAL AND EXPO WRAPS UP FIRST-EVER SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND IN LAS VEGAS
MONSTA X wowed the crowd with a stunning performance on Friday for the first evening of live music
The GRAMMY Museum® Stage hosted panels with chart-topping K-Pop performers ENHYPEN, BamBam and more
We Bridge, the inaugural three-day cultural expo and two-day music festival in Las Vegas to celebrate Asian entertainment and culture, just wrapped their 360-degree programming and one-of-a-kind experience.
The two-day music festival was held at the Michelob ULTRA Arena inside Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. All attendees were encouraged to experience the variety of on-site activities and view the artist engagements as a way of getting more involved with this unique weekend of Asian-focused talent. The result was a multi-sensory, live event that immersed attendees into a curated world that bridges what is now, new, and next in Asian music, media, art, food and fashion.
Alex Kang, founder of We Bridge Music Festival and Expo and CEO of Infinite Prospects Entertainment shares of the festival: “In times of doubt, we need to see the light, and this weekend was just that. We are honored to have celebrated Asian talent and culture across three days here in Las Vegas. We started with a deeply moving tribute to Moon Bin of ASTRO and we focused on what our community has always bridged on, unity and respect. It was clear that everyone had the time of their lives, and we can’t wait to see you all next year.”
The full music artist lineup consisted of MONSTA X, Jessi, KANGDANIEL, Dreamcatcher, CIX, ONEUS performing on April 21, while ENHYPEN, VIVIZ, ONEUS, BE’O, and BamBam performed on April 22. The event saw over 15,000 fans come together this past weekend.
With the tragic passing of Moon Bin of boy group ASTRO, We Bridge honored his memory and legacy with a special “Light up Tribute” hosted by Yuri Park, alongside a moment of silence for the fans to all come together as one and shine a light in his memory during the nightly concert event.
Throughout the course of the weekend the expo also offered food, exclusive merchandise, VIP experiences, artist red carpets, hi-touches, art galleries, and thought-provoking panels covering social topics within the Asian community, showcasing influential executives, and thought leaders from the entertainment industry. The GRAMMY Museum® brought their popular artist programming to the stage where artists participated in an interview moderated by Emily Mei, followed by a performance. Participants such as Chris Pang (Actor), Sandra Douglass Morgan (Las Vegas Raiders), Stephanie Tsiao (NFL), Michelle Sugihara (CAPE), Jeff Benjamin (Billboard), Lai Frances (UPROXX), David Zhao (Entrepreneur), Robert Chin (Combs Spirits), Benny Luo (NextShark) and Anthony Francisco (Visual Designer) took the stage at the expo to discuss cultural impact. Within the art space, live painting exhibitions by SAMBYPEN, MAWZ, & N5bra were held on the expo floor. Food vendors such as Boba x Ice Cream, Four4Corner and Matcha Cafe Maiko showcase Filipino, Japanese, and Korean food among other vendors who sold K-pop goods. Various merchandise such as exclusive WE BRIDGE x SAMBYPEN collaborative pieces (https://www.webridgeshop.com/) and limited edition ENHYPEN x SAMBYPEN merchandise were a hit on the expo floor. Crowds on the expo floor flocked to see their favorite K-pop artists like ENHYPEN, ONEUS, KANGDANIEL and BE’O visit retail booths such as KORE Limited.
With the explosion of Asian influence on mainstream pop culture around the world and its tremendous impacts across music, film, art, and fashion, We Bridge’s mission is to continue to connect these various creative expressions within one experience and celebrate the Asian artists and cultures that are fueling them. We Bridge is presented by premier global entertainment company Infinite Prospects Entertainment (IPE) with the support of MGM Resorts International. IPE is recognized best as the team who turned the Las Vegas Strip purple in April 2022 for megastar group BTS, performing four sold-out nights of their ‘Permission To Dance On Stage’ tour at Allegiant Stadium. We Bridge teamed up with brands as sponsors and partners including Meta Prosper, Berify, The GRAMMY Museum®, Samsung, East West Bank, Momenti, Bank of America, Gallery Stan, OCA, Big Planet Music, and more.
The We Bridge Music Festival and Expo is looking forward to returning in 2024, after an extremely successful inaugural event.
For information about We Bridge Music Festival and Expo, head to: webridgeexpo.com.