WONHO Leaves Fans Breathless After Houston Fanmeet
Fans lined up for hours in the pouring rain outside Warehouse Live Midtown in anticipation of WONHO’s first U.S. fanmeet. The K-Pop idol who made his solo debut in August of 2020 decided to celebrate his return from the Korean military by embarking on a six-stop tour across the United States, starting in Houston. While WONHO is not a stranger to the city, having stopped in Houston during two of his former boyband MONSTA X’s tours, this was his first time back since 2019, and fans were excited to finally see him perform live as a solo artist.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
His fans, better known as WENEEs, could be seen waving their lightsticks and screaming at the top of their lungs as WONHO and his dancers stepped on stage to perform his debut single, “Open Mind.” In his first heart to heart with the audience, WONHO talked about how he carefully chose his first two songs “Open Mind” and “Ain’t About You” because they best represented the image he wanted fans to have of him. The two electric performances showcased the strong and energetic charm that first captivated fans’ hearts.
Shortly before announcing the tour, WONHO had his first comeback since the end of his enlistment with the track, “What Would You Do.” In a video interlude that played after he performed the song for his Houston fans, WONHO answered questions regarding the process of creating the song and sharing it with the world. He spoke candidly about wanting to reach his international fans by recording the whole thing in English and making sure his pronunciation was perfect. He also revealed to fans that he is working on an album and this tour is only a prelude to the tour that would follow the album’s release.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
Fanmeets typically involve artists singing songs in between variety show style games and audience Q and A’s. WONHO made his fanmeet unique by treating it more like a mini-concert with more organic audience interactions. That doesn’t mean he didn’t include any fun segments between his performances. WENEEs had long been fans of WONHO’s dance covers, particularly his girl group covers, so he chose to give them what they came for by performing a medley of K-Pop covers. He then asked fans to scream out their favorite so he could perform it one more time. WONHO ended up dancing along as the audience passionately sang the lyrics to “Sticky” by KISS OF LIFE.
Throughout the night, WONHO tried to connect with fans at every turn. From asking them questions about the performances they just saw to filming himself with audience members’ phones. While he did have a translator during the show, there were plenty of moments where he addressed fans directly in English, endearing fans with all the effort he put into their interactions.
Photo Cr: Andy Cantu
It felt like the show had only just begun when WONHO sadly announced that he only had two more songs left. By now, most fans are familiar with the fake goodbyes before the encore, but encores typically only include one or two songs and fans were left feeling like they could stay for another few hours. It seemed as though WONHO could feel their desire for more as he went on to perform four additional songs during the encore.
The show’s encore was full of energy with fans jumping up and down as WONHO splashed water on them. Every time a song ended, WONHO would playfully pretend to leave before insisting that that song would be the last one. When the last song finally came, WONHO made sure fans weren’t too sad by taking off his shirt and throwing it into the crowd for one lucky WENEE to catch. By the time the ending VCR played, fans were left satisfied knowing WONHO gave them his all.