CIX Captivates Chicago with Impressive Stages & Talents
Photo Cr: Kenna Miller
CIX, the multitalented five-member K-Pop group, ignited the evening of May 22 for their return to Chicago presenting their third world tour <0 or 1>. Debuting in 2019, the five-year-old boy group opened the show with high energy performances of “Move My Body” and “Change Me” off their third EP HELLO Chapter 3. Gazing at the cheerful fans at the Copernicus Center, the members remarked how happy they were that everyone in the crowd was standing regardless of having seats, so they wanted to do their best in return despite their difficult choreography. The venue was overflowing with energetic fans buzzing with anticipation. After “BAD DREAM,” the members thoughtfully emphasized their concern for their fans asking them to stay hydrated during the concert and to drink water with them before they moved on to some of their top streamed hits -- “Save me, Kill me” and “What You Wanted.”
Photo Cr: Kenna Miller
The next section of the show featured each member individually. The youngest member, Hyunsuk, perched on a stool highlighted in a single spotlight leaving the audience in a trance with his rendition of LANY's song “ILYSB.” Leader and main rapper BX covered “Left to Right” by Marteen, comfortably running around stage and interacting with the fans. Member Yonghee crooned Troye Sivan’s “Angel Baby” with the screen sparkling behind him. Group center Jinyoung covered BTS member Jungkook’s famous hit “Seven” with BX joining him onstage to complete the rap section while Jinyoung performed the viral dance. They finished up the solo sections with vocal powerhouse Seunghun performing “Youngblood” by 5 Seconds of Summer.
The members mentioned really feeling the importance of each member every time they complete the solo section of the concert. They reconnected as a full group to perform “Switch It up,” “LOST,” “Imagine,” and “WAVE,” with the crowd singing along in full force, even during some of the rap sections.
Photo Cr: Kenna Miller
As the CIX members rushed backstage to change outfits, a video played, edited in the style of a Korean variety show. It featured the members playing a game against a robotic vacuum to see if humans or robots could clean better. The game was followed by a member against member debate on humans versus AI. The segment was very humorous and had the whole crowd laughing along and interacting with the video, as if the members were currently onstage.
Photo Cr: Kenna Miller
CIX returned to the stage with their most streamed song and the lead single from their debut album “Movie Star.” They added an intense dance break in the middle which was extra impressive as you could tell they were singing live due to the heavy breathing heard throughout. This was followed by the newest single “Love or Enemies” where Seunghun once again showcased his impressive vocal abilities. Not to be outdone, their dance skills were highlighted in “458.” The members remarked how touched they were with the audience singing along loudly to all of their songs and that they are always surprised by the energy during US concerts, thanking the audience once more for standing during the whole show with them.
Photo Cr: Kenna Miller
The group performed two ballads -- “Drown in Luv” and “My name is shadow” -- before exclaiming their promise to return to Chicago. Jinyoung stated, "We have a phrase from our ‘0 or 1’ album that says, ‘Be with us forever or face your tragedy.’ I think the choice is pretty obvious,” causing the other members and the audience to burst into laughter. He promised to stay by the fans' side forever before the group moved onto their encore performances of “Cinema,” “The One,” and “Color.”