IVE lights up Oakland Arena stage in US debut tour
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — There was no shortage of excitement for rising K-pop girl group IVE’s debut tour in the United States. Oakland is one of six U.S. cities the group performed in during its first world tour.
IVE opened up the “Show What I Have” tour stop on Saturday night inside Oakland Arena with thousands screaming and doing the K-pop-show tradition of waving light sticks to their hit single “I AM.”
Oakland Arena, Coliseum record best fiscal year ever after sold-out Bad Bunny, K-pop concerts
After a number of fast-paced songs to show off their dance moves, IVE slowed things down after an intermission with “Shine With Me” as all six were seated to sing the ballad. The group continued to show off their vocals with the ballad with “Either Way.”
In between songs, the group would talk to DIVE, the name of IVE’s fanbase, via a translator. It was IVE’s first time in Oakland, and members complimented on how nice the weather was in the East Bay city.
IVE also performed “After LIKE,” which remains the group’s biggest hit to date. The music video is IVE’s most-watched with more than 266 million YouTube views.
“I am so excited. Ahhh! They finally came (here) after two-and-half years,” said 20-year-old concertgoer Tiffany Liebelt who made the trip from Manteca. She added that tickets were hard to get as it was a scramble online when they first dropped.
IVE closed the nearly three-hour show with its newest single “All Night” — a track that features Bay Area rapper Saweetie who did the 49ers’ official playoff anthem.
IVE Continues Oakland Arena’s K-Pop Run
It seems that Oakland Arena is the unofficial home for K-pop lovers in the Bay Area. IVE is another act from Korea to headline the venue.
Eight K-pop acts have headlined Oakland Arena since the genre’s rise in the U.S. within the past decade, a venue spokesperson told KRON4.
Last year, Oakland Arena hosted a number of sold-out shows. Fellow girl group TWICE sold the venue out twice (no pun intended) in June. Suga, a member of boy band sensation BTS, headlined a show in May.
Thanks to these K-pop acts selling out the venue, Oakland Arena/Coliseum had its best fiscal year ever.
IU is set to perform at Oakland Arena on July 30 — the penultimate stop of her world tour —as one of the next K-pop acts to headline the venue.
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